Status of Stocks: Fisheries Interaction Team
In late 2000 the Fishery Interaction Team (FIT) was formed to investigate the effects of commercial fishing on top trophic level consumers. Members of the team are currently conducting studies to determine whether commercial fishing operations are capable of impacting the foraging success of Steller sea lions either through disturbance of prey schools or through direct competition for a common prey. The present research focus is on the three major groundfish prey of sea lions: walleye pollock, Pacific cod and Atka mackerel.
FIT investigates the potential effects of commercial fishing on sea lion prey fields in two ways. First, by conducting field studies to directly examine the impact of fishing on sea lion prey fields and to evaluate the efficacy of trawl exclusion zones. The impetus for this work is to evaluate the hypothesis that commercial fishing may reduce the the availability of prey in localized areas. The home range of a foraging Steller sea lion could be considered a localized area. A reduction in prey availability may result from a reduction in prey abundance and/or a disruption in the spatial patterns of sea lion prey. Since 2000 FIT has been conducting field studies to examine the impact of fishing on sea lion prey fields in all three major Alaska regions: the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands.
The second way that FIT investigates the potential effects of commercial fishing on sea lion prey is by studying fish abundance, distribution, behavior and life history at spatial scales relevant to sea lion foraging (tens of nautical miles). This scale is much smaller than the spatial scales at which groundfish population dynamics are usually studied and at which stocks are assessed. This information is needed to construct a localized, spatially-explicit model of sea lion prey field dynamics that can be used to predict spatial and temporal shifts in the distribution and abundance of sea lion prey and potential effects of fishing on these prey fields. Studies of fish movement are a critical first step toward developing such a model. For example, regulations that assume fish remain stationary may not be effective if small-scale fish distributions are fluid. Likewise, localized consequences of fishing may be rendered undetectable using methods that assume that fish are stationary in time and place. Studies of fish reproductive dynamics are needed to assess variability in spawning condition over space and time and thus to improve our understanding of the processes underlying fish movement. In addition, spawning condition effects the nutritional value of prey seasonally. Fish food habits and growth are also important components of a model of sea lion prey field dynamics. FIT scientists thus are engaged in several studies of local fish ecology (e.g., movement, reproduction, and feeding).
Contact
If you have any questions about FIT, please contact
team leader Libby Logerwell (libby.logerwell@noaa.gov
or 1-206-526-4231).
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Recent Publications, Poster Presentations, Reports & Activities |
- Fishery Interaction Team (FIT) Presentations to North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). Online.
- Winter observations of a group of female and immature sperm whales in the high-latitude waters near the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.
FEARNBACH, H., J. W. DURBAN, S. A. MIZROCH, S. BARBEAUX, and P. R. WADE.
2012. Winter observations of a group of female and immature sperm whales in the high-latitude waters near the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Mar. Biodiversity Rec. Vol. 5, e13, 4 p.
- An atlas of reproductive development in rockfishes, genus Sebastes.
SHAW, F. R., J. F. MORADO, V. C. LOWE, and S. F. McDERMOTT.
2012. An atlas of reproductive development in rockfishes, genus Sebastes. NOAA Professional Paper NMFS 14, 77 p. (.pdf, 35.1 MB). Online.
- Effects of climate variations on pelagic ocean habitats and their role in structuring forage fish distributions in the Bering Sea.
HOLLOWED A. B., S. J. BARBEAUX, E. D. COKELET, S. KOTWICKI, P. H. RESSLER, C. SPITAL, and C. D. WILSON.
2012. Effects of climate variations on pelagic ocean habitats and their role in structuring forage fish distributions in the Bering Sea. Deep-Sea Res. II 65-70:230-250.
- Investigation of fishing and climate effects on the community size spectra of eastern Bering Sea fish.
BOLDT, J. L., S. C. BARTKIW, P. A. LIVINGSTON, G. R. HOFF, and G. E. WALTERS.
2012. Investigation of fishing and climate effects on the community size spectra of eastern Bering Sea fish. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 141:327-342.
- Oceanographic characteristics of the habitat of benthic fish and invertebrates in the Beaufort Sea.
LOGERWELL, E. A., K. RAND, and T. J. WEINGARTNER.
2011. Oceanographic characteristics of the habitat of benthic fish and invertebrates in the Beaufort Sea. Polar Biol. 34:1783-1796.
- Report on a workshop on spatial structure and dynamics of walleye pollock in the Bering Sea.
QUINN, T. J. II, J. N. IANELLI, S. X. CADRIN, V. WESPESTAD, and S. J. BARBEAUX.
2011. Report on a workshop on spatial structure and dynamics of walleye pollock in the Bering Sea. AFSC Processed Rep. 2011-04, 46 p. Alaska Fish. Sci. Cent., NOAA, Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle WA 98115. (.pdf, 2.34 MB). Online.
