Project Information

Title: Measuring Interannual Variability in the Herring's Forage Base from the GOA - Submitted Under the BAA 10100624

Project Year and Number: 2010: 10100624

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2007: 070624, 2004: 040624, 2003: 030624, 2002: 02624-BAA

Principal Investigator (PI): Alex Bychkov (PICES)

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: Sonia Batten

Research Location: Shelf waters SW of PWS, Cook Inlet, northern GOA

Restoration Category: Monitoring

Injured Resources Addressed: Pacific Herring

Abstract: Herring from Prince William Sound feed on zooplankton, some originating within the Sound and some from the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) introduced to PWS via a variety of processes. Additionally, adult herring almost certainly forage outside of the Sound, feeding on zooplankton over the wider Alaskan shelf. Understanding the sources of variability in the herring forage base is essential to efforts to understand the herring recovery process and to address basic resource management questions. Direct measurements inside PWS do not explain how the interannual variation in ocean food sources creates interannual variability in PWS zooplankton, nor when changes in ocean zooplankton are to be seen inside PWS. A ten-year time series of seasonal zooplankton data from the Alaskan shelf and northern oceanic GOA has been maintained through support from a variety of agencies including the EVOS TC. The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey is a cost-effective, ship-of-opportunity based sampling program that includes community involvement and has a proven track record. The existing time series shows considerable interannual variation in GOA zooplankton abundance and is essential baseline data to underpin herring restoration efforts. EVOS TC support is now requested to maintain the sampling in this region at the current resolution while we examine the linkages between PWS and GOA zooplankton.


Proposal: View (614 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report FY10: View (134 KB)
Annual Report FY11: View (95 KB)
Final Report: Final Report Not available. For current status, please contact us.

Publications from this Project: None Available