Science & Data

Research on the patterns of beluga habitat use in the Cook Inlet area.

Using radio transmitters to observe Cook Inlet beluga surfacing behavior.

Using gillnet encirclement and satellite tags to document Cook Inlet beluga whale movements.

This study systematically documents the knowledge of hunters of Cook Inlet belugas, adding to the information available on the population.

This paper reviews and describes beluga use and harvest levels in the Cook Inlet region from prehistory to the present.

Overview of research on Alaska beluga whales including distribution and abundance, habitat associations and contaminants, radio and satellite tagging, harvest history, and traditional knowledge.

The domestic groundfish fishery off Alaska is an important segment of the U.S. fishing industry. This report presents data which summarize various aspects of the economic performance of the fishery. Generally, data are presented for the domestic groundfish fishery for 1995 through 1999. Limited catch and ex-vessel value data are reported for earlier years in order to depict the rapid development of the domestic groundfish fishery in the 1980s and to provide a more complete historical perspective on catch. Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) is not included in this report because for management purposes halibut is not part of the groundfish complex.

In 1999, biophysical data were collected along a primary marine migration corridor of juvenile (age-.0) Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the northern region of southeastern Alaska at 24 stations during five sampling intervals. This survey marks the third consecutive year of systematic sampling and monitoring within the region, and was implemented to identify the relationships among the habitat use, marine growth, predation, stock interactions, year-class strength, and ocean carrying capacity of salmon. Stations were stratified into three different habitats—inshore (Taku Inlet and three stations near Auke Bay), strait (four stations each at Chatham Strait and Icy Strait), and coastal (four stations each at Cross Sound, Icy Point, and Cape Edward)—and were sampled from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship John N. Cobb, May to October. At each station, fish, zooplankton and surface water samples, and temperature and salinity profile data were collected during daylight using a surface rope trawl, conical and bongo nets, and a conductivity, temperature, and depth profiler.

Since 1995, the North Pacific Fishery Management Councils (NPFMC) Groundfish Plan Teams have prepared a separate Ecosystem Considerations section to the annual SAFE report. The intent of the Ecosystems Considerations section is to provide the Council with information about the effects of fishing from an ecosystem perspective, and the effects of environmental change on fish stocks. The effects of fishing on ecosystems have not been incorporated into most stock assessments, in part due to data limitations. Most single species models cannot directly incorporate the breadth and complexity of much of this information. ABC recommendations may or may not reflect discussion regarding ecosystem considerations. This information is useful for effective fishery management and maintaining sustainability of marine ecosystems. The Ecosystems Considerations chapter attempts to bridge this gap by identifying specific ecosystem concerns that should be considered by fishery managers, particularly during the annual process of setting catch limits on groundfish.

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 summarizes the current biological and economic status of fisheries, guideline harvest levels (GHL), and analytical information used for management decisions or changes in harvest strategies. The report is assembled by the Crab Plan Team with contributions from the State of Alaska, Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and is available to the public and presented to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) on an annual basis.