2022 Alaska Fisheries Science Center Groundfish Seminar Series

The Groundfish Seminar Series (2016 – present) at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) starts in early October and ends in mid-December. We host 9 or 10 weekly talks on Tuesdays at 10AM Pacific Time, with speakers from both inside and outside of the AFSC. The purpose is to provide a friendly venue for connecting researchers in the widely dispersed groundfish community so that we can learn about advancements in other geographic locations, or on other species, that might be applicable to you and your work. We encourage speakers to talk in general terms about works-in-progress or newly published findings that might be of interest to a broad community.

The seminar series is hosted by the Groundfish Assessment Program at the AFSC and, as a well-attended seminar series at the AFSC, we attract an audience from other parts of the AFSC, the other five NOAA Fisheries science centers, NOAA Fisheries; regional offices, NOAA Fisheries headquarters, other parts of NOAA, non-NOAA parts of the federal government, state agencies, universities, the fishing industry, non-governmental organizations, and independent research groups.

Groundfish Assessment Program

2022 Groundfish Seminar Series Reach

2022 Groundfish Seminar Series Participant Map (PDF, 1 page)

Thank you to all the speakers and participants that made the 2022 Groundfish Seminar Series a great success, with an average per talk of 76 attendees, from 24 US states plus Washington DC, and 8 foreign countries. As always, much of our attendance came from NMFS, with participants from all 6 Science Centers and 4 of 5 Regional Offices, but also included other parts of NOAA, non-NOAA parts of the federal government, 17 state and municipal organizations, 15 NGOs, and 24 US and foreign colleges and universities.

2022 AFSC Groundfish Seminar Overview Poster

2022 AFSC Groundfish Seminar Poster

October 4, 2022 - Sabrina Beyer 

Sabrina Beyer Presentation Flyer

Tuesday, October 4th @ 10 am Pacific

Reproductive plasticity in California rockfishes in response to variable environmental conditions

Rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) of the California Current Ecosystem are live-bearers and exhibit variation in the frequency of reproduction and fecundity. We analyzed a 20+ year time series of fecundity data in central California and manipulated temperature and food in the lab to show how reproductive output correlates with body condition and is influenced by the environment. Our results improve estimates of population reproductive potential,
important for management.

For more information contact:

Liz Dawson (Liz.Dawson@noaa.gov) or Mark Zimmermann (Mark.Zimmermann@noaa.gov) or Bianca Prohaska (Bianca.Prohaska@noaa.gov)

Webinar Recording - Sabrina Beyer 2022 Groundfish Seminar

October 11, 2021  - Jim Thorson

Jim Thorson Presentation Flyer

Tuesday, October 11th @ 10 am Pacific

Phylogenetic imputation of reproductive, behavioral, and morphometric traits, and their use in joint species distribution models to understand community assembly

We estimate evolutionary mechanisms governing fish life-history, and review phylogenetic structural equation models. We then use trait estimates to identify associations between traits and habitat utilization for groundfishes in the Gulf of Alaska.

For more information contact:

Liz Dawson (Liz.Dawson@noaa.gov) or Mark Zimmermann (Mark.Zimmermann@noaa.gov) or Bianca Prohaska (Bianca.Prohaska@noaa.gov)

Webinar Recording - James Thorson 2022 Groundfish Seminar

October 18, 2022 - Thaddaeus Buser

Thaddaeus Buser Presentation Flyer

Tuesday, October 18th @ 10 am Pacific

Stags of the sea? On the evolution and function of cranial weapons in sculpins

Many North Pacific fishes are armed with scutes, spines, and barbs. Presumably they defend against predation, but for most species this defensive function is entirely speculative. I used a variety of techniques, including CT scans and 3D motion capture to describe the morphology and use of preopercular spines in sculpins and compared the evolutionary drivers of the weaponization of sculpin skulls with better-understood terrestrial models, such as the evolution of antlers in stag deer.

For more information contact:

Liz Dawson (Liz.Dawson@noaa.gov) or Mark Zimmermann (Mark.Zimmermann@noaa.gov) or Bianca Prohaska (Bianca.Prohaska@noaa.gov)

Webinar Recording - Thaddaeus Buser 2022 Groundfish Seminar

October 25, 2022 - Cathleen Vestfals

Cathleen Vestfals Presentation Flyer

Tuesday, October 25th @ 10 am Pacific

Identifying stage-specific drivers of Pacific hake recruitment

Pacific hake recruitment is highly variable, but the mechanisms underlying this variability are poorly understood. This presentation focuses on research that investigates the oceanographic and biological variables that likely influence their recruitment and also highlights information shared at a workshop with industry that is helping to refine our understanding of hake by identifying new factors contributing to their distribution, spawning behavior, growth, and recruitment.

