723 \ '/ NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRF-723 Ichthyoplankton Composition and Plankton Volunnes Fronn Inland Coastal Waters of Southeastern Alaska, April-November 1972 Chester R. Mattson and Bruce L. Wing April 1978 Marine Biological Laboratory LIBRARY \ OCT 14 1992 1 \ Woods Hole, Mass. \ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adnninistration National Marine Fisheries Service NO AA TECHNICAL REPORTS National Marine Fisheries Service, Special Scientific Report — Fisheries The major responsibilities of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are to monitor and assess the abundance and geographic distribution of fisher\' resources, to understand and predict fluctuations in the quantity and distribution of these resources, and to establish levels for optimum use of the resources, NMFS is also charged with the development and implementation of policies for managing national Tishing grounds, development and enforcement of domestic fisheries regulations, surveillance of foreign fishing off United States coastal waters, and the development and enforcement of international fisher>' agreements and policies. NMF.S also assists the fishing industry through marketing service and economic analysis programs, and mortgage insurance and vessel construction subsidies. It collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on various phases of the industry. The Special .Scientific Report — Fisheries series was established in 1949. The series carries reports on scientific investigations that document long-term continuing programs of NMFS, or intensive scientific reports on studies of restricted scope. The reports may deal with applied fishery problems. The series is also used as a medium for the publication of bibliographies of a specialized scientific nature. NOAA Technical Reports NMFS SSRF are available free in limited numbers to governmental agencies, both Federal and State. They are also available in exchange for other scientific and technical publications in the marine sciences. Individual copies may be obtained (unless otherwise noted! from D82.5. Technical Information Division, Environmental Science Information Center, NOAA, Washington, D.C. 20235. Recent SSRFs are: 649. Distribution of forage of skipjack tuna (Euthynnus pelamis\ in the eastern tropical Pacific. By Maurice Blackburn and Michael Laurs January 1972, iii + 16 p., 7 figs.. 3 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402. 661 A review of the literature on the development of skipjack tuna fisheries in the central and western Pacific Ocean. By Frank J. Hester and Tamio Otsu January 1973. iii + 13 p.. 1 fig. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 650. Effects of some antioxidants and EDTA on the development of ran- cidity in Spanish mackerel iScomberomorus macutatus) during frozen storage. By Robert N. Farragut. February 1972, iv + 12 p., 6 figs., 12 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 651. The effect of premortem stress, holding temperatures, and freezing on the biochemistry and quality of skipjack tuna. By Ladell Crawford. April 1972, iii + 23 p., 3 figs., 4 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington. D.C. 20402. 6.53. The use of electricity in conjunction with a 12.5-meter (Headrope) Gulfof-Mexico shrimp trawl in Lake Michigan. By James E Ellis. March 1972. iv + 10 p., 11 figs., 4 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402. 654. An electric detector system for recovering internally tagged menhaden, genus Breuoortia. By R. O. Parker. Jr. February 1972. iii + 7 p.. 3 figs.. 1 app. table. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. 20402. 655. Immobilization of fingerling salmon and trout by decompression. By Doyle F. Sutherland. March 1972, iii + 7 p.. 3 figs.. 2 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. US. Government Printing Office, Washington. DC. 20402. 656. The calico scallop, Argopecten gibbus. By Donald M. Allen and T. J. Costello. May 1972, iii + 19 p., 9 figs.. 1 table For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402. 662 Seasonal distribution of tunas and billfishes in the Atlantic. By John P Wise and Charles W. Davis. January 1973. iv + 24 p., 13 figs., 4 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402. 663 Fish larvae collected from the northeastern Pacific Ocean and Pugel Sound during April and May 1967. By Kenneth D. Waldron. December 1972, iii ■^ 16 p , 2 figs., 1 table, 4 app. tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402. 664. Tagging and tag-recovery experiments with Atlantic menhaden, Brevourlia tyrannua. By Richard L Kroger and Robert L. Dryfoos. December 1972, iv + 11 p., 4 figs., 12 tables For sale by the Superinten- dent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 665. Larval fish survey of Humbolt Bay, California. By Maxwell B. Eldrige and Charles F. Bryan. December 1972, iii -♦■ 8 p.. 8 figs., 1 table. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402. 