Project Information

Title: PWS Herring Survey: Assessment of Juvenile Herring Abundance and Habitat Utilization, Submitted Under the BAA 10100132-B

Project Year and Number: 2010: 10100132-B

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2010: 10100132-A, 2010: 10100132, 2010: 10100132-C, 2010: 10100132-D, 2010: 10100132-E, 2010: 10100132-F, 2010: 10100132-G, 2010: 10100132-H, 2010: 10100132-I

Principal Investigator (PI): Dick Thorne (Prince William Sound Science Center)

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: None

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Monitoring

Injured Resources Addressed: Pacific Herring

Abstract: The objectives of the proposed effort are to improve understanding of habitat utilization by juvenile herring, especially age 0, and to help identify candidate sites that could be potentially used for supplementation efforts. The proposal builds on three years of experience in assessment of juvenile herring in PWS using hydroacoustic techniques. We proposed to measure juvenile herring and other fish abundance in several potential juvenile herring nursery areas. Four of these areas, Simpson Bay, Eaglek Bay, Whale Bay and Zaikof Bay, were the focus of earlier investigation by the SEA program in 1995-96 as well as a current Council-funded project, "Trends in adult and juvenile herring distribution and abundance in Prince William Sound". Additional sites will be selected based on historical data and community input. We propose to conduct surveys three times per year: pre- and post-winter and summer. The pre- and post-winter series will complement other studies that propose to examine overwinter mortality, including energetics. The pre- and post-winter periods have been examined for the past three years. The summer period will provide a link between a more dispersed age 0 herring distribution following larvae drift and the subsequent overwintering locations. In addition, a 4-day survey of adult herring will be conducted in conjunction with the post-winter juvenile survey. This project will provide essential data on the distribution and abundance of juvenile herring and their competitors and predators. It will also assist development of a "Core Data Collection" program. The project is one part of a collaborative program for PWS herring surveys coordinated through the Prince William Sound Science Center.


Proposal: View (1,494 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report FY10: View (244 KB)
Annual Report FY11: View (831 KB)
Annual Report FY12: View (117 KB)
Final Report: Not available. For current status, please contact us.

Publications from this Project: None Available