Genetic stock identification of immature chum salmon captured during the 2002 Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Survey (BASIS) survey aboard the F/V Northwest Explorer.

The Genetics program at ABL provides research information required in regional, national, and international agreements and treaties on the management of marine resources including Pacific salmon, groundfish, and forage fish species. Legislation mandating this research includes the Pacific Salmon Treaty, the North Pacific Anadromous Stocks Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Products of this program include peer reviewed manuscripts, technical reports, briefings, and software programs for estimating stock composition. Program activities are designed to improve our understanding of the ocean ecology through stock assessments, identification of stocks to region or country of origin, determination of population and stock utilization of ocean rearing areas, and assessment of fishery interceptions. Information provided is used by:

• NMFS management and enforcement,
• U.S. Department of State,
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game,
• North Pacific Fishery Management Council,
• Pacific Salmon Commission,
• North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC),
• and other international commissions.

Geneticist analyzing microsatellite data.

Stock assessment, composition, and enhancement studies focus on understanding and modeling interactions between wild and hatchery stocks of salmon and steelhead, including genetic relationships, population dynamics, forecasting run strength for some species, and use of coded wire tags to document fishery contributions, migration patterns, and interceptions of endangered stocks. Steelhead studies focus on ESA recovery approaches for listed stocks. Other studies seek to evaluate habitat preference of juvenile rockfish and their responses to disturbed seafloors from groundfish fisheries.

The Genetics Laboratory is a major component of the Genetics program and uses current DNA technology to develop genetic markers for various stock identification projects of Pacific salmon such as determining the stock origins of the salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea groundfish fishery and in interception fisheries in southeast Alaska waters. This technology is also being used to investigate the genetic stock structure of marine forage fish species such as capelin, eulachon, and sandlance. These keystone species in Alaskan ecosystems are usually managed as large homogeneous populations due to the lack of knowledge about their genetic population structure. This program addresses research needs outlined in the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Groundfish Fishery Management Plans for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI). DNA markers are also used to identify juvenile rockfish species collected in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea to study their ocean distribution and ecology.

The Genetics program also manages the Little Port Walter (LPW) Marine Station on Baranof Island and Auke Creek Station near Juneau. Both of these facilities provide NOAA Fisheries with long-term data sets of different kinds of observations that play a critical role in helping understand how climate change impacts fisheries and other marine resources.

For further information please contact:
Jeff Guyon, Ph.D.
Auke Bay Laboratories
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries

Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute
17109 Pt Lena Loop Rd
Juneau AK 99801
(907) 789-6079
jeff.guyon@noaa.gov

Recent Publications, Poster Presentations, Reports & Activities

See the publications and posters databases for additional listings.