666. Distribution and relative abundance of fishes in Newport River. North Carolina. By William R. Turner and George N. Johnson. September 1973, iv -f 23 p., 1 fig., 13 tables. For sale by the Superinten- dent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402. 667. An analysis of the commercial lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery along the Coast of Maine. August 1966 through December 1970. By James C Thomas June 1973, v -f 57 p.. 18 figs , 11 tables For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 657. Making fish protein concentrates by enzymatic hydrolysis. A status report on research and some processes and products studied by NMFS. By Malcolm B. Hale November 1972, v -(- 32 p., 15 figs., 17 tables, 1 app. table. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 6,58. List of fishes of Alaska and adjacent waters with a guide to some of their literature. By Jay C. Quast and Elizabeth L. Hall. July 1972, iv ■¥ 47 p For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 20402. 6.59 The Southeast Fisheries Center bionumeric code. Part I: Fishes By Harvey R. Bullis. Jr , Richard B Roe, and Judith C. Gatlin. July 1972, xi + 95 p., 2 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 660 A freshwater fish electro motivator (FFEM)-its characteristics and operation. By James E. Ellis and Charles C. Hoopes. November 1972, iii -(■ U p , 2 figs. 668 An annotated bibliography of the cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus (Wilbaum) By Fredric M Serchuk and David W. Frame. May 1973, ii + 43 p For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402. 669. Subpoint prediction for direct readout meterological satellites. By L E Eber. August 1973, iii + 7 p.. 2 figs., 1 table. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402. 670. Unharvested fishes in the U.S. commercial fishery of western Lake Erie in 1969. By Harry D. Van Meter. July 1973. iii + 11 p.. 6 figs , 6 tables For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 671. Coastal upwelling indices, west coast of North America, 1946-71. By Andrew Bakun June 1973, iv -f 103 p., 6 figs., 3 Ubies, 45 app. figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. 20402. Continued on inside back cover OMMOSP, ''Hemt ov NOAA Technical Report NMFS SSRF-723 Ichthyoplankton Composition and Plankton Volumes From Inland Coastal Waters of Southeastern Alaska, April-November 1972 Chester R. Mattson and Bruce L. Wing April 1978 r Marine Biological Laboratory LIBRARY OCT 14 1992 Woods Hole, Mass. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Juanita M. Kreps, Secretary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Richard A Frank, Administrator National Marine Fisheries Service The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) does not approve, rec- ommend or endorse any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned in this publication. No reference shall be made to NMFS, or to this publication furnished by NMFS, in any advertising or sales pro- motion which would indicate or imply that NMFS approves, recommends or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned herein, or which has as its purpose an intent to cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used or purchased because of this NMFS publication. CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 Methods 1 Results 2 Relative abundance of fish eggs 2 Larval fish abundance 3 Plankton volumes and composition 5 Literature cited 5 Appendix 6 Figure L Location of plankton and oceanographic sampling stations occupied monthly in southeast Alaska, April-November 1972 2 Tables 1. Location, bottom depth at station, proposed sampling depth, and habitat category of plankton sta- tions routinely occupied in southeastern Alaska. April-November 1972 1 2. Abundance of larval fish and fish eggs collected with 61-cm, 0.333-m mesh bongo net at 21 stations in southeastern Alaska, April-November 1972 3 3. Settling volumes in 122 samples of plankton collected with 61-cm, 0.333-mm mesh bongo net in southeastern Alaska, April-November 1972 4 4. Predominant forms of plankton collected with 61-cm, 0.333-mm mesh bongo net in southeastern Alaska, April-November 1972 4 ui Ichthyoplankton Composition and Plankton Volumes From Inland Coastal Waters of Southeastern Alaska, April-November 1972 CHESTER R. MATTSON AND BRUCE L. WING' ABSTRACT Eighteen families of flsh were represented in 119 plankton samples taken on monthly cruises from April to November 1972 in southeastern Alaska. Fifteen kinds of larval fish were identified to species. Abundance of larval fish, fish eggs, and total plankton biomass peaked in May and declined through the summer. Walleye pollock (family Gadidae) were the most abundant larvae in May and June and were more concentrated in large channels than in small bays. Osmeridae and Bathylagidae were the second and third most abundantly represented families; peak abundance for both was in June and July. Other families with distinct peaks in abundance were Agonidae and Ammodytidae in May; Cot- tidae, Cyclopteridae, Stichaeidae, and