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Resource Ecology & Ecosystem Modeling Program

Fish Stomach Collection and Lab Analysis

During summer 2010, Resource Ecology and Ecosystem Modeling (REEM) Program staff participated in the collection and preservation of stomach samples from AFSC groundfish surveys of the Aleutian Islands, eastern Bering Sea (EBS) continental shelf and slope, and northern Bering Sea (including Norton Sound).

In the Aleutian Islands, 3,176 stomach samples were collected from 33 species, and the contents of 1,231 fish stomachs were analyzed at sea from 25 species. Sampling from the EBS continental slope resulted in the collection of 1,095 stomach samples from 11 species. Stomach sampling during the EBS continental shelf bottom trawl survey targeted pairing of zooplanktivores with bongo tows, resampling of predator species during repeated stations, and standard shelf-wide coverage of major predators of commercial species.

In all, 4,898 stomach samples were collected from 15 species during this survey. During the northern Bering Sea survey, 2,028 stomach samples were collected from 36 species. In addition, 1,284 stomach samples were collected from four species during the EBS hydroacoustic survey.

Detailed analysis of these samples, particularly on the macrozooplankton, will be conducted for comparisons to data describing the macrozooplankton community from Methot trawls and multifrequency differencing. Laboratory personnel also dried 805 tissue samples in preparation for stable isotope analysis. Observers returned stomach samples from 21 Pacific cod in the Aleutian Islands and 177 Pacific cod and 272 walleye pollock in the eastern Bering Sea. In total, 2,865 records were added to the REEM food habits database.

By Troy Buckley, Geoff Lang, Mei-Sun Yang, and Richard Hibpshman
 

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