Publications

This document presents information related to implementation of the Charter Halibut Limited Access Program (CHLAP) for Areas 2C and 3A.

Special Publications on Fish Age Determination and Otolith Symposia.

Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis of a Regulatory Amendment to the Halibut and Sablefish IFQ Program to Prohibit Use of Hired Skippers for Future Transfers of Halibut or Sablefish Catcher Vessel Quota Shares.

The 5-year review that concluded in April 2010 evaluated new information on Essential Fish Habitat, assessed information gaps and research needs, and identified whether any revisions to EFH are needed or suggested.

This opinion addresses authorization by NOAA Fisheries of the incidental and unintentional taking of bowhead whales (endangered), and ringed seals and bearded seals (proposed for listing) due to seismic surveys by ION in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.

We studied three eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), Alaska, to track changes associated with coastal development. These beds were initially sampled as part of a baseline eelgrass inventory from 2004 to 2007.

Information on the distribution, abundance, species composition, habitat use, and life-stage of 121 fish species caught in nearshore marine waters of Alaska is synthesized in this atlas. Data were collected by scientists from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Auke Bay Laboratories over a 14-year period (1998-2011). Fish were captured with a beach seine mostly in summer in four different habitat types (bedrock outcrops, eelgrass meadows, understory kelp beds, and sand or gravel beaches) at 93 locations and 555 unique sites within nine regions of Alaska spanning from the Arctic to southeastern Alaska. Data on species assemblages are summarized among regions and habitat types. Distribution maps, graphs of abundance and length frequency, and photos are presented for each species. This atlas is unique because the same methods were used to sample fish and habitat over a large extent of coastal Alaska, and the core group of researchers doing the work remained the same throughout all years.

The Arctic ecosystem is changing rapidly, yet information on nearshore fish assemblages for the northeastern Chukchi Sea is extremely limited. To address this information gap, we sampled nearshore fish assemblages with a beach seine and a small bottom trawl at six stations in the northeastern Chukchi Sea in August 2007, 2008, and 2009, and in September 2009. Catch and species composition differed by gear type and between sample periods, including the two in 2009. A total of 16039 fish representing 18 species were captured in 24 beach seine hauls, and 3108 fish representing 24 species were captured in 48 trawl tows. Beach seine catch was dominated by capelin (83%), and trawl catch was dominated by Arctic cod (56%). Species that were good discriminators between gear types were capelin (seine) and slender eelblenny (trawl), and unidentified small sculpins were the most common taxa caught with both gear types. Capelin and Arctic cod captured by either gear type were mostly juveniles (judging by size). Variability among sampling periods in catch and species composition within gear types can likely be attributed to annual variations in environmental conditions, including differences in water temperature (range: 2 ̊ – 9 ̊C). The shallow nearshore environment of the northeastern Chukchi Sea provides important habitat for many fish species and is extremely vulnerable to disturbance. Loss of sea ice from global warming may open up formerly inaccessible areas to oil and gas exploration, vessel traffic, and commercial fishing. Thus, long-term monitoring of nearshore fish assemblages in the Alaskan Arctic is necessary for managers to make informed decisions in this fragile environment.

Section 4(c)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires, at least every five years, a review of all threatened and endangered species to determine if they should be removed from the list of threatened or endangered species or changed in their listing

On April 23, 2009, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposed to list the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin Distinct Population Segments (DPSs) of yelloweye rockfish and canary rockfish as threatened.