Pleurnnectidae in June; and Scorpaenidae in July. Small num- bers of Bathymasteridae were present from May through July. Myctophidae, Zoarcidae, and Hex- agrammidae did not show distinct changes in seasonal abundance. Clupeidae, Gasterosteidae, Pholidae, and Ptilichthyidae were too rare in the catches to exhibit seasonal abundance. Calanoid copepods and phytoplankton made up most of the plankton retained by 0.333-mm mesh nets. INTRODUCTION This report presents data on the kinds, distribution, and numerical abundance of ichthyoplankton and on total net plankton biomass in northern southeastern Alaska. The data are from an 8-mo study, April-Novem- ber 1972. The study was intended to develop sampling methods, schedules, and station patterns for routine sur- veys in Alaska coastal waters. The stations represented three basic types of marine environment in southeastern Alaska — enclosed bays, middle of deep channels, and the margin, or edge, of channels. Stations were grouped from north to south so that differences in species distribution and abundance within and between geographical and en- vironmental areas could be evaluated. Funding and manpower restrictions imposed after completion of the field work have limited sample analyses to one sample per station per month (approximately one quarter of the samples taken). The data have not been subjected to in- tensive interpretative analyses but are presented here in preliminary form to make them available to other workers, because published ichthyoplankton data for the area are limited to the small amount in Wing and Fteid (1972) for Auke Bay. METHODS Eight monthly cruises, extending from April into November 1972, were made aboard the MV Murre II. The first cruise, 10-14 April, was a test to determine how many stations could be occupied in a week. As a result, a total of 21 stations were selected that could be sampled in 2-wk cruises (Table 1); five of the original April stations were deleted and replaced by others more con- venient to cruise routing (Fig. 1). A northern cruise, con- Table I. --Location, bottom depth at station, proposed sas^lJLng depth, and habitat category of plankton stations routinely oco^iied in southeastern Alaska, Af>ril-Noved>er 1972. (6 ■ Bay, C " midchannel, E - margin of channel). 'Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center Auke Bay Laboratory, Na- tional Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, P.O. Box 155. Auke Bay. AK 99821. Station Eat. N Long. W. Botton depth range (m) Target saa^luig rer Ue Habitat depth (•) D/ea C S9'27.9' 135-21.5' 115-164 100 Taiya C 59-17. 9' 135-22.8' 102543 200 Hauies E S9'13.2' 135-23.1' 80-128 100 Chllkoot Inlet C.E S9'M.8' 135-14.6' 47-247 100 Oiilkat Inlet C.E 59*04. ?■ 135-20.4' 113-206 100 Bemers Bay B S8'41.4 134-56.7' 50-90 50 Hid-Lynn Canal C 58-41. 4' 135-03.1' 250-130 200 Danger Point E 58-41.4' 135-11.1' 73-130 100 Pouil Retreat C 58-25. ?■ 135-00.0' 265-426 300 Sagijiaw Qiannel I 58-24.0' 154-53.4' 22-120 50 Favorite Channel E 58-22.0' 134-45.3' 46 100 50 Auke Bay B 58-21.9' 134-40.0' 43-64 50 QanbieT Bay B 57-28.7' 134-00.8' 46-90 75 False Pouit Pybus E 57-24.2' 133-52.2' 47-123 50 South Stephens Passage C 57-23. 7' 133-36.1' 221-315 250 Farragut Bay B 57-07.4' 133-10.2' 77-90 60 Grand Point C 57-03.2' 133-13,2' 166-176 150 Boulder Point E 57-01.0' 133-15.0' 50-181 60 Coirorallis Point C 56-56.7' 134-17.7' 98-190 100 20 Saginaw Bay B 56-52.9' 134-11.0' 36-86 so 21 Red Bluff C 56-50.0' 134-54.6 550-713 300 Figure I. — Location of plankton and oceanographic sampling stations occupied monthly in southeastern Alaska, April-November 1972. sisting of stations 1-12, extended southerly from Dyea in northern Lynn Canal to Auke Bay, located about 19.3 km northwest of Juneau. A southern cruise, stations 13-21, ranged from Gambler Bay on Admiralty Island to the junction of Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait near Red Bluff Bay. The only months when all stations could be sampled were May, June, and July. Beginning in August, stormy weather reduced sampling to 18 stations in August, 15 stations in September, 16 stations in Oc- tober, and only 7 stations in November. Before sampling for zooplankton, we completed a stan- dard oceanographic station including surface observations (wind, wave, cloud cover, temperatures, barometric pressure, and water transparency), subsurface obser- vations (temperature, salinity, oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, silicates, and chlorophyll a), and a surface phytoplankton collection. The physical and chemical ob- servations are on file at the National Oceanographic Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- ministration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Rockville, MD 20852, and data on the phytoplankton composition were reported by Williamson.' Zooplankton samples were collected with a bongo net array consisting of a 20-cm (mouth diameter) frame equipped with 0.253- and 0.333-mm mesh nets placed 1.0 m above a 61-cm frame equipped