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Northwest and
Alaska Fisheries
Center

^.25 Montlake Blvd. E.
^Seattle, WA 98112

The NORTHWEST AND ALASKA
FISHERIES CENTER-with headquarters
in Seattle, Washington— is one of four re-
search centers of the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), NOAA. The
Center plans, develops, and manages pro-
grams designed for better comprehension
of the living marine resources of the sea,
such as crabs, fishes, seals, and whales.
The Center also recommends actions for
their utilization, conservation, or protec-
tion, consistent with national needs and
goals.

Another principal function of the Cen-
ter is to serve as technical advisor to: (1 )
the Northwest Regional Office and
Alaska Regional Office, NMFS; (2) the
North Pacific and Pacific Fishery Manage-

ment Councils; and (3) U.S. Commissions
or groups involved in fisheries negotia-
tions with foreign countries.

The Center's activities extend over a
vast oceanic area as well as the coasts and
inland waters of Washington, Oregon,
Idaho, and Alaska. Research is undertak-
en on the marine life in the waters of the
northeastern Pacific Ocean (including the
Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska) and off
the west coast of Canada. Research is
also conducted in coastal, estuanne, and
river areas to examine their role in pro-
duction of marine animals and vegetation.

The Center is staffed by professionals in
biological and physical sciences in addi-
tion to statisticians, computer experts,
chemists, and economists. Administrative

support is provided in accounting, budg-
eting, personnel, procurement, program
planning, and public affairs.

The Center's objective is carried out
through seven divisions of the Seattle
Laboratory. The Auke Bay Laboratory is
located in Alaska. Field stations are lo-
cated at Kodiak, Alaska, and along the
Columbia River and Puget Sound. The
Center also jointly operates and conducts
research (with Oregon State University)
at the Newport Aquaculture Facility.

Resource Ecology

and Fisheries Management

Division

Resource Assessment

and Conservation Engineering

Division

The Resource Ecology and Fisheries
Management Division (REFM) assists the
Pacific Fishery Management Council and
the North Pacific Fishery Management
Council, established by the Fishery Con-
servation and Management Act of 1976,
in management of the fishery resources
within the 200-mile fishery conservation
zone in the northeastern Pacific Ocean
and Bering Sea.

Scientists study the ecology, population
dynamics, and exploitation of marine re-
sources in the area. They determine lev-
els of harvest that commercially fished
species can sustain without affecting their
reproductive capacity. Their ultimate
goal is to develop and evaluate alternative
management strategies to maintain com-
mercially important fisheries.

Another major activity is the adminis-
tration of a foreign fisheries observer pro-
gram. All foreign vessels fishing within
the 200-mile fishery conservation zone
are required to provide accommodation
for a U.S. observer if requested by the
U.S. In 1979, 163 observers gathered in-
formation aboard foreign fishing vessels
from waters off northern California
northward to the Bering Sea. In addition
to providing a check on the accuracy of
the catches reported by foreign govern-
ments, observers also monitor the inci-
dental catch of species whose retention is
prohibited and report on suspected viola-
tions of U.S. regulations.

While aboard, the observer records the
location, duration, and landed weight of
each haul or longline set. He (she) sam-
ples the catch to determine species com-
position, length, weight, and other bio-
logical information for commercially im-
portant species.

A major effort of the Division is direct-
ed at obtaining a broad base of biological
and physical oceanographic data with
which to supplement the collections of
fisheries information. Particular emphasis
is focused on the food-chain and on the
time-space variations in the physical-
chemical properties and current systems
in the marine environment.

The basic data bank is further enhanced
with contributions about marine mam-
mals and seabirds. The entire pool of
data is grist for another of the Division's
large undertakings— the forward-looking
ecosystems modeling program. This pro-
ject attempts to ascertain and predict the
consequences of manipulating harvests of
particular species based on the interaction
with the productivity of other species in
the ecosystem.

Finally, the socioeconomic research pro-
gram is designed to develop information
and tools which will help determine how
and to what extent fishermen and con-
sumers are affected by management deci-
sions. Concern is also focused on isolat-
ing implementation costs of various man-
agement measures.