- Effects of maternal growth on fecundity and egg quality of wild and captive Atka mackerel.
McDERMOTT, S. F., D. W. COOPER, J. L. GUTHRIDGE, I. B. SPIES, M. F. CANINO, P. WOODS, and N. HILLGRUBER.
2011. Effects of maternal growth on fecundity and egg quality of wild and captive Atka mackerel. Mar. Coastal Fish. 3:324-335. (.pdf, 848 KB). Online.
- Integrating Ecosystem Aspects and Climate Change Forecasting into Stock Assessments.
ANNE B. HOLLOWED, TERESA A'MAR, STEVEN BARBEAUX, NICHOLAS BOND, JAMES N. IANELLI, PAUL SPENCER, and THOMAS WILDERBUER. 2011. Integrating Ecosystem Aspects and Climate Change Forecasting into Stock Assessments. AFSC Quarterly Report Feature (July-August-September 2011) 6 p. (.pdf, 1.84 mb). Online.
- Fluxes, fins, and feathers: Relationships among the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas in a time of climate change.
SIGLER, M. F., M. RENNER, S. L. DANIELSON, L. B. EISNER, R. R. LAUTH, K. J. KULETZ, E. A. LOGERWELL, and G. L. HUNT, Jr.
2011. Fluxes, fins, and feathers: Relationships among the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas in a time of climate change. Oceanography 24(3):250–265.
- The frequency and quantity of Alaskan groundfish catcher-vessel landings made with and without an observer.
FAUNCE, C. H., and S. J. BARBEAUX.
2011. The frequency and quantity of Alaskan groundfish catcher-vessel landings made with and without an observer. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 68:1757-1763.
- Seasonal Distribution and Relative Abundance of Steller Sea Lion Prey in the Aleutian Islands
By: SUSANNE F. McDERMOTT, KIMBERLY R. RAND, ELIZABETH A. LOGERWELL, TODD M. LOOMIS
Conference: Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2013
(2013 poster, .pdf, 2.07 MB) Online.
- Spatial and Temporal Reproductive Patterns in Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in the Bering Sea
By: TOM HOLLAND, SANDI NEIDETCHER
Conference: Western Groundfish Conference (17th), Seattle, WA., Feb 2012
(2012 poster, .pdf, 8 MB) Online.
- Local Abundance and Movement of Atka Mackerel and Other Steller Sea Lion Prey in the Aleutian Islands
By: SUZANNE F. McDERMOTT, ELIZABETH LOGERWELL, KIMBERLY RAND, LYNN LEE
Conference: Western Groundfish Conference (17th), Seattle, WA., Feb 2012
(2012 poster, .pdf, 19 MB) Online.
- New Management in Alaska – Octopus!
By: M. ELIZABETH CONNERS, CHRISTINA CONRATH
Conference: Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2011
(2011 poster, .pdf, 1.1 MB) Online.
- Effects of Maternal Growth on Fecundity and Egg Quality of Wild and Captive Atka Mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius): Big Fat Female Fish are More Fecund
By: S. F. McDERMOTT, D. W. COOPER, J. L. GUTHRIDGE, I. B. SPIES, M. F. CANINO, P. WOODS, N. HILLGRUBER
Conference: North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) 19th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, Sept/Oct 2010
(2010 poster, .pdf, 1.98 MB) Online.
- Deployment and Observer Effects as Evidenced from Alaskan Groundfish Landing Reports
By: CRAIG H. FAUNCE, STEVEN BARBEAUX
Conference: Fishery Dependent Information Conference, Galway, Ireland, Aug 2010
(2010 poster, .pdf, 6.44 MB) Online.
- Using Cooperative Acoustic Surveys to Manage Small-Scale Fisheries: Relationships between Distribution of Steller Sea Lions, Diet Composition, Prey
By: ELIZABETH LOGERWELL, STEVE BARBEAUX, LOWELL FRITZ
Conference: Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2010
(2010 poster, .pdf, 3.93MB) Online.
- Estimating Movement Rates of Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska Using Mark-Recapture Methods
By: PETER MUNRO, YUNBING SHI, DON GUNDERSON, DAN URBAN
Conference: Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2010
(2010 poster, .pdf, 318KB) Online.
- Estimating Pacific Cod Movement: Design of a Mark-Recapture Experiment on a Large Geographic Scale
By: PETER MUNRO, YUNBING SHI, DON GUNDERSON, DAN URBAN
Conference: Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2009
(2009 poster, .pdf, 6.47MB) Online.
- A Cooperative Pollock Acoustic Biomass Survey for Management of Fisheries Interactions with Steller Sea Lions in the Aleutian Islands
By: ELIZABETH LOGERWELL, STEVE BARBEAUX, LOWELL FRITZ
Conference: Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2009
(2009 poster, .pdf, 644KB) Online.
See the publications and poster databases for additional listings.
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