with 0.333- and 0.505- mm mesh nets. A 1.2-m Braincon type 275 v-fin depres- sor was suspended 1 m below the larger bongo frame. Sampling depths were recorded with a Bendix Model Tl bathykymograph of 300-m depth range. General Oceanics Model 2030 digital flowmeters were used to es- timate water filtered. Sampling technique was a single oblique tow in depths over 150 m, and multiple oblique tows in shallow depths (100 m or less). Target sampling depths ranged from 50 m in shallow bays and channel margins to 3(X) m at the deepest channel stations (Table 1). Towing was at a con- stant surface speed of 2 kn (1.029 m/s). Tow cable was served out at 60 m/min and retrieved at 20 m/min, while rates were monitored by stopwatch and cable amounts by a dial-reading meter wheel. When necessary, winch speed changes were made verbally to the winch operator. Towing times ranged from 12 to 47 min, depending upon target depth and maneuvering room within confined bays. Towing distances ranged from 0.7 km (0.4 n.mi.) to 2.9 km (1.6 n.mi.). When multiple shallow oblique tows were made, the nets were raised until visible, checked for debris or plugging, then lowered. Upon tow completion, all samples were preserved in 3-5^c unbuffered seawater formaldehyde. For processing, the samples were taken to the laboratory where the formaldehyde was buffered with a saturated borax solution. We processed only the catches by the 61-cm, 0.333-mm mesh net. Each sample was sorted in its entirety under a dissecting microscope at magnifications of 7-lOX. All fish eggs and fish larvae were removed and counted. Only the fish larvae were identified. Notes were kept on the abundance rank of general plankton categories. Total settling volumes of plankton were estimated to the nearest 25 ml in a graduated 0.95-liter (1 qt) widemouth bottle. The data were converted to standardized tows as num- bers under 10 m^ of water surface (computed as number per 10 m' per meter of tow depth (Ahlstrom 1948) ) for larval fish and eggs and to milliliters per 1,000 m' of water filtered for the plankton settling volumes. RESULTS One hundred twenty-six plankton tows were com- pleted at the regular stations of which 119 were sorted for fish eggs and fish larvae (Table 2). Three samples, sta- tion 13 in May and stations 13 and 14 in June, were processed for plankton volumes but not for ichthyo- plankton because of exceptionally high quantities of phytoplankton. Samples from four tows could not be processed because they contained large amounts of mud 'Williamson, R. 1974. Phytoplankton species and their geographical distribution in southeast Alaska. Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Cen- ter Auke Bay Laboratory. National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Auke Bay. AK 99821. Unpubl. manuscr. (Station 10, May; stations 4 and 14, August) or surface trash (station 15, September) (Appendix 1). Relative Abundance of Fish Eggs A total of 18,354 fish eggs were sorted from 119 samples (Table 2). During the peak month of May, a tenfold dif- ference in abundance was evident between the northern stations (averaging 2,072.2 eggs/10 m') and the southern stations (averaging only 210.1 eggs/10 m^). Excep- tionally high egg counts were obtained from the Taiya (station 2) and Bemers Bay (station 6) samples. Excep- tions to the May peak abundance were evident in Saginaw Channel (station 10) and Farragut Bay (station 16), where maximum numbers occurred in July. The 1972 peak egg abundance in May contrasts to a previous h tffi IniiWir ttr 10 • ) ulltct* lUlkt, Apr! 1 -NavlWtr 1471. { a I s 1 :! s s = s i i 1 \t.i 1.0 2.9 1-9 1.9 1.0 B.2 2 1 2.1 a ],; 41.7 48.0 33.8 4.8 .1 * " 28.8 4 a 1,6 9.6 1693-1 IB. a 1.9 IS.O 3 8 S,l 4293.1 2,6 46,1 2,6 S,l 20.5 48,6 69.1 7,7 ;ioa.o O.B 0.6 12.8 O.B 24.9 l.B 2.) C.£ UIJ.S !589 4 2326.4 5,7 4 6 S.7 14.9 13.8 - 2,3 14.9 1-3 2023.7 3,9 9.2 2,6 1.3 3.9 S.7 24.0 10. S 53.4 236:, 5 e.9 17.8 l.B U.3 c m.i 1315.1 26,0 78.9 29 27.6 2.5 S.D 5.0 12,6 S3 S 83.2 S.9 92.4 IS. 4 11.6 3.9 3.9 E 47.0 500-3 6.4 19.2 2.1 395,5 E I6S.2 1S6.3 2,2 54 8 322.9 12.2 3.0 3.0 6.1 c ie7.fi 54U.4 93.1 6,2 4966 4 ■■ C it.Z 166.0 -- 7,1 173,9 41.2 14.2 7,7 1.3 3,3 O.S t 171.1 S39.S 6-8 8.S 415.3 3.9 16.2 17.4 21.3 5,8 11.6 5,8 M 12,8 468.9 1,5 1,5 9.8 7.6 27,9 3.0 C.E JS.9 404.6 4.8 16. S 344.7 2 4 1.2 e S47.0 717.3 4,5 lOi.S 128,1 4SB.1 3.0 12,1 3.0 c ;o.8 526.8 47,6 95.2 8.9 315. S E Zi* C 0 191.4 130.6 2.8 21.3 37.3 "i.7 143,2 26,1 -- 3,7 22 4 5.7 11 3 ■■ 26,7 2.8 2 8 ■37 3.7 E 67.7 155- i 1.9 15,4 63 4 155.6 B 108.8 C b.) 313.6 337.1 - 31 5 9.0 0.6 4.2 160.8 136.' 22.6 3 J 4 ; 4.2 68.4 146,3 -- 2,1 2.1 0,6 1,2 2 8 6.4 8 4 l!9 10.7 6.4 5,9 2,3 5 1 18.4 2-1 4,5 '-- 59 3 2 5,1 4.2 '1,3 S 8*3 5 460 ; 43.2 198 0 150.6 1.2 47.4 3,2 C IBS V2.0 10.6 15,9 E 22.1 166.0 /.9 0.9 10.6 12,4 3) 6 38 9 0 9 7,1 41.5 2.1 B 6.7 C 111.9 28 8 ■- 317.1 4o:.: - 1,5 101-S 56.0 6.8 I2S,5 49.0 45 5 15 1 2 9 2)6 8 14.0 38-0 4 8 3.8 10.5 6.8 -- 33.3 7 0 to 1 0 4.8 '•• 1.9 3.8 C 12.9 14S.; 12-7 98 4 16.9 , , 2.1 , , t 1J0.0 U1.7 34-7 298.7 45 1 120.2 31.1 32 1 C.E 0 163.? 