Associations between flatfish abundance and surficial sediments in the eastern Bering Sea

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 2410-2419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A McConnaughey ◽  
Keith R Smith
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Food Habits ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Sediment Type ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Surficial Sediments ◽  
Sediment Properties ◽  
Eastern Bering Sea ◽  
Yellowfin Sole ◽  
Hippoglossoides Elassodon

Spatially explicit relationships between pleuronectid flatfish abundance and surficial sediments in the eastern Bering Sea were investigated using published sediment descriptions and trawl survey data (1982-1994). Flatfish food habits were also examined because sediment properties are known to affect the distribution and abundance of benthic prey. For six species, we compared sediment textures in areas of highest and lowest abundance (kilograms per hectare). Sand predominated in areas of high yellowfin sole (Pleuronectes asper) (YFS) (p << 0.001) and rock sole (Lepidopsetta spp.) (RS) (p << 0.001) abundance, while mixed sand and mud was most common in areas of lowest abundance. In contrast, mixed sand and mud predominated in areas preferred by flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) (FHS) (p << 0.001), Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus) (AP) (p = 0.002), and arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) (ATF) (p = 0.004), with more diverse substrates in low-density areas. Areas of high and low Greenland turbot (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) (GT) (p = 0.845) abundance had similar sediment textures (primarily mixed sand and mud). Species with highly restricted diets (AP) or piscivores with weak sediment associations (GT, ATF) had relatively inflexible food habits, whereas YFS, RS, and FHS food habits varied considerably with sediment type. Our findings suggest that benthic-feeding pleuronectids prefer certain sediment textures because of adaptive differences in prey availability.

Availability of yellowfin sole Limanda aspera to the eastern Bering Sea trawl survey and its effect on estimates of survey biomass

2019 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 319-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel G. Nichol ◽  
Stan Kotwicki ◽  
Thomas K. Wilderbuer ◽  
Robert R. Lauth ◽  
James N. Ianelli
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Eastern Bering Sea ◽  
Yellowfin Sole ◽  
Limanda Aspera

scholarly journals Predicted shifts of groundfish distribution in the Eastern Bering Sea under climate change, with implications for fish populations and fisheries management

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher N Rooper ◽  
Ivonne Ortiz ◽  
Albert J Hermann ◽  
Ned Laman ◽  
Wei Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Species Distribution Modelling ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Climate Scenarios ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Eastern Bering Sea ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
Distribution Shifts

Abstract Climate-related distribution shifts for marine species are, in general, amplified in northern latitudes. The objective of this study was to predict future distributions of commercially important species in the eastern Bering Sea under six climate scenarios, by incorporating predictions of future oceanographic conditions. We used species distribution modelling to determine potential distribution changes in four time periods (2013–2017, 2030–2039, 2060–2069, and 2090-2099) relative to 1982–2012 for 16 marine fish and invertebrates. Most species were predicted to have significant shifts in the centre of gravity of the predicted abundance, the area occupied, and the proportion of the predicted abundance found in the standard bottom trawl survey area. On average the shifts were modest, averaging 35.2 km (ranging from 1 to 202 km). There were significant differences in the predicted trend for distribution metrics among climate scenarios, with the most extensive changes in distribution resulting from Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 climate scenarios. The variability in distributional shifts among years and climate scenarios was high, although the magnitudes were low. This study provides a basis for understanding where fish populations might expand or contract in future years. This will provide managers’ information that can help guide appropriate actions under warming conditions.

scholarly journals Patterns in groundfish abundance along the Eastern Bering Sea outer continental margin

2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1181-1197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Wigand ◽  
Terrie Klinger ◽  
Miles G. Logsdon
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Continental Margin ◽  
Bering Sea ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Eastern Bering Sea

Abstract Wigand, L. A., Klinger, T., and Logsdon, M. G. 2013. Patterns in groundfish abundance along the Eastern Bering Sea outer continental margin. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 1181–1197. Place-based management approaches require understanding the spatial arrangement and interaction of elements. To address this need, we explored the utility of spatial-pattern analysis to understand the distribution of groundfish in the Eastern Bering Sea outer continental margin. We divided this region into discrete geomorphological units to explore spatial pattern on a range of scales. We used groundfish catch per unit effort (cpue) trawl survey data collected in four years to quantify spatial autocorrelation. Global statistics indicated that groundfish cpue was dominated by clusters of low values in all years. Local statistics showed that clusters of low values in groundfish cpue were confined to the southern portion of the study area, while clusters of high values varied across the study area. Outliers were most commonly found in close proximity to the shelf–slope break. Our results reveal the existence of spatial dependency in groundfish abundance and demonstrate that spatial analysis can be used to better understand spatial arrangements of these and other living marine resources, and to quantify and validate the local ecological knowledge of resource users. Our results indicate the feasibility of using spatially explicit tools to improve integration and visualization of marine environmental data for purposes of management and conservation.

