Scientists in the Midwater Assessment and Conservation Engineering (MACE) Program have historically assessed
the status of walleye pollock and Pacific hake stocks from the coasts of California to the Bering Sea since 1977.
The MACE Program continues to assess walleye pollock in the north Pacific and Bering Sea,
while the Northwest Fisheries Science Center has continued Pacific hake assessments
biennially since 2003. Pollock assessment is conducted with midwater trawl surveys combined with acoustic
(echo integration) technology to develop distribution and abundance time series. Research is also conducted on fishing
gear performance and on fish behavior during the capture process in order to develop methods that reduce bycatch in commercial
fishing operations.
Walleye pollock resources in the north Pacific and Bering Sea support the largest single commercial fishery in the
United States and one of the largest commercial fisheries in the world. Surveys to determine the pollock abundance
and distribution are conducted to support NMFS fishery management responsibilities for the territorial sea and to meet
U.S. international fishery management commitments for the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Pollock
in the Central Bering Sea.
Winter surveys of spawning pollock abundance have been conducted annually in the Bogoslof Island area of the Bering
Sea since 1988 and in the Shelikof Strait area of the Gulf of Alaska since 1981. Assessment of summer pollock
abundance in the Bering Sea has occurred routinely since 1979, while Pacific hake abundance off the West
Coast was surveyed from 1977 to 2001. Pollock surveys continue to be conducted in conjunction with bottom trawl
surveys for other groundfish species, and often carried out in cooperation with foreign scientists and foreign research
vessels. The acoustic/midwater trawl survey estimates of distribution and abundance are documented
in various scientific reports and are incorporated into stock assessment advice to fishery management councils,
international fishery management organizations, and industry.
NEW! (Updated 31 January 2013) NOAA Protocols for Fisheries Acoustics Surveys and Related Sampling
Note! Trawl Gear Modification—Preserving Fish Habitat in the Bering Sea
Seafloor Videos from Bering Sea Research Project
Recent Publications, Poster Presentations, Reports & Activities |
- Abundance and distribution of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and other pelagic fishes over the U.S. Continental Shelf of the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas.
De ROBERTIS, A., TAYLOR, K., WILSON, C., and FARLEY, E. 2017. Abundance and distribution of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and other pelagic fishes over the U.S. Continental Shelf of the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas. Deep-Sea Res. II, 135:51-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.03.002 Online. - Species and size selectivity of two midwater trawls used in an acoustic survey of the Alaska Arctic
De ROBERTIS, A., TAYLOR, K., WILLIAMS, K., and WILSON, C. D. 2017. Species and size selectivity of two midwater trawls used in an acoustic survey of the Alaska Arctic. Deep-Sea Res. II 135:40-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.11.014 Online. - Evaluating total uncertainty for biomass- and abundance-at-age estimates from eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock acoustic-trawl surveys.
WOILLEZ, M., P. D. WALLINE, J. N. IANELLI, M. W. DORN, C. D. WILSON, and A. E. PUNT.
2016. Evaluating total uncertainty for biomass- and abundance-at-age estimates from eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock acoustic-trawl surveys. ICES J. Mar. Sci.:73:2208-2226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsw054 Online. - Spatio-temporal distribution of euphausiids: an important component to understanding ecosystem processes in the Gulf of Alaska and eastern Bering Sea.
SIMONSEN, K. A., P. H. RESSLER, C. N. ROOPER, and S. G. ZADOR.
2016. Spatio-temporal distribution of euphausiids: an important component to understanding ecosystem processes in the Gulf of Alaska and eastern Bering Sea. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 73:2020-2036. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsv272 Online. - Using Triggered Cameras to Determine Fish Behavior in Rocky, Untrawlable Areas
By: KRESIMIR WILLIAMS, CHRIS ROOPER, MIKE LEVINE, ALEX De ROBERTIS Conference: Western Groundfish Conference (19th), Newport, OR, Feb 2016 (2016 poster, .pdf, 468 KB) Online. - Estimating In-situ Krill Body Tilt Orientation, Length, and Abundance from Stereo Camera Images
By: MIKE LEVINE, KRESIMIR WILLIAMS, PATRICK RESSLER Conference: Western Groundfish Conference (19th), Newport, OR, Feb 2016 (2016 poster, .pdf, 742 KB) Online.
See the publications and poster databases for additional listings.
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