36S 5 5 9 69. S 6) 9 108.1 69.7 61. B 24 4 77.2 S 1M.! C 3.1 E 0 238.3 lOJ 3 512-3 105 6 14 5 64 4 357 8 104.1 30.7 SI. 5 J 5 3 1 - 27-0 3.0 6.1 IS 3.0 3.1 7.S C 8.0 147.6 B-0 8,0 67 a 26.0 I2B.3 18.6 1-9 B BKI MS. 7 120-9 94.8 2.4 5 0 7 3 7.3 1 7 24.3 7.3 2,4 4.9 I 10.0 C 3. J 1.7 96 4 2.2 ID-B 3-3 6.7 16.6 2.2 6.5 8.7 .'.^ IS, 2 2.2 12 2 331 6 n.t 118 3 t 21.6 E S-7 67.4 62.5 . 6.1 6.1 4.0 3 1 9,2 3.1 3 1 M S !.3 C 5.9 C 0 9S:3 4 6««.9 16.8 5 7 4 35.: S.l ? 4 S.9 "i ' :: 82 6 9 124 ft 6 8 560 7 C 9 9 4 7,9 3-4 28^4 'i' :: 3.4 E 1S.0 C.C 1.3 59^9 72.0 S> 6 3 2 12.8 107,2 24.9 B 0 73.2 11.7 161.9 tl6.S 40.9 C 7B.B 144-2 3.1 22,9 9,B 26,2 26 2 1 5 3.0 1.5 B 1«.B 7S.4 59.1 l.S C 0 35.5 9.0 6.9 } 0 a.9 269 . 6 0 3.0 - 3.0 115,6 91.7 159 4.0 - .. t 0 B 1-6 C 0 22.2 20,7 - 122.9 2.6 10,4 11.9 111 0 J' 5.2 12.7 1,3 4-7 1.3 C 0 t i9-i 2,2 8,7 2^9 C.E (,.2 13,2 3.7 29.5 c.t ?.; 21. S - 4.3 2.2 15.1 C 3.0 47.5 20. B 5,9 5 9 B.9 3 0 3.0 E le.o 0 .' .i ' 2.1 8.4 e 0 £ 1.) E o' 49.7 26.9 9.? 2,1 4.5 4.S 2.2 1.3 43.0 1.3 2.1 1.5 17.9 1.3 3 2 2 2 * 4.5 1-3 3.0 2.3 B 0 6,3 3,1 )-l C.E t;.; 11.6 1.5 5.0 C 3.0 45.1 16.7 12.6 E 3.S 1.0 1.9 2 » 1 ti.t 5.8 6.0 1-5 I 0.9 0.9 C 0 17.2 C 0 E 0 ( 0 C J.S B ).l C £.7 lO.B a ■ I-O 13 S 9 9 1.5 S3.* . 2.5 O.S 10 1 IS )0.0 13-4 3.8 - 2.S 1.0 'i.4 6.7 3.3 l.S lO.t C 0 31.4 . 114 2.1 t 0.9 E 7 ? B 0 0 10 0-9 10 0.9 " '.'. study, indicating an April peak (Wing and Reid 1972). Such a difference could result from annual variations in environmental conditions which may affect spawning times. Larval Fish Abundance A total of 23,819 larval and juvenile fish were sorted from 119 samples. Identification of larval fishes for the northwest Pacific Ocean, and Alaskan waters in par- ticular, is very difficult. Therefore, we were able to iden- tify only 15 species from 18 identified families (Table 2). Larval fishes in three families, Gadidae, Osmeridae, and Bathylagidae, contributed 87.5'^c of the catch in the samples processed. Walleye pollock, Theragra chal- cogramma, the most abundant gadid, formed 68.2% of the total catch identified. Abundance of pollock was greatest in May and June when they formed 92.6% and 49.8%, respectively, of the total catch identified. Their distribution favored the channels rather than inside bays. Only three larval gadids were not walleye pollock, but unfortunately we could not identify these. Osmerids were second in abundance, accounting for 14.9% of the total catch processed. Greatest abundance occurred in June and July (24.9%- and 55.6% of the total, respectively). Eulachon, Thaleichthys pacificus, was the only osmerid identified to species, but capelin, Mallotus villosus, the most common osmerid in southeastern Alaska, was believed to compose the bulk of the os- merid samples. Greatest osmerid abundance was noted in the northern area with exceptions of Point Retreat (station 9) and Auke Bay (station 12), where they were Table 3. --Settling toIums in 12Z sauries of plankton collected with 61-( 0. JJS-inn-mesh bongo net in southeastern Alaska, April-November 1972. Milliliters per 1.000 1 n^ of water filtered Station April Hay June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. 1 2,174 2,146 1.199 1.284 495 2 2,412 2.459 2.224 3 2.96S 1.646 1.590 1.674 654 4 2.126 1,114 1.451 855 253 S 5.447 1,496 1.422 I.IOS 673 6 346 1.412 1,412 938 155 149 7 - 2,2S8 1,687 1.819 1.768 2.128 1.471 8 - S,660 5,569 882 557 218 9 3,120 5.957 1.616 1.059 928 1.450 1.265 10 1.755 1,675 1.858 768 199 624 11 239 7,88S 484 2.027 2.203 661 255 199 12 1,795 742 1.159 1.594 3.141 163 170 13 25,000 20.000 1.084 1.701 1.402 884 14 4,583 10.000 715 457 201 IS 860 5.151 1.051 1.820 1.124 16 285 421 2.046 2.057 785 528 17 883 1.597 1,267 1.448 882 2,358 11 606 1.003 987 846 281 136 19 2S7 4,585 659 1.069 573 631 228 20 l.SOS 5,311 6.002 2,041 1.005 1.051 452 21 374 506 1.255 843 868 238 Means S93.6 5,740. 5 5.156.7 1,407.4 1.352.1 851.6 655.6 581.1 scarce. In the southern areas, osmerids were abundant in Farragut Bay (station 16) and Saginaw Bay (station 20) and scarce elsewhere. The third most abundant species was the northern smoothtongue, Bathylagus stilbius schmidti (Bathy- lagidae), composing 4.5% of the total processed catch. Abundance was high from May to August, peaking in June and July with 5.8% and 12.4''; of the processed catch. Geographical abundance was markedly greater, with the exception of Auke Bay, in the northern stations where they were taken in 54 of 68 samples, and average catch per haul was generally much higher than in the southern stations. In the south, they were represented in only 20 of 51 samples. Pacific herring, Clupea harengus pallasi, were con- spicuous by their absence. Although adult herring are fished commercially throughout southeastern Alaska, larval herring were found only among the Haines (station 3) and Saginaw Bay (station 20) samples. Auke Bay (sta- tion 12) generally is a productive spring spawning area for herring and is heavily fished in the spring for roe and bait herring. Larval and postlarval herring are known to occur in the Auke Bay area from early June through Sep- tember although our sampling did not collect them. The families Scorpaenidae, Cottidae, and Stichaeidae each contributed approximately 2% to the total catch. Scorpaenid abundance was greatest in July and geographical distribution favored the channel rather than bay stations. Cottid and stichaeid abundance was Table 4.