Marine fish and shellfish populations of
potential commercial importance are
studied by Division (RACE) scientists.
These populations consist of bottomfish
(e.g., cod, Pacific whiting [hake] , flat-
fish, pollock) or open-sea (pelagic) dwell-
ers (herring, smelt, capelin, squid) as well
as shellfish (Alaskan king and snow [Tan-
ner] crabs, shrimp, and clams) that occur
in offshore waters from northern Califor-
nia northward to Alaska. Many of these
populations are intensely fished by both
U.S. and foreign fishermen.

Research personnel determine how
abundant these animals are and whether
their abundance is increasing or declining.

Crab, shrimp, and most bottomfish are
sampled, using commercial fishing trawls
which are dragged along the sea bottom.
Sampling is done in a statistical manner
so that estimates of the number and
weight of animals of a given species can
be obtained. Pelagic fish are sampled
with large midwater trawls that can be
positioned in the water where the fish
have been located by hydroacoustical
(sounding) devices. For clams, dredges
are used; and for some animals (like sa-
blefish), traps or longline gear are fished
on the sea bottom.

Other biological data are collected that
indicate the age and size composition of
the fish and shellfish, how rapidly the an-
imals grow, where and when they repro-
duce, as well as their rate of survival.

The information is used by various
groups: fishery managers to set fishery
regulations such as catch quotas, seasonal
closures, and size limitations; scientists in-
volved in the protection of the environ-
ment (e.g., from pollution and other dele-
terious activities) and endangered species
(e.g., some seals and whales); and com-
mercial fishermen and processors in their
planning and operations.

Environmental

Conservation

Division

Utilization

Research

Division

Environmental Conservation Division
(EC) research is carried out with the aim
of elucidating the nature, fate, and effects
of the myriad chemical pollutants in the
marine environment. These include pe-
troleum hydrocarbons, synthetic organics
(e.g., PCB's and other chlorinated hydro-
carbons), and metals. Disciplines such as
biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physi-
ology, microbiology, toxicology, and
pathology are applied to tie together
causes and effects.

Invertebrates and vertebrates are studi-
ed, with emphasis on commercially im-
portant species of the Pacific Northwest
and Alaska regions.

Accumulation, biotransformation, and
retention of environmental contaminants
in marine organisms are studied in con-
junction with effects of pollutant-expo-
sure on susceptibility to disease, behav-
ior, cellular and subcellular abnormalities,
pathological incidences, and survival.

Analytical capabilities of the Division
are enhanced by the NOAA National
Analytical Facility (NAF). Foremost
among NAF services is the capability to
measure and identify contaminants at low
levels found in environmental samples.

Utilization Research is concerned with
fishery resources from catch to consump-
tion. A guiding principle of utilization is
that wise use of our commercial fishery
resources can be achieved best through
application of preservation and process
methods appropriate to each fishery. The
objective is to provide the knowledge that
will assist and encourage the industry to
produce for consumers in both the U.S.
and foreign countries a wide variety of
fishery products of high quality and ac-
ceptability at a reasonable price and eco-
nomic return.

In the past decade demand for seafoods,
especially the convenience foods for
quick preparation like breaded fish por-
tions and the premium foods like crab
and shrimp, has increased substantially in
both the U.S. and Europe. At present the
traditional coastal fisheries for cod, had-
dock, salmon, halibut, sole, ocean perch,
herring, shrimp, crab, and clams have
been fully developed. New resources are
necessary for an expanded fishing indus-
try. The result has been a large increase
in use of neglected or underutilized spe-
cies that have been long ignored by fisher-
men and processors because of problems
in handling, preserving, and processing.

In the Pacific Northwest and Alaska
fisheries, these neglected species include
Pacific whiting (hake), many of the rock-
fish species, walleye (Alaska) pollock,
sablefish, arrowtooth and starry flounder,
as well as several species of soles and
flounders from the Gulf of Alaska and
the Bering Sea.

Of first importance are the studies on
handling and preservation of problem
species aboard vessel and in the pilot
plant. Secondly but of equal importance
are laboratory studies on quality and ac-
ceptability factors, chemical and micro-
biological changes in the fresh and frozen
fish, and new and improved concepts for
processing and utilization. Laboratory in-
vestigations also include the basic differ-
ences and composition of the muscle of
various species, the characteristics of the
proteins, chemistry of post-mortem
changes, and new concepts for using dif-
ficult-to-process species in a variety of
food systems as primary protein ingredi-
ents.

