Post on 24-Feb-2016
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U.S. Beaufort Sea Fish CommunitiesBrenda L. Norcross
andLorena E. Edenfield
School of Fisheries and Ocean SciencesUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks
Photo credit: S. Carroll
US – Canada Northern Oil and Gas Research ForumAnchorage, AK November 2012
UAF Beaufort Sea surveys• 3 cruises– 2010: WWW1004 (6 days, Westward Wind)– 2011: BeauFish (21 days, Norseman II)– 2012: US Transboundary (10 days, Norseman II)
• Sampling gears:– Benthic nets: Fish and Invertebrates– Midwater nets: Fish and Zooplankton– Oceanography– Sediments and Infauna
Photo credit: C. Cano
Canadian 3-m beam trawl
Otter trawl
3-m plumbstaff beam trawl
Modified 3-m PSBT for complex substrate
Photo credit: BOEM
Photo credit: S. MacPhee
2010
2010• Small sampling area, mostly shallow– Camden Bay, “Sivuliq area”– Funded by Shell Exploration and
Production Co.– 17 stations from 20-100 m
• Captured approximately 800 fish total– 600 in bottom gear
Photo credit: T. Foster
Photo credit: S. Carroll
2010- small area, shallow
Cods26%
Eelpouts2%
Poachers1%
Pricklebacks1%
Sculpins55%
Snailfishes and Lumpsuckers
15%
2011
• Large area, mostly shallow– BeauFish cruise, from Camden Bay to Pt. Barrow– Funded by BOEM– 79 stations from 15-200 m
• Captured approximately 17,000 fish– 13,000 in bottom gear
Photo credit: I. Rutzen
2011
2011- large area, shallow
Cods51%
Eelpouts4%
Poachers4%
Pricklebacks6%
Sculpins23%
Smelts and Sand lance
<1%
Snailfishes and Lumpsuckers
13%Flatfishes<1%
All fishCaptured 13,000
Size range: 1 -12 inches
Photo credit: K. Mecklenburg
SnailfishCaptured 750 Size range: 1 -8 inches
Photo credit: B. Sheiko
SculpinsCaptured 2,700 Size range: 1 -9 inches
Photo credit: B. Sheiko
CodCaptured 68,000 Size range: 1 -7 inches
From Gallaway et al., submitted
2012
2012 Collaboration
US Beaufort Canadian Beaufort
Norseman II Frosti
Photo credit: S. Atchison
2012- US Beaufort• Small area, shallow and deep depths– US Transboundary cruise, central US Beaufort– Funded by BOEM– 18 stations from 20-1,000 m
• Captured approximately 5,500 fish– 4,700 in bottom gear
2012- small area, deep
Cods32%
Eelpouts11%
Poachers4%Pricklebacks
4%Rays<1%
Sculpins18%
Smelts and Sand lance
<1%
Snailfishes and Lumpsuckers
31%
Flatfishes<1%
Percent composition of catch at depth
20 50 100 200 350 500 10000%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Snailfishes and Lumpsuckers Smelts and Sandlance Sculpins Rays
Pricklebacks Poachers Flatfishes Cods
Depth
Perc
ent c
ompo
sitio
n of
catc
h
20 50 100 200 350 500 10000
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Sculpins Cods Snailfishes Flatfishes Eelpouts All Families
Depth
Aver
age
Leng
th (m
m)
Average length at depth
Species ListRajidae Hemitripteridae Zoarcidae
Raja binoculata Nautichthys pribilovius Gymnelus hemifasciatusOsmeridae Agonidae Gymnelus viridis
Mallotus villosus Aspidophoroides monopterygius Lycodes mucosus
Osmerus mordax Leptagonus decagonus Lycodes polarisGadidae Podothecus veternus Lycodes raridens
Arctogadus glacialis Aspidophoroides olrikii Lycodes sagittariusBoreogadus saida Cyclopteridae Lycodes adolfiEleginus gracilis Eumicrotremus derjugini Lycodes rossi
Cottidae Liparidae Lycodes seminudisArtediellus scaber Liparis fabricii Lycodes reticulatusGymnocanthus tricuspis Liparis gibbus Lycodes frigidusIcelus spatula Liparis bathyarticus Stichaeidae
Myoxocephalus quadricornis Liparis tunicatus Anisarchus medius
Myoxocephalus scorpius Careproctus sp. Eumesogrammus praecisus
Triglops nybelini Ammodytidae Leptoclinus maculatusTriglops pingelii Ammodytes hexapterus Lumpenus fabricii
Pleuronectidae Stichaeus punctatusHippoglossoides robustus
Reinhardtius hippoglossoides
43 confirmed species from 12 families
Length differencesYear Minimum
Length (mm)Maximum
Length (mm)Average
Length (mm)2010 19 146 482011 18 300 562012 15 795 99
2010-2011 vs 2012
Shelf vs. slope• Average length– Shelf = small– Slope = big
• Catch composition– Shelf- sculpins, snailfishes,
and cod– Slope- eelpout, rays, and
flatfishes– Different species within
families
East vs. West
Density of all fishes is greater in west
Larval cod density high in east
Photo credit: C. Cano
• US and Canadian Beaufort– 10 planned transects on US and Canadian side of border– collaboration between scientists
• 2013: Norseman II (UAF) and Frosti (DFO)• 2014: Sikuiliaq– Both US and DFO scientists
Future transboundary surveys
Photo credit: C. Cano
• Ichthyoplankton• Hydroacoustics• ROV/gliders• Primary productivity• Marine mammal
surveys• Seabird observations
Potential enhancements to future transboundary surveys
Image courtesy of Kate Stafford, 2012 RUSALCA Expedition, RAS-NOAA
Thanks!
Photo credit: S. Carroll
• The crews of the Westward Wind (2010) Norseman II (2011 and 2012)
• UAF Fisheries Oceanography Lab students and technicians
• BOEM and Shell Exploration and Production Co. for funding
• Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans