INTEGRATED ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH PROGRAMS
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The Gulf of Alaska IERP (2010-2018) focuses on the environmental factors that affect the survival and recruitment of five species of commercially and ecologically important groundfish in the Gulf of Alaska, with particular focus on survival during the fishes’ first year of life. These five species are Pacific cod, walleye pollock, sablefish, Pacific ocean perch, and arrowtooth flounder— fishes that have different life history strategies, habitat needs, and distribution patterns, and respond differently to environmental forcing. Comparisons among them provide information about how broad-scale environmental conditions may affect fish survival and the success of commercial fisheries. Results from the Gulf of Alaska IERP are providing insights into the physical processes and biological interactions that structure the Gulf of Alaska marine ecosystem, how these processes vary in space and time, and how they affect the recruitment of a suite of commercially important fishes. This program involves over fifty scientists investigating many different marine science disciplines including physical oceanography (e.g., currents, winds, stratification), ocean chemistry (e.g., nutrients, iron), plankton bloom dynamics, larval fish distribution, habitat mapping, and modeling of larval fish
transport and connectivity between offshore spawning and nearshore rearing areas. The findings of each component are integrated with those of other disciplines to better understand broader ecosystem processes. A synthesis project (2015-2018) engages new collaborators and applies the results of the research program to fisheries management. The synthesis is structured around four themes: • Along-shore connectivity and regional variation in the Gulf of Alaska; • In and out of bays: connecting inshore areas to the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska; • Trophic structuring in the Gulf of Alaska: the role of salmon as predators and competitors; and • Beyond the gauntlet: connecting the Gulf of Alaska IERP to the management of fisheries and ecosystems.
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N O R T H P A C I F I C R E S E A R C H B O A R D
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