Research on the quality of products
from traditional and underutilized species
is a continuing major activity. Chemical

research includes basic nutritional compo-
sition and levels, in addition to health sig-
nificance, of microconstituents occurring
naturally, such as the trace mineral ele-
ments, and organic constituents from the
environment, such as polychlorinated bi-
phenyls (PCB). Microbiological research
on pathogens in fish is a second part of
this program and emphasizes factors de-
termining growth of Clostridium botu-
linum, potential toxin formation, and ap-
plication of findings to assure quality in
processing of smoked and other fishery
products.

A small but important research project
in aquaculture is concerned with the de-
velopment of nutritionally adequate fish
feeds, whose cost is consistent with the
economic return, and an investigation of
fish diseases of infectious and nutritional
origin.

National
Marine Mammal
Laboratory

Office of Fisheries
Information Systems

The National Marine Mammal Labora-
tory is the principal laboratory responsi-
ble for conducting research on marine
mammals. Responding to international
commitments and national goals and ob-
jectives of the Marine Mammal Protection
Act and the Endangered Species Act, lab-
oratory programs deal with a broad spec-
trum of species of whales, porpoises, sea
lions, and seals, and subject matter in-
cluding population dynamics, migrations,
distribution, as well as behavior and tro-
phic relationships. In recent years, major
program emphasis of the NMML has cen-
tered on the bowhead, gray, and hump-
back whales, Dall's porpoise, and north-
ern fur seal.
Bowhead whale

Because the bowhead is the principal
subsistence animal for Alaskan north
slope Eskimos but, at the same time, one
of the most endangered species of large
whales, there is a national requirement to
provide for Eskimo subsistence needs
without further endangering the species.
Consequently it has been a major item of
research since 1978. Emphasis of the
work is on assessment of the population,
including annual censusing of the whales
migrating past Barrow, Alaska; monitor-
ing and biological sampling of whales
taken by the Eskimos; and studies of the
population dynamics, life history, and
trophic requirements of the population.
Results of research are analyzed and used
in developing domestic regulations and
are also provided for consideration by the
International Whaling Commission (IWC)
which meets annually to establish inter-
national whale conservation regulations
and harvest quotas on all species of large
whales.
Northern fur seal

As a party to the four-nation Inter-
national North Pacific Fur Seal Com-
mission, the United States is responsible
for managing the major segment of the
herd associated with the Pribilof Islands
of Alaska (approximately 1.25 million
animals). The research element has been
conducted by the NMML and its prede-
cessor organizations, for several decades.
In recent years program emphasis has
been on the dynamics of the population,
that is, examination of changes in popu-
lation structure with changes in density
of the population as a whole or of the
various components of the population.

St. George, one of the two main islands
of the Pribilof group, was declared a re-
search sanctuary with no commercial har-
vest in 1973. Intensive studies have been
carried out there since 1974, on fur seal
behavior and movements, including some
radio tracking efforts to better define the
feeding movements of the major popula-
tion components.
Other species

Similar studies are conducted on Dall's
porpoise in response to agreements under
the International North Pacific Fisheries
Commission, on other large whales to
provide needed information for effective
conservation and management by the
IWC, and on a variety of pinniped species
under statutory responsibility of the Mar-
ine Mammal Protection Act. As a result,
NMML biologists find themselves record-
ing whale sightings throughout the North
Pacific region, from the shores of Japan
to the ice edge in the Chukchi Sea; and
counting seal pups on rookeries from the
remote Aleutian Islands to the Hawaiian
Leeward's.

The Office of Fisheries Information Sys-
tems administers a computer network to
provide automatic data processing (ADP)
and fisheries information services to the
Alaska and Pacific Northwest regions.
The computer network is composed of a
Burroughs B781 1 computer system in
Seattle and two Burroughs B2835 com-
puter systems in Alaska— one in Juneau
and the other in Kodiak. These two med-
ium computers operate as independent
systems but are linked, via telecommun-
ications lines, to the master computer in
Seattle.