--Predailinant forms of plankton collected with 61-011, 0.333-Din-nrsh bongo nel in southeastern Alaska, April -November 1972, (Cope = calanoid copepods, (Chaeto • chaetognaths. Euph ■ euphausiids; Parath - Parathemisto llbellula. Riyto - phytoplankton.) Station April May Juie July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. 1 2 Phyto Cope Cope Ore Cope Cope Chaeto Oiaeto 3 Cope Cope Cope Cope Chaeto -- 4 Cope Cope Oiaeto Cope. Oiaeto Euph. I3»aetc 5 Cope Cope Cope, Chaeto Cope Euph 6 Barnacle Cope nai4ilii Ojpe. Chaeto Cope Phyto Parath. 7 - Phyto Cope Cope Cope Cope Cope 8 Cope Cope Phyto Cope Eui:^ 9 Hiyto Cope Cope Cope Cope Cope Cope 10 Phytoi' Cope Cope Phyto Phyto Riyto Parath 11 Cope Phyto Cope Phyto Hiyto Phyto Phyto Phyto 12 " Riyto Cope Phyto Phyto Phyto Riyto Phyto, Parath 15 Phyla Phyto Cope Cope Phyto euph, Chaeto 14 Phyto Phyto Phyto Riyto Phyto 15 Cope Phyto. Cope Cope Cope -- 16 Cope Cope Cope Phyto Cope. Phyto Phyto 17 Cope Cope Cope Cope Phyto cope 18 Cope Cope Cope Phyto Cope Phyto 19 Cope Phyto Riyto Cope Cope Euph Riyto 20 Riyto Riylo Cope Cope Cope Phyto E^>h. Cope 21 Cope Phyto "s^- niyto Cope Cope -'Fran catch by 20-ciii, 0.333-nin-iwsh net. highest in May and June, but no geographical preference was evident. The families Ammodytidae, Bathymasteridae, Cyclopteridae, and Pleuronectidae each contributed 1.0 to 1.4% of the total catch. Sand lance, Ammodytes hex- apterus, were most abundant in May with a geo- graphical preference for the northern stations. Bathy- masterid abundance was about equal for May, June, and July followed by a significant drop in August. Cyclop- terids and pleuronectids were most abundant in June. Of the less frequently collected families, agonids were most abundant in May, and myctophids, zoarcids, and hex- agrammids did not have distinct seasonal changes. Pholids, gasterosteids, and ptilichthyids were too rare to exhibit any geographic or seasonal trends. (Wing and Reid 1972), but results were not quite com- parable as a larger mesh net (0.526 mm) was used which retained less phytoplankton and fewer small copepods. Predominant forms of plankters were determined dur- ing sorting (Table 4). In order of complete biomass dominance, copepods lead with 62 samples, followed by phytoplankton in 40, and chaetognaths and euphausiids in 3 each, amphipods in 2, and barnacle nauplii in 1. Eleven samples shared dominance between two orga- nisms. On several occasions phytoplankton clogged the nets, sharply reducing efficienty of the nets. The greatest diversity among dominant organisms occurred in No- vember, when phytoplankton, copepods, and amphipods dominated at two stations each and euphausiids at one. Plankton Volumes and Composition Plankton settling volumes were measured for 122 samples and converted into milliters per 1,000 m' of water filtered (Table 3). Maximum abundance occurred in May, when the mean was 3,740.3 ml/l,000\ followed by June with a mean of 3,156.7 ml/1,000 m'. In July abundance had dropped sharply and then continued a consistent decline into November. In a previous study, planktonic abundance in Auke Bay had peaked in June LITERATURE CITED AHLSTROM, E. H. 1948. A record of pilchard eggs and larvae collected during surveys made in 1939 to 1941. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rep. 54, 76 p. WING. B. L., and G. M. REID. 1972. Surface zooplankton from Auke Bay and vicinity, southeast- ern Alaska, August 1962 to January 1964. U.S. Dep. Commer., Natl. Oceanic Atmos. Admin., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Data Rep. 72, 765 p. APPENDIX Appendix I. --Collection data for analyzed ichthyoplankton samples taken with a 61- an, 0.333-nim-mesh bongo net in southeastern Alaska, April-November 1972. Starting time Duration of Maximum sample Volume of water Station Date of tow tow (min) depth (m) filtered (m"^) April 11 10 1447 30 51 524 19 13 1106 27 100 486 20 13 0852 26 34 432 21 12 May 1800 47 385 803 1 16 0915 29 95 506 2 16 1243 26 138 539 3 16 1424 21 42 556 ■4 16 1645 29 66 576 5 16 1814 25 75 573 6 17 1410 25 65 434 7 17 1236 27 >200 620 8 17 1017 26 66 371 9 18 1110 39 250 673 10 18 1300 16 40 195i/ 11 18 1447 16 38 130 12 18 1615 16 30 237 13 27 1557 15 50 114^/ 14 27 1413 13 46 183 15 27 1241 26 242 407 16 26 1640 17 42 438 17 26 1510 16 6 109 283 Appendix 1. --Continued. Starting time Station Date of tow Duration of Maximum sample Volume of water tow (min) th (m) filtered (m ) 115 538 67 300 46 151 230 741 75 1165 130 671 75 881 80 1032 110 919 80 531 225 756 100 705 225 756 63 328 38 672 45 708 88 14li/ 50 189^/ 208 990 50 475 145 548 18 26 1341 