Project Information

Title: HRM Adult Pacific Herring Acoustic Surveys in PWS 20120111-G

Project Year and Number: 2020: 20120111-G

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2021: 21120111-G, 2019: 19120111-G, 2018: 18120111-G, 2017: 17120111-G, 2016: 16120111-E, 2015: 15120111-E, 2014: 14120111-E, 2013: 13120111-E, 2012: 12120111-E

Principal Investigator (PI): Pete Rand (Prince William Sound Science Center)

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: None

Project Website: https://pwssc.org/adult-biomass-surveys/

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Monitoring

Injured Resources Addressed: Pacific Herring

Abstract:

We are continuing to conduct hydroacoustic surveys and calculate biomass estimates of pre-spawning biomass of Pacific herring in Prince William Sound (PWS), providing a long-term relative abundance index for the Bayesian age-structured assessment model (BASA) . This work primarily addresses Objectives 1 (expanding and testing the BASA model) and 2 (providing input to the BASA model). Since 1993, the Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC) has been carrying out acoustic surveys as a cost-effective approach to estimate pre-spawning biomass of adult Pacific herring just prior to the spawning period. Here we propose to continue this sampling during 2020. Our main goal for this proposed project is to produce a reliable estimate of pre-spawning biomass of the population of Pacific herring during 2020 in support of the BASA model. As in recent years, we intend to continue to survey the two main spawning aggregation regions (Port Gravina and Fidalgo, and along the northeast coast of Montague Island). This will allow us to continue generating estimates of the pre-spawning herring biomass in PWS and provide an alert to changes in biomass in these two different regions. While our survey does not include the full extent of spawning habitat in the PWS, we assume here that surveys in these two regions account for the majority of spawning activity that occurs each spring. We feel this is a reasonable assumption given the aerial survey results that monitor herring aggregations, predators, and distribution of milt. While we have focused on these two regions in recent years, other regions may also be surveyed depending on result of aerial surveys and other indicators. We propose to carry out this assessment in spring (March-April). This project will use the Alaska Department of Fish and Game data from direct sampling for age, sex and length in the estimates of biomass. The estimate will then be provided to the modeling project.


Proposal: View (648 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report: View (1,205 KB)
Final Report: See Project 21120111-G

Publications from this Project: None Available