Fishery Ecology Diet and Zooplankton

Little Port Walter Field Station.

Spawning sockeye salmon.

Shipboard scientist processing plankton samples.

The Fishery Ecology Diet and Zooplankton (FEDZ) program conducts research on marine ecology of juvenile salmon, on stock assessment and enhancement of salmonids and on other fishes in Southeast Alaska and other parts of North Pacific Ocean marine ecosystems. Studies focus on stewardship and management of salmon as keystone indicator species regarding ecosystem fluctuations in support of NOAA Fisheries goals and international obligations including Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC), and Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC).

FEDZ Lab research supports studies on the biology, trophic ecology, and bioenergetics of juvenile salmon and associated fishes, along with how they interact in ecosystems during their early marine life history. The goal is to better understand recruitment mechanisms and processes that describe growth and survival of these populations relative to their prey, predators, and potential competitors. Sample processing in the FEDZ lab focuses on measurements of fish size, energy density, and diet and feeding success of juvenile salmon and associated fishes, as well as the abundance and composition of their zooplankton prey fields.

Coded Wire Tags (CWT) are small pieces of magnetized stainless steel wire with a code etched on the surface. Since the late 1960's, CWTs have been the primary means for marking Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) for stock assessment, harvest management, and enhancement evaluation. Information on the release, sample, and recovery of all CWT salmonids throughout the Pacific region is available in an on-line coastwide database, the Regional Mark Information System (RMIS). The FEDZ program at ABL is responsible for maintaining several different components of this coastwide CWT database.

FEDZ Program Manager:
Bill Heard
Auke Bay Laboratories
Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries

Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute
17109 Pt Lena Loop Rd
Juneau, AK 99801
(907) 789–6003
Bill.Heard@noaa.gov

Featured Research, Publications, Posters, Reports, and Activities

• Lack of trophic competition among wild and hatchery juvenile chum salmon during early marine residence in Taku Inlet, Southeast Alaska.
  STURDEVANT, M., E. FERGUSSON, N. HILLGRUBER, C. REESE, J. ORSI, R. FOCHT, A. WERTHEIMER, and W. SMOKER. 2012. Lack of trophic competition among wild and hatchery juvenile chum salmon during early marine residence in Taku Inlet, Southeast Alaska. Environ. Biol. Fishes 94:101-116. 
   
• Overview of salmon stock enhancement in southeast Alaska and compatibility with maintenance of hatchery and wild stocks.
  HEARD, W. R. 2012. Overview of salmon stock enhancement in southeast Alaska and compatibility with maintenance of hatchery and wild stocks. Environ. Biol. Fishes 94:273-283. 
   
• The Southeast Alaska Coastal Monitoring (SECM) Project: Milestones From Research at Sea Over the Past 15 Years
  By:  JOE ORSI, MOLLY STURDEVANT, EMILY FERGUSSON, ALEX WERTHEIMER, BILL HEARD, ED FARLEY Jr.
  Conference:  Pink & Chum Salmon 25th Annual Workshop, Juneau, AK, Feb 2012
  (2012 poster, .pdf, 1.42 MB)   Online.
   
• Forecasting Pink Salmon Harvest in Southeast Alaska Using Ecosystem Metrics From the Southeast Alaska Coastal Montioring (SECM) Project
  By:  JOE ORSI, MOLLY STURDEVANT, EMILY FERGUSSON, ALEX WERTHEIMER
  Conference:  Pink & Chum Salmon 25th Annual Workshop, Juneau, AK, Feb 2012
  (2012 poster, .pdf, 1.18 MB)   Online.
   

See the publications and poster databases for additional listings.