The computer network is used to pro-
cess and analyze information collected
from various sources dealing in fishery,
oceanography, marine mammal, and en-
vironmental research. Such research in-
volves "sifting" through large volumes of
data and to synthezise manageable and
comprehensible information for devel-
oping policies and strategies as in fish-
eries management in the 200-mile U.S.
fishery conservation zone.

The computer network also serves to
communicte data and analyses expedi-
tiously throughout the Pacific Northwest,
Alaska, and other parts of the nation.

Another major function of the Office is
the development and administration of
fisheries data archival and retrieval sys-
tems. These information systems are be-
ing developed to allow efficient and in-
stantaneous retrieval of information to
support fisheries research and manage-
ment needs. The data bases involved are:
(1) the foreign fisheries catch-effort data
of Japan, U.S.S.R., Republic of Korea,
Poland, and Taiwan in the Bering Sea,
Gulf of Alaska, and off Washington-
northern California; (2) the biological
(length-weight-age) data of these foreign
fisheries; (3) the Japanese high-seas salm-
on fisheries in the Bering Sea; (4) the U.S.
observer data on catch effort and biologi-
cal data collected aboard foreign fishing
vessels within the 200-mile zone; (5) the
fishing fleet composition and fishing loca-
tion of the foreign fleet; (6) U.S. and for-
eign fisheries data collected during re-
search cruises; and (7) many others in-
cluding oceanographic features and other
marine resources.

Coastal Zone

and Estuarine Studies

Division

Fisheries Data

and Management Systems

Division

Two of the most important water re-
source complexes in the western United
States are the Columbia River and Puget
Sound. Both are habitats for aquatic spe-
cies which are the objectives of major
commercial and recreational fisheries:
salmon, steelhead, oysters, shrimp, and
crab. The Coastal Zone and Estuarine
Studies Division (CZES) provides infor-
mation leading to their protection, devel-
opment, and balanced growth. Research
is separated among three areas:
Ecological effect of dams

Dams on the Columbia River watershed
have severely changed ecological condi-
tions in the downstream sreas, causing a
loss of over 50% of the spawning and nur-
sery habitats of important fisheries.

Rapid acceleration of powerhouse con-
struction in response to the energy crisis
is creating a river situation which causes a
much greater percentage of juvenile salm-
on and trout migrating to the ocean to
pass through turbines where they are in-
jured or killed. Research has developed
practical steps to minimize fish losses due
to dams, such as: transporting juveniles
around hazardous areas, controlling spill
to enhance migrant passage, in addition
to designing turbine intake screens and
safe bypasses to reduce entrainment into
the turbines.

mile 46) is an extremely important and
complex area involving a variety of bio-
logical and physical interactions, in ad-
dition to deleterious human activities
(dredging, industrial development, pol-
lution, etc.) and natural changes (the
eruption of Mount St. Helens). Scien-
tists monitor the biological effects of
changes and predict the consequences of
contemplated actions.
Fisheries enhancement

Research is carried out in Puget Sound,
an inland sea with 2,300 miles of shore-
line and rich in fish, shellfish, aquatic
plants, and fishery-based recreational ac-
tivities. There is a considerable potential
for increasing production in this area.
Scientists provide leadership in applica-
tion of controlled rearing of aquatic or-
ganisms, such as salmon, to increase pro-
duction for commercial and recreational
uses.

The technology being developed for
salmon aquaculture has many applica-
tions by public and private growers. In-
cluded are the development and improve-
ment of freshwater and saltwater rearing
systems, detection and prevention of dis-
ease, better nutrition, reduced production
costs, increased survival, and development
of technology for culture of fishes other
than salmon and steelhead trout.

Data have been developed which indi-
cate to hatchery personnel the readiness
of juvenile salmon and steelhead for life
in saltwater to increase the survival rate
for ultimate return as adults.

