AFSC Internships, 2007 Intern Experiences - Chantel Wetzel
Chantel Wetzel, a senior at the University of Washington majoring in aquatic and fishery sciences, explains her 2007 summer internship working with Susanne McDermott (REFM Division).
Atka mackerel is an important prey species for endangered Stellar Sea Lions in the Aleutian Islands and is also the target of a commercial fishery in the region. Despite the importance of this species, little is known about the juvenile period of Atka mackerel prior to adult settlement.
The distribution of juvenile Atka mackerel in the Bering Sea was examined using data collected by the Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Survey (BASIS) project. Links between juvenile Atka mackerel distribution based upon surface temperature and varying community composition when juvenile Atka mackerel was present were two topics that were explored. This study examined factors contributing to juvenile recruitment and early detection of potentially strong year classes in Atka mackerel.
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Chantel examines a specimen brought aboard during the survey cruise. |
Also during my internship I had the good fortune of participating in the 2007 Gulf of Alaska Groundfish Survey conducted by the Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division (RACE). The survey is conducted using multiple charted fishing vessels conducting bottom trawls in predetermined survey sites throughout the Gulf of Alaska. The data collected by this survey play a vital role in producing stock assessments of bottom fish species in the region.
For eighteen days I assisted in identification of species, determining sex, recording lengths, and from select species collected otoliths for age and growth studies. It was an amazing experience to get the opportunity to participate in important field work in the beautifully scenic region of Alaska.
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