Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Auke Bay Laboratories (ABL) conducts scientific research throughout Alaska on fish stocks, fish habitats, and the chemistry of marine environments. Information from this research is widely used by commercial interests such as fishing industries and governmental agencies involved in managing natural resources (click here for a list of data sets). The headquarters of ABL is the Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute (pictured to the right), a "green" office and laboratory building located at Lena Point, north of Juneau, Alaska (driving instructions). The ABL headquarters serves as the focal point for four other ABL facilities. Three ABL facilities are located in the City and Borough of Juneau at Auke Bay, Auke Creek, and downtown Juneau, respectively, and the fourth is at Little Port Walter, on Baranof Island, southeast of Sitka. Auke Bay Marine Station includes fresh and saltwater laboratories, offices, and dive and docking facilities. Auke Creek Research Station is a permanent fish weir and hatchery owned by NOAA that is jointly operated with the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The Juneau Subport Dock and Warehouse has berthing and crane facilities for ocean-going vessels, warm dry storage, office space, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game boat repair and storage facility. Little Port Walter Marine Station has fixed and floating docks, office space, dry storage, bunkhouse and kitchen, and fish weir and hatchery. ABL facility staff also have responsibility for managing the Pribilof Island facilities.

Habitat and Marine Chemistry. Beaufort Sea sampling of coastal fish populations near Barrow, Alaska.

Marine survey data from ABL research on commercially marketable species such as rockfish, sablefish, and salmon, and on non-marketable and/or protected species such as eel grass, plankton, Steller sea lions, and harbor seals are made available to fishing industries, state and federal regulators, and international treaty bodies. Groups involved in managing human activities in coastal environments frequently base their actions on ABL's knowledge of the quantities and qualities of fish habitats in the affected areas. ABL's capabilities in environmental chemistry research contribute to greater understanding of the fate and effects of pollutants in marine ecosystems, genetics of marine animal populations, and the structure and functioning of marine food webs. ABL is organized into five research programs(ABL Organizational Chart): Genetics, Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment (EMA), Fisheries Ecology, Diet and Zooplankton (FEDZ) , Marine Ecology and Stock Assessment (MESA), and Habitat Assessment and Marine Chemistry (HAMC) .

Marine Ecology and Stock Assessment. ABL sablefish longline survey on Alaskan Leader.

For more information on ABL please contact (907) 789-6000. The ABL Director, Phil Mundy, can be reached at Phil.Mundy@noaa.gov or (907) 789-6001, and the ABL Deputy Director, Phil Rigby at Phillip.Rigby@noaa.gov or (907) 789-6653. For e-mail and telephone contact information on other ABL employees, please visit our personnel page.

News and Research Highlights

	Bill Heard- Distinguished Career Award Congratulations to Bill Heard. He was recently recognized by NOAA with a Distinguished Career Award for his outstanding scientific achievement in pioneering research on the biology and aquaculture of Pacific salmon in the North Pacific.
	2012 Longline Survey Stations Calendar and Maps released The 2012 Longline Survey stations have been announced. The sample stations are shown in map and calendar format.
	Pink Salmon Forecast for 2012 released The 2012 Southeast Alaska pink salmon forecast is now available. This forecast model has performed well in six of the last 7 years, giving estimates that averaged within 7% of actual harvests.
	New Guide to Deepwater Sponges in the Aleutian Islands released A new guide for 102 species of deep water sponges found in the Aleutian Islands has been published by the NOAA Professional Paper series. This guide addresses bycatch identification challenges by providing fisheries observers and scientists the information necessary to adequately identify sponge fauna.

Featured Research, Publications, Posters, Reports, and Activities

• "Alaska Current Chapter of the "Marine Ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean 2003-2008" (PICES Spec. Publ. No. 4) by Phil Mundy, Ed Farley, Dana Hanselman, Jon Heifetz, Marcus Janout, Chris Lunsford, Kalei Shotwell, Molly Sturdevant and others
   
• "Evidence of hook competition in longline surveys" by Cara Rodgveller, Chris Lunsford, and Jeff Fujioka
   
• "Density-dependent growth of Alaska sockeye salmon in relation to climate–oceanic regimes, population abundance, and body size, 1925 to 1998" by Ellen Martinson, Jack Helle, Dennis Scarnecchia, and Houston Stokes
   
• "Morphology and molecular phylogeny of Aureophycus aleuticus gen. et sp. nov (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) from the Aleutian Islands" by Hiroshi Kawai, Takeaki Hanyuda, Mandy Lindeberg, and Sandra C. Lindstrom
   
• Forecasting Pink Salmon Harvest in Southeast Alaska
   
• Auke Bay Laboratories Research Reports and Activities
   
• Life history characteristics of a lightly exploited stock of Squalus suckleyi.
  TRIBUZIO, C. A., and G. H. KRUSE. 2012. Life history characteristics of a lightly exploited stock of Squalus suckleyi. J. Fish Biol. 80:1159-1180. 
   
• 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. 
   
• Determining effective sample size in integrating age-structured assessment models.
  HULSON, P-J., D. H. HANSELMAN, and T. J. QUINN II. 2012. Determining effective sample size in integrating age-structured assessment models. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 69:281-292. 
   
• 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. 
   
• Counter Gradient Variation in Juvenile Chum Salmon Growth
  By:  JAMES MURPHY, JOE ORSI, JAMAL MOSS, ED FARLEY
  Conference:  Pink & Chum Salmon 25th Annual Workshop, Juneau, AK, Feb 2012
  (2012 poster, .pdf, 1.43 KB)   Online.
   
• 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.
   

See the publications and posters databases for additional listings.