Science & Data

The analysis focused on interventions undertaken to enhance survival of individual seals by reducing or eliminating immediate mortality risks.

The northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) population in the Pribilof Islands Archipelago (on St. Paul and St. George Islands, Figs. 1-3) makes up approximately 50% of the world population. Smaller breeding colonies are located on the Kuril and Commander Islands in Russia, Bogoslof Island (Fig. 4) in the southeastern Bering Sea, and San Miguel Island (Fig. 5) and the Farallon Islands off California. The rookeries at the Farallon, San Miguel and Bogoslof Islands were probably colonized in 1996 (Pyle et al. 2001), the late 1950s (DeLong 1982) and 1980 (Lloyd et al. 1981), respectively.

Twenty seals were outfitted with tracking devices to map their home ranges, which were then compared with the persistent organic pollutants in their serum.

The annual stock assessment and fishery evaluation (SAFE) report is a requirement of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP), and a federal requirement [50 CFR Section 602.12(e)]. The SAFE report summarizes the current biological and economic status of fisheries, total allowable catch (TAC) or Guideline Harvest Level (GHL), and analytical information used for management decisions.

Fishermen frequently switch their target fish species without documenting changes in which species they are targeting and the fishing practices used, generating misleading catchability information about the fish caught. Here, we present an alternative method for incorporating changes in catchability as a result of fishermen changing target species.

This report presents information on economic activity in commercial crab fisheries currently managed under the Federal Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Bering Sea and Aleutian and Islands King and Tanner Crab (BSAI crab), with attention to the subset of fisheries included in the Crab Rationalization (CR) Program. Statistics on harvesting and processing activity; e↵ort; revenue; labor employment and compensation; operational costs; and quota ownership, usage and disposition among participants in the fisheries are provided. Additionally, this report provides a summary of BSAI crab-related research being undertaken by the Economic and Social Sciences Research Program (ESSRP) at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC).

The annual stock assessment and fishery evaluation (SAFE) report is a requirement of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP), and a federal requirement [50 CFR Section 602.12(e)]. The SAFE report summarizes the current biological and economic status of fisheries, total allowable catch (TAC) or Guideline Harvest Level (GHL), and analytical information used for management decisions. Additional information on Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) king and Tanner crab is available on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) web page at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Westward Region Shellfish web page at: http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region4/shellfsh/shelhom4.php.

Research into harbor seal population and behavior as a result of human and natural disturbances. Scientists assess the factors that influence the number and location of harbor seals hauling out on ice in Disenchantment Bay. They test the effects of a dynamic ice environment and the cruise ships that regularly move through this habitat.

Alaska rockfish are assessed on a biennial stock assessment schedule to coincide with the availability of new survey data. For Gulf of Alaska (GOA) thornyheads in off-cycle (even) years, we present an executive summary to recommend harvest levels for the next two years. Please refer to the last full stock assessment report presented in 2011 for further information regarding the assessment calculations.

Squids in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) are managed as a single stock complex comprising approximately 15 species. Harvest recommendations are based on an historical catch approach setting OFL equal to maximum historical catch during 1997 - 2007 and ABC equal to 0.75 * OFL. Gulf of Alaska squids are on a biennial stock assessment schedule, with full assessments due in odd years.