The productive ecosystem
of the coastal Gulf of Alaska supports some of the nation's largest fisheries
and vast numbers of birds and mammals. Over the continental shelf in depths
less than 200 m, the Alaska Coastal Current (ACC)
transports river runoff, nutrients and plankton that fuel the productive coastal-marine
ecosystem. It provides critical habitat for numerous fish species, a nurturing
area for fish larvae and a migration pathway for salmon. The Gulf of Alaska
ecosystem is not static but rather ever changing, responding to climatic,
regional and human influences.
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