25 19 25 1526 20 20 25 1703 12 21 25 June 1235 32 1 13 0910 34 2 13 1137 23 3 13 1316 33 4 13 1603 33 5 13 1756 32 6 14 1440 23 7 14 1237 33 8 14 1009 33 9 15 1134 37 10 15 1344 25 11 15 1540 27 12 15 1736 26 13 20 0804 13 14 20 0952 15 15 20 1200 42 16 20 1703 20 17 21 0922 21 Appendix 1. --Continued. Starting time Duration of Maximum sample Volume of water Station Date of tow tow (min) depth (m) filtered (m ) June 18 21 1126 25 55 623 19 21 1707 24 75 548 20 22 0835 22 50 526 21 22 July 1148 39 >300 858 1 11 0842 24 75 709 2 11 1142 19 120 450 3 11 1344 21 70 676 4 11 1620 29 80 689 5 11 1755 33 95 738 6 12 1422 22 54 358 7 12 1243 32 215 701 8 12 1017 32 125 510 9 13 1134 44 325 821 10 13 1344 19 50 269 11 13 1520 20 54 222 12 13 1702 18 50 302 13 24 1747 20 75 346 14 25 0913 21 50 300 15 25 1057 43 258 776 16 25 1631 21 50 452 17 25 1825 20 133 434 18 26 0831 21 54 380 Appendix 1 . - -Continued. Starting time Duration of Maximum sample Volume of water Station Date of tow tow (min) depth (m) filtered (m^^) July 19 26 1416 22 42 491 20 26 1522 20 50 441 21 27 Aug. 1103 43 350 593 1 15 0841 29 140 584 3 15 1142 28 110 687 4 15 1421 25 88 467i/ 5 15 1555 30 80 588 6 16 1440 23 51 533 7 16 1300 27 182 622 8 16 1030 24 95 628 9 17 1151 43 347 1959 10 17 1400 18 49 323 11 17 1600 18 47 227 12 17 1738 19 51 345 13 21 1755 18 88 294 14 22 0905 21 56 343I/ 15 22 1125 34 250 563 16 22 1830 24 63 158 17 22 1632 20 151 397 18 23 0910 23 60 325 19 23 1500 23 57 436 20 23 1630 24 59 373 21 24 1100 42 297 749 Appendix 1.- -Continued. \ Starting time Duration of Maximum sample Volume of water Station Date of tow tow (min) depth [m) filtered (m^) Sept. 1 12 0830 29 96 858 3 12 1120 13 >100 344 4 12 1350 23 72 585 5 12 1520 20 96 446 9 14 1250 35 296 997 10 14 1430 17 48 228 11 14 1600 15 56 156 12 14 1730 15 45 199 13 18 1645 18 72 321 14 19 0955 19 64 485 15 19 1035 38 176 1105^^ 16 19 1630 20 80 382 17 19 1510 17 148 397 18 20 0915 22 80 534 19 20 1520 23 60 515 20 20 Oct. 1640 18 50 315 4 10 1830 21 80 619 6 11 1555 21 56 564 7 10 1330 34 240 799 9 12 1130 35 300 717 10 12 1320 24 48 502 11 12 1450 24 48 490 10 Appendix 1. --Continued Starting time Duration of Maximum sample Volume of water Station Date of tow tow (min) depth (m) filtered (m ) Oct. 12 12 1700 24 34 765 13 16 1750 23 72 481 14 17 1000 26 56 621 15 17 1120 32 224 823 16 17 1720 19 58 458 17 17 1530 19 150 417 18 18 0915 26 56 736 19 18 1430 30 88 870 20 18 1615 22 56 498 21 19 Nov. 1120 40 260 1051 6 14 1500 22 52 673 7 14 1301 35 261 782 8 14 1640 23 80 688 9 15 1305 44 310 1087 10 16 1025 22 56 641 11 16 1215 23 60 582 12 16 1435 23 52 596 — The net hit bottom; the sample was discarded. 2/ — Greater than 3,000 ml of phytoplankton; sample was discarded. — Greater than 2,800 ml of phytoplankton; sample was discarded. -Greater than 2,000 ml of phytoplankton; sample was discarded. — Because of trash on the surface, the sample could not be processed. ft U S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1978-799.985/12 REGION 10 11 672. Seasonal occurrence of young Guld menhaden and other fishes in a northwestern Florida estuary. By Marlin E. Tagatz and E. Peter H. Wilkins. August \913. iii + 14 p., I fig.. 4 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 67.'?. Abundance and distribution of inshore benthic fauna off southwestern Long Island. N.Y. By Frank W. Steimie, Jr. and Richard B. Stone. December 197.'!. iii + ,50 p.. 2 figs., ,5 app. tables. 674. Lake Erie bottom trawl explorations. 1962-66. By Edgar W. Bow- man. January 1974. iv + 21 p., 9 figs.. I table. 7 app. tables. 67.'). Proceedings of the International Billfish Symposium, Kailua- Kona, Hawaii. 912 August 1972. Part 1. Report of the Symposium. March 197.5, iii + S.T p.; Part 2. Review and contributed papers. July 1974, iv + 355 p. (38 papers); Part 3. Species synopses. June 1975, iii + 1.59 p. (8 papers). Richard S. Shomura and Francis Williams (editors). For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 676. Price spreads and cost analyses for finfish and shellfish products at different marketing levels. By Erwin S. Penn. March 1974, vi + 74 p., 15 figs., 12 tables, 12 app. figs.. 14 app. tables. For sale by the Superinten- dent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402. 677. Abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates in natural and altered estuarine areas. By Gill Gilmore and Lee Trent. April 1974, iii + 13 p., 11 figs., 3 tables, 2 app. tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402. 678. Distribution, abundance, and growth of juvenile sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka. and associated species in the Naknek River system, 1961-64. By Robert J. Ellis. September 1974, v -I- .53 p.. 27 figs.. 26 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 679. Kinds and abundance of zooplankton collected by the USCG icebreaker Glacier in the eastern Chukchi Sea, September-October 1970. By Bruce L. Wing. August 1974, iv + 18 p., 14 figs., 6 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 680. Pelagic amphipod crustaceans from the southeastern Bering Sea, June 1971, By Gerald A, .Sanger. July 1974. iii -)- 8 p., 3 figs., 3 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Of- fice, Washington, D.C. 20402. 