FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10 January 2002
Contact: Ruth Post, Project Coordinator, University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at 907-474-6782.

Scientists to discuss fish, sea lion studies

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Some of the world’s largest runs of sockeye salmon get their start in the lakes and rivers that empty into Alaska’s Bristol Bay. Yet no one really knows where these salmon go, what they eat, or what eats them once they leave the relative safety of freshwater for the open ocean.

Stephen Jewett, a fisheries scientist from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), hopes to change all that with funding from, of all places, the pollock fishing industry.

"It's been 30 years since anyone has really looked at the most critical period for sockeye salmon smolt (juvenile), and that is when they first enter the ocean," Jewett said. "With declining salmon production in the bay, we've launched a multi-year study to determine what are the major ocean habitat preferences of out-migrating sockeye salmon. Do they have temperature or salinity preferences, or do they just scatter when they come out of the rivers? What are they eating? What's eating them? Can we identify any aspect of their early marine life that may be limiting them?"

Jewett is among 14 scientists funded by the Pollock Conservation Cooperative (PCC) Research Center, a partnership between Alaska’s commercial pollock fishing industry and the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Scientists will present results of the center’s first two years of research at a meeting in Anchorage January 14–15. The meeting will take place at the University of Alaