University of Alaska Fairbanks SCHOOL OF FISHERIES AND OCEAN SCIENCES  
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Contact Information

Fishery Industrial Technology Center
220 FITC Owen
118 Trident Way
Kodiak, AK 99615-7401
Phone: (907) 486-1514
foy@sfos.uaf.edu

Robert Foy Assistant Professor

Research Overview

Current research in the Sustainable Harvesting Program is focused on using ecological and oceanographic tools to test hypotheses with the ultimate goal of developing more efficient and more informed utilization and management of Alaska's fisheries resources. Sustainability has traditionally referred to single species issues in fisheries research/management. It is, however, apparent that in order for a resource to be "sustainable" it must be managed in a way that addressed the entire ecosystem within which it functions. In the context of "ecosystem based" research I have tried to focus on questions that address the industry's, manager's, and policy maker's (as well as scientific) concerns within the Gulf of Alaska ecosystem including endangered marine mammals, essential fish habitat, and environmental interactions. The following categories best outline the work currently focused on in my lab:

I. Fish Distribution and Biomass Assessment
A hydroacoustic system and protocol has been developed to accurately assess pelagic fish distributions in the Kodiak Archipelago. This system has been designed to be useful at multiple scales where data can be collected from large commercial trawlers off the shelf break to nearshore collections aboard small skiffs. Groundtruthing of the acoustic signals is accomplished with commercial sized fishing nets. The data from this effort is important to multiple entities including the commercial fishermen who are interested in forecasts of fish movements and distribution, managers who need current distribution data coupled with oceanographic correlates, and other researchers whose species of interest (i.e., Steller sea lions) prey on targeted species.

Remote sensing systems are also being considered as more efficient means of assessing biomass and seasonal distribution. Aerial surveys are currently overlapping acoustic cruises to groundtruth the feasibility of a faster method of assessment. Aerial surveys include laser, and digital imaging technology.

II. Trophodynamic Interactions
An accurate assessment of food web structure and energetic flow is necessary to truly comprehend ecosystem functions and interactions. The Gulf Apex Predator-prey study (PIs: Wynne, Foy, Buck) is currently addressing multiple trophic interactions between Steller sea lions, harbor seals, whales, fish and invertebrates. Fish are being analyzed for stomach contents and fatty acid composition to better understand their influence and importance within the food web. A zooplankton/productivity study has also been started this summer to better understand bottom -up processes within the system.

These projects require a single currency to collectively describe to interactions between trophic levels or the condition of a particular level. Bioenergetic models are being built to understand the importance of energy flow within various ecosystems. Proximate composition values are being determined on multiple fish species to understand the seasonal and interannual flow of lipid and protein to and from fish. This data will be coupled with laboratory studies designed to understand fish growth under variable temperature and food conditions. Currently pollock are being analyzed to understand their energetic needs as climate changes affect their metabolic requirement and the availability of prey in their current habitat. Pollock are currently the largest (biomass) fishery in Alaska and changes in environmental conditions could have significant impact on local communities.

III. Essential Habitat
Essential Fish Habitat has been emphasized as a key component to the National Marine Fisheries Service management plans which will undoubtedly affect multiple fisheries resource users in the not-so-distant future. As such, it is crucial that we collect adequate data to properly assess "essential" habitat to a fish species. This year a nearshore monitoring program was started to assess the use of nearshore habitat by commercial fish species. This project has been expanded to include a digital survey of the subtidal and intertidal habitat around every mile of coastline in Kodiak. Future studies are currently being proposed to groundtruth and quantify such habitat information so that it may be useful for delineating essential habitat for multiple species.

IV. Linkages to Processing and Bioeconomics
As much as possible the programs within the FITC interact to combine expertise on particular topics. The herring utilization project (Crapo, Fong, Foy) is looking at the possibility of using other European markets for Alaskan herring products. We are assessing the seasonal lipid content and availability of herring in Alaska and comparing that to market preferences and demand. A project recently proposed (Crapo, Foy) addresses the condition commercially caught halibut and biochemical processes that may lower quality after the fish are harvested. These projects emphasize the need for a broad understanding of "sustainability" in order to comprehend fisheries resources in Alaska.

Current Research Projects

Links

Graduate Students

Currently accepting MS and PhD students in Fisheries, Fisheries Oceanography, and Zooplankton Ecology

Selected Publications

Wynne, K., and R. J. Foy. 2002. Is it food now? Gulf Apex Predator-prey study. In Steller Sea Lion Decline: Is It Food II. Eds. D. DeMaster and S. Atkinson. University of Alaska Sea Grant, AK-SG-02-02. Pp. 49-52.

Foy, R. J. and B. L. Norcross. 2001. Temperature effects on zooplankton assemblages and juvenile herring feeding in Prince William Sound, Alaska. In Herring: Expectations for a new millennium. Eds. F. Funk, J. Blackburn, D. Hay, A.J. Paul, R. Stephenson, R. Toresen, and D. Witherell. University of Alaska Sea Grant, AK-SG-01-04, Fairbanks. Pp. 21-36.

Norcross, B. L., E. D. Brown, R. J. Foy, M. Frandsen, S. Gay, T. C. Kline Jr., D. M. Mason, E. V. Patrick, A. J. Paul, K. D. E. Stokesbury. 2001. A synthesis of the life history and ecology of juvenile Pacific herring in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Fisheries Oceanography. 10(supplement 1): 42-57.

Foy, R. J. and A. J. Paul. 1999. Winter feeding and changes in somatic energy content for age 0 Pacific herring in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 128: 1193-1200.

Foy, R. J. and B. L. Norcross. 1999. Spatial and temporal differences in the diet of juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 77: 697-706.

Foy, R. J. and B. L. Norcross. 1999. Feeding behavior of herring (Clupea pallasi) associated with zooplankton availability in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Proceedings of Ecosystem Considerations in Fisheries Management. 16th Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium. Anchorage, Alaska. September 30 – October 3, 1999. University of Alaska Sea Grant College Program Report No. 99-01. Pp. 129-135.

Stokesbury, K.D.E., R. J. Foy, and B.L. Norcross. 1999. Spatial and temporal variability in juvenile Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) growth in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 56: 409-418.