For more information contact:

Liz Dawson (Liz.Dawson@noaa.gov) or Mark Zimmermann (Mark.Zimmermann@noaa.gov) or Bianca Prohaska (Bianca.Prohaska@noaa.gov)

Webinar Recording - Cathleen Vestfals 2022 Groundfish Seminar

November 1, 2022 - Alexandra McInturf

Alexandra McInturf Presentation Flyer

Tuesday, November 1st @ 10 am Pacific

Salmon shark: a misnomer? Exploring the diet and ecosystem impacts of an apex predator in the Northeast Pacific

Though predation impacts salmon stocks in the Eastern North Pacific, very little is known about sources of mortality for adult salmon while at sea. We will share the results of a project designed to address this knowledge gap by focusing on one potential predator: the salmon shark (Lamna ditropis). Via a combination of methods, from stomach content analysis to species distribution modeling, we are exploring the composition of salmon shark diet and assessing how frequently the movements of salmon sharks overlap with potential salmon habitat. This information should improve our understanding of a predator that may have a substantial effect on salmon recovery efforts.

For more information contact:

Liz Dawson (Liz.Dawson@noaa.gov) or Mark Zimmermann (Mark.Zimmermann@noaa.gov) or Bianca Prohaska (Bianca.Prohaska@noaa.gov)

Webinar Recording - Alexandra McInturf 2022 Groundfish Seminar

November 8, 2022 - Julia Calderwood

Julia Calderwood Presentation Flyer

Tuesday, November 8th @ 10 am Pacific

The use of apps to assist fishers in reducing unwanted catches

The introduction of the Landing Obligation in Europe has highlighted the need for fishers to adopt more selective fishing practices to avoid unwanted catches. Part of the solution may come from gear technology, but the rest will need to come via knowing where and when unwanted catches might be expected. App technology has the potential to provide industry with near-real time information on fish distributions to help better target or avoid certain species. Work exploring the potential of this technology in Irish demersal fisheries will be presented.

For more information contact:

Liz Dawson (Liz.Dawson@noaa.gov) or Mark Zimmermann (Mark.Zimmermann@noaa.gov) or Bianca Prohaska (Bianca.Prohaska@noaa.gov)

Webinar Recording - Julia Calderwood 2022 Groundfish Seminar

November 29, 2022 - Richard McBride 

Richard McBride Presentation Flyer

Tuesday, November 29th @ 10 am Pacific

Fishing for science: Enhanced biological sampling with fishing partners for assessment and management of Atlantic halibut and wolffish

Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossushippoglossus), and wolffish(Anarhichaslupus) management in the Gulf of Maine demonstrate a successful collaboration between scientists and fishing partners to overcome sampling obstacles to updating growth and maturity rates for assessment. Routine at-sea monitoring by government agencies produced few fish each year, but with appropriate fishing permits, cooperating fishermen markedly increased sample sizes, seasonal coverages, and fish size ranges. This helped estimate growth and maturity parameters and evaluate reference points.

For more information contact:

Liz Dawson (Liz.Dawson@noaa.gov) or Mark Zimmermann (Mark.Zimmermann@noaa.gov) or Bianca Prohaska (Bianca.Prohaska@noaa.gov)

Webinar Recording - Richard McBride 2022 Groundfish Seminar

December 6, 2022 - Cheryl Denton & Adam Cook

Cheryl Denton & Adam Cook Presentation Flyer

Tuesday, December 6th @ 10 am Pacific

The Canadian Inshore Lobster Trawl Survey (ILTS) –A lobster focused multi-species trawl survey in the Eastern Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy

An annual trawl survey is conducted in Southwestern Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy to assess the lobster stocks. The survey is conducted with the NEFSC Center Ecosystem Survey Trawl (NEST), a small mesh trawl with a cod end liner, which ensures the capture of various sizes of lobster. Catch from each tow is separated by species, weighed and counted. Length frequency data is collected on select groundfish and crab species, detailed morphometric data is collected on each lobster. Data resulting from the survey provides a primary indicator of lobster stock status.

For more information contact:

Liz Dawson (Liz.Dawson@noaa.gov) or Mark Zimmermann (Mark.Zimmermann@noaa.gov) or Bianca Prohaska (Bianca.Prohaska@noaa.gov)

Webinar Recording - Cheryl Denton & Adam Cook 2022 Groundfish Seminar

December 13, 2022 - Maciej T. Tomczak

Maciej T. Tomczak Presentation Flyer

Tuesday, December 13th @ 10 am Pacific

Baltic sea ecosystem changes over the last 100 years

The occurrence of regime shifts in marine ecosystems has important implications for environmental legislation that requires setting reference levels and targets of quantitative restoration outcomes. The Baltic Sea ecosystem has undergone large changes in the 20th century related to anthropogenic pressures and climate variability, which have caused ecosystem reorganization. Here, we compiled and analyzed historical information across biotic and abiotic variables from 1925 to 2005 in the Central Baltic Sea. Our analysis shows that for the entire time period, productivity, climate, and hydrography mainly affected the functioning of the food web, whereas fishing became important more recently.

For more information contact:

Liz Dawson (Liz.Dawson@noaa.gov) or Mark Zimmermann (Mark.Zimmermann@noaa.gov) or Bianca Prohaska (Bianca.Prohaska@noaa.gov)

Webinar Recording - Maciej T. Tomczak 2022 Groundfish Seminar

Interested in More?

Check out last year's AFSC Groundfish Seminar Series at the following link:

2021 Alaska Fisheries Science Center Groundfish Seminar Series