Project Information

Title: HRM Program: Juvenile Herring Abundance Index 15120111-F

Project Year and Number: 2015: 15120111-F

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2024: 24160111-F , 2023: 23160111-F , 2022: 22160111-F , 2021: 21160111-F, 2020: 20160111-F, 2019: 19160111-F, 2018: 18160111-F, 2017: 17160111-F, 2016: 16120111-F, 2016: 16160111-T, 2014: 14120111-F, 2013: 13120111-F, 2012: 12120111-F

Principal Investigator (PI): Michele Buckhorn

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: None

Project Website: https://pwssc.org/juvenile-herring-abundance-in-prince-william-sound/

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Monitoring

Injured Resources Addressed: Pacific Herring

Abstract:

Management of the Pacific herring stock in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska, is based primarily on an age-structured-assessment (ASA) model. The current model, developed in 2005, incorporates both hydroacoustic estimates of the adult herring biomass and an index of the male spawning, called the “mile-days of spawn”. Unfortunately, the forecast is based on measurements from the previous year and does not have a direct measure of future age 3 recruitment. Current knowledge suggests that most mortality occurs during the first winter of life, so the relative recruitment may be fixed by the end of the first year. Consequently, estimates of relative abundance of age 1 and age 2 fish should provide an index of future recruitment. An index of age 0 fish would also provide a forecast of recruitment if additional information were available on the magnitude of the first year mortality. We will conduct annual fall surveys (FY2013-2016) of 8 bays; four of which will be the Sound Ecosystem Assessment (SEA) bays (Cooney et al. 2001). This will maintain a continual database from these locations. The other 4 bays will be selected based upon the survey results of the current EVOSTC FY10 Herring Survey Project (# 10100132). Surveys will be conducted using 120 kHz split-beam hydroacoustic unit in a stratified systematic survey design (Adams et al. 2006). For this study, direct capture will be directed to size and species composition. A midwater trawl will be used to sample randomized transects within each strata.


Proposal: View (161 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report FY15: View (1,268 KB)
Final Report: See Project 16120111-F

Publications from this Project: None Available