This may be the first time data collected using uncrewed surface vehicles were used to help produce an annual estimate of abundance for a commercial fish stock.
A major reason we study larval fish in the Gulf of Alaska is to advance our understanding of the mechanisms that control fish population structure and production.
For each species or ecosystem that we study, we attempt to understand what factors affect species growth and survival and cause or contribute to population fluctuations over various time periods (e.g., between years and between decades).
NOAA Fisheries scientists conduct a variety of ongoing field studies and surveys to help us better understand and predict marine life abundance in Alaska. We also collect a variety of information about the environment in which they live.
Alaska has an abundance of marine life including whales, dolphins, seals and fish. In fact, the walleye pollock resource supports the largest fishery in the U.S. Why is this? Availability of prey has a lot to do with it.