Catchability of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) by the eastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey estimated using a catch comparison experiment

2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (12) ◽  
pp. 1699-1708 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Somerton ◽  
Kenneth L. Weinberg ◽  
Scott E. Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Bering Sea ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Bottom Trawl ◽  
Snow Crab ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Chionoecetes Opilio ◽  
Bottom Trawl Survey ◽  
Eastern Bering Sea

Catchability of the eastern Bering Sea (EBS) bottom trawl survey for snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) was estimated from experimental data to provide a constraint on the survey catchability parameters in the stock assessment model. The experiment utilized a second fishing vessel to conduct side-by-side trawling with each of two survey vessels at 92 stations using an experimental trawl assumed to capture all crabs in its path. Trawl efficiency, or the captured proportion of crabs in the trawl path, was estimated for the 83-112 Eastern otter trawl from experimental data using a nonparametric smooth function of carapace width, sediment size, and depth. Survey catchability was then estimated as the catch-weighted average of the predicted trawl efficiency at all 275 survey stations where snow crabs were captured. The fitted model indicated that trawl selectivity was greater in sand than mud and greater in shallow water than deep. At a carapace widths >95 mm, the minimum commercial size limit, the estimated survey catchability of males is considerably less than previously reported.

A mixed-species yield model for eastern Bering Sea shelf flatfish fisheries

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D Spencer ◽  
Thomas K Wilderbuer ◽  
Chang Ik Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Yield Model ◽  
Pacific Halibut ◽  
Eastern Bering Sea ◽  
Hippoglossus Stenolepis ◽  
Hippoglossoides Elassodon ◽  
Trawl Fisheries

A variety of eastern Bering Sea (EBS) flatfish including yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera), rock sole (Lepidopsetta bilineata), flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon), and Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus), co-occur in various degrees in EBS trawl fisheries, impeding attempts to obtain single-species management targets. A further complication is the bycatch of Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis); halibut bycatch limits, rather than single-species catch quotas, have been the primary factor regulating EBS flatfish harvest in recent years. To examine bycatch interactions among the EBS flatfish listed above, an equilibrium mixed-species multifishery model was developed. Equilibrium yield curves, scaled by recent average recruitment, are flat topped or asymptotically increasing, reflecting low fishing selectivity during the first several years of life and low growth relative to natural mortality. A linear programming analysis indicated that relaxation of the halibut bycatch constraint at the optimal solution of catch by fishery would produce approximately 20 times more flatfish yield than a similar relaxation of any flatfish catch quota. A strategy for establishing halibut bycatch limits that considers the foregone revenue in the halibut and flatfish trawl fisheries reveals how the choice of halibut bycatch limit is affected by the management goal for the flatfish complex.

scholarly journals Evaluating total uncertainty for biomass- and abundance-at-age estimates from eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock acoustic-trawl surveys

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 2208-2226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Woillez ◽  
Paul D. Walline ◽  
James N. Ianelli ◽  
Martin W. Dorn ◽  
Christopher D. Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Walleye Pollock ◽  
Target Strength ◽  
Acoustic Backscatter ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Total Uncertainty ◽  
Functional Relationships ◽  
Eastern Bering Sea ◽  
Trawl Surveys

Abstract A comprehensive evaluation of the uncertainty of acoustic-trawl survey estimates is needed to appropriately include them in stock assessments. However, this evaluation is not straightforward because various data types (acoustic backscatter, length, weight, and age composition) are combined to produce estimates of abundance- and biomass-at-age. Uncertainties associated with each data type and those from functional relationships among variables need to be evaluated and combined. Uncertainty due to spatial sampling is evaluated using geostatistical conditional (co-) simulations. Multiple realizations of acoustic backscatter were produced using transformed Gaussian simulations with a Gibbs sampler to handle zeros. Multiple realizations of length frequency distributions were produced using transformed multivariate Gaussian co-simulations derived from quantiles of the empirical length distributions. Uncertainty due to errors in functional relationships was evaluated using bootstrap for the target strength-at-length and the weight-at-length relationships and for age–length keys. The contribution of each of these major sources of uncertainty was assessed for acoustic-trawl surveys of walleye pollock in the eastern Bering Sea in 2006–2010. This simulation framework allows a general computation for estimating abundance- and biomass-at-age variance–covariance matrices. Such estimates suggest that the covariance structure assumed in fitting stock assessment models differs substantially from what careful analysis of survey data actually indicate.

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