Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office
Fisheries Projects                          Testing Satellite Pop-up Tags
 
 

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Project

Project Number:
Restoration Category:
Principal Investigator:




Alaska Sea Life Center:
Project Duration:
Cost FY00 (EVOS):
Cost FY01 (USGS):
Cost FY02 (USGS):                     
Geographic Area:
Injured Resource/Service:
00478
Research
Dr. Jennifer L. Nielsen
Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office
USGS-Biological Resources Division
1011 E. Tudor Rd.
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Yes
1 year
$77,000
$143,000
$79,000
Gulf of Alaska
Near shore and pelagic species

Abstract

The definition of "critical habitat" in the marine environment is essential to the development of reserves or protected areas in relationship to a sustainable commercial or sport fishery. This proposal will assess and test the appropriate application and effectiveness of a new technology, satellite pop-up tags, that could assist in the assessment of critical marine habitat in the Gulf of Alaska. We will adapt and develop satellite tag technology and software for geolocation tracking of marine fishes using light and depth data from satellite pop-up tags and sea floor bathometry. Tag application and light-geolocation relationships will be tested on live halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) brought into husbandry at the Alaska Sea Life Center and kept under solar-shift regimes expressed during crepuscular and solar light conditions throughout the year in the Gulf of Alaska. These data will be compared to light and depth reading taken from tags placed in situ on live fish deployed from boats and released into their natural habitat and to an array of tags attached to a stationary buoy in the Gulf of Alaska. We will determine the effectiveness of light sensors for geolocation, the duration of light measurements, and the data sequence design needed for the most efficient and informative transfer of data via satellite pop-up tags from the Gulf of Alaska.

These developments will assist in multiple applications of this new technology in fisheries-independent, habitats assessments for near shore and pelagic marine environments in the Gulf of Alaska. Development of the appropriate technology and an analytical design specific to the Gulf of Alaska will facilitate current and future investigations into the temporal and spatial distribution of key fish species that fall under the jurisdiction of the Trustee Council, such as, king salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coastal cutthroat trout (O. clarki clarki), Pacific halibut, and ling cod (Ophiodon elongatus) in the Gulf of Alaska.

Objectives 2000:

  1. Collect up to 10 halibut from Resurrection Bay and bring them into captivity at the Alaska Sea Life Center (ASLC).
  2. Tag 6 halibut with satellite pop-up tags while in captivity.
  3. Release 4-6 halibut with satellite pop-up tags back into Resurrection Bay after tag attachment and fish behavior are monitored at ASLC for 2-4 weeks.
  4. Tag 2 live halibut from the boat at the time of release and three additional halibut during the spring of 2001..
  5. Develop a bathymetric database for Resurrection Bay from existing sources.
  6. Literature review on halibut physiology, husbandry, movements and behavior.
  7. Install 6 satellite pop-up tags on an oceanographic buoy at the mouth of Resurrection Bay.

Objectives 2001:

  1. Recover satellite data from 5 tags scheduled to detach from halibut on June 15, 2001 and 3 tags scheduled to detach November 15, 2001.
  2. Tag and release additional halibut in the Gulf of Alaska in spring 2001 outside of Resurrection Bay.
  3. Analyze light data and geolocation estimates for all tags recovered from live fish.
  4. Recover remote data from the ARGOS satellite system and analyze halibut movements.

Objectives 2002:

  1. Plot halibut movements and document the degree of resolution obtained from various geolocation estimates in combination with bathymetric data for Resurrection Bay.
  2. Report final findings to EVOS.
  3. Publish manuscripts from application and analyses of tag data.
  4. Collect and analyze data from buoy array.
  5. Create a unified database from fish and buoy tag data. Test different applications of geolocation estimates.
  6. Develop collaborations with IPHC to expand halibut tagging study into the Bering Sea.

Products

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Project 01478 Final Report - "Testing Pop-up Satellite Tags as a Tool for Identifying Critical Habitat for Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) in the Gulf of Alaska" - [PDF file - 1.6 MB]


Data Text Links and Bibliography

Archival Tag Data

Transmitted Tag Data

Annotated Bibliography for Halibut Tagging


Anchorage Daily News Featured Article 3/24/02

Alaska Public Radio Network Article from the Alaska Economic Report 5/29/01

Fish Information and Services Web Article 5/24/01

Alaska Magazine Featured Article April 2001 by Les Palmer

Anchorage Daily News Featured Article 11/26/00


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Last Updated: Wednesday, July 24, 2002