The Fisheries Data and Management
Systems Division (FDMS) provides tech-
nical support to the Center's research
scientists in the areas of mathematics/
statistics, editing/graphics, and library ser-
vices.
Mathematics/statistics

Design of experiments and analyses of
resulting data which are adequately based
in statistical theory form the basis for
accurately interpreting experimental re-
sults. To this end, staff statisticians work
closely with fishery scientists in the Cen-
ter's multidisciplinary approach to solving
fishery problems.
Editing/graphics

Technical editors and graphic designers
assist scientists in conveying results of re-
search in a clear, concise fashion to tech-
nical and lay audiences.
Library services

Library references and literature search-
es by staff librarians provide scientists
with background information needed in
their development of research planning.
The Center's library holdings include pop-
ular, as well as scientific, fisheries, and
biochemical literature. These resources
are available for use by the public as well
as the Center's scientific staff.

Habitat investigations

The Columbia River estuary (covering
about 150 square miles and extending
from the ocean inland to about river

Auke Bay
Laboratory

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A00DD7DC141D7M

In 1955, our biologists began studying
problems related to Alaskan fishery re-
sources. Since 1960, these studies have
been headquartered at the Center's Auke
Bay Laboratory in southeastern Alaska.
Enhancement of salmon resources

Between the 1930's and the 1970's, the
annual U.S. harvest of Pacific salmon de-
clined from 600 million pounds to about
200 million pounds. By the late 1970's,
catches had increased to about 400 mil-
lion pounds. Variations in these harvests
are primarily caused by fluctuations in
Alaskan salmon stocks. Presently, aqua-
culture groups are interested in methods
of enhancing the natural production of
salmon to eliminate some of this fluctua-
tion.

To assist these aquaculture groups, sci-
entists at the Auke Bay Laboratory and
at two experimental hatcheries are devel-
oping improved techniques for producing
high-quality salmon fry and smolts for
ocean release. Also, the scientists are try-
ing to determine what causes fluctuations
in the ocean survival of both hatchery
and wild stocks.

Development of fishery resources within
the 200-mile fishery conservation zone

Over 4 billion pounds of fish and shell-
fish can be harvested annually from the
waters within the 200-mile fishery conser-
vation zone adjacent to Alaska. Manage-
ment of this extremely valuable renew-
able resource is now the responsibility of
the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Large quantities of groundf ish are pres-
ent in the northeastern Pacific ocean and
eastern Bering Sea— the development of a
fishing industry there is attracting much
attention. At the Auke Bay Laboratory,
scientists are studying rockfish, walleye
pollock, Pacific herring, sablefish, and
flatfish to determine nursery areas and
variations in year-class abundance of ju-
venile fish. These variations will be relat-
ed to environmental factors and changes
in abundance of other species; fishery
managers will then determine the number
of fish that can be safely taken from the
fishery. One result of these studies has
been the discovery that the rocky, coastal
waters off southeastern Alaska are habi-
tats for juvenile Pacific ocean perch and
other rockfishes. This finding establishes
the importance of this region as a nursery
area.

Pacific salmon constitute one of the

more valuable fisheries in the northeast-
ern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. Here,
U.S. salmon mix with salmon from the
U.S.S.R., Japan, and Canada. Some U.S.
salmon are caught by foreign fishing
fleets; scientists at Auke Bay Laboratory
are conducting studies to determine how
many U.S. salmon are taken. Informa-
tion on country of origin is obtained
from tagging experiments, analysis of
scales taken from fish, and blood charac-
teristics of fish. The results of these stud-
ies are used in international negotiations
to minimize the catch of U.S. salmon by
fishermen of other countries.
Determination of the effects of industrial
development on marine resources

Alaska has 54% of the nation's coast-
line, 74% of its continental shelf, and a
major part of the nation's resources. In-
dustry is rapidly expanding in these coast-
al and offshore areas as large oil reserves,
natural gas, timber, and minerals are be-
ing developed. Researchers are studying
how pollution from two major industries
in Alaska— logging as well as production
and transport of crude oil— affects marine
resources. Resource managers will use re-
sults from these studies to evaluate dam-
age, if any, to marine resources and envi-
ronments. Logging may change water
flow, temperature, and sediment and
cause bark accumulation in streams and
estuaries. Studies in both the field and
laboratory will determine which levels of
petroleum hydrocarbons in seawater have
a deleterious effect on eggs, larvae, and
juvenile and adult stages of fish and shell-
fish. Studies are also underway to deter-
mine the accumulation, cycling, and fate
of pollutants in Port Valdez, site of the
terminus of the trans-Alaska pipeline.