681. Physiological response of the cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus, to cadmium. October 1974, iv -I- 33 p., 6 papers, various authors. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 682. Heat exchange between ocean and atmosphere in the eastern North Pacific for 1961-71. By N. E. Clark, L. Eber, R. M. Laurs, J. A. Renner. and J. F. T. Saur. December 1974. iii -t- 108 p.. 2 figs.. 1 table. 5 plates. 68.3. Bioeconomic relationships for the Maine lobster fishery with con- sideration of alternative management schemes. By Robert L. Dow. Frederick W. Bell, and Donald M. Harriman. March 1975, v -)■ 44 p., 20 figs.. 25 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 684. Age and size composition of the Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus. purse seine catch, 1963-71, with a brief discussion of the fishery. By William R. Nicholson. June 1975, iv -(■ 28 p.. 1 fig., 12 tables, 18 app tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. bv the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington. D.C. 20402. 686. Pink salmon. Oncorhunchus gorbuscha, tagging experiments in southeastern Alaska, 1938-42 and 1945. By Roy E. Nakatani, Gerald J. Paulik, and Richard Van Cleve. April 1975, iv + 39 p., 24 figs.. 16 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 687. Annotated bibliography on the biology of the menhadens. Genus Breuoortia. 1963-1973. By John W. Reintjes and Peggy M. Kenev. April 1975, 92 p. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402. 688. Effect of gas supersaturated Columbia River water on the survival of juvenile chinook and coho salmon. By Theodore H. Btahm. Robert J. McConnell, and George R. Snyder. April 1975, iii + 22 p., 8 figs., 5 tables, 4 app. tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington. D.C. 20402. 689. Ocean distribution of stocks of Pacific salmon. Oncorhynchus spp., and steelhead trout. Salmo gairdnerii. as shown by tagging experiments. Charts of tag recoveries by Canada. Japan, and the United States. 1956- 69. By Robert R. French. Richard G. Bakkala. and Doyle F. Suther- land. June 1975. viii + 89 p.. 117 figs.. 2 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington. D.C. 20402. 690. Migratory routes of adult sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, in the eastern Bering Sea and Bristol Bay. By Richard R. Straty, April 1975, iv + 32 p., 22 figs., 3 tables, 3 app. tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 691. Seasonal distributions of larval flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes) on the continental shelf between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Cape Lookout. North Carolina. 1965-66. By W. G. Smith. J. D. Sibunka. and A. Wells. June 1975. iv -I- 68 p.. 72 figs.. 16 tables. 692. Expendable bathythermograph observations from the .NMFSAIARAD Ship of Opportunity Program for 1972. By Steven K Cook. June 1975. iv + 81 p.. 81 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. 20402. 693. Daily and weekly upwelling indices, west coast of North America, 1967-73. By Andrew Bakun. August 1975, iii + 114 p., 3 figs., 6 tables. 694. Semiclosed seawater system with automatic salinity, temperature and turbidity control. By Sid Korn. September 1975. iii -f 5 p.. 7 figs.. 1 table. 695. Distribution, relative abundance, and movement of skipjack tuna, Katsuwnnus pelamis, in the Pacific Ocean based on Japanese tuna long- line catches, 1964-67. By Walter M. Matsumoto. October 1975, iii -I- 30 p., 15 figs.. 4 tables. 696. Large-scale air-sea interactions at ocean weather station V, 1951- 71. By David M. Husby and Gunter R. Seckel. November 1975, iv -f 44 p.. 11 figs., 4 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 20402. 697. Fish and hydrographic collections made by the research vessels Dolphin and Delaware II during 1968-72 from New York to Florida. By S. J. Wilk and M. J. Silverman. January 1976, iii -^ 1.59 p.. 1 table. 2 app. tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. DC. 20402. 698. Summer benthic fish fauna of Sandy Hook Bay. New Jersey. By .Stuart J. Wilk and Myron J. Silverman. January 1976. iv + 16 p.. 21 figs.. 1 table, 2 app. tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington. D.C. 20402. 685. An annotated list of larval and juvenile fishes captured with sur- face-towed meter net in the South Atlantic Bight during four RV Dolphin cruises between May 1967 and February 1968. By Michael P. Fahay. March 1975, iv + 39 p., 19 figs., 9 tables, 1 app. table. For sale 699, Seasonal surface currents off the coasts of Vancouver Island and Washington as shown by drift bottle experiments, 1964-65. By W. James Ingraham. Jr. and James R. Hastings. May 1976. iii -t- 9 p.. 4 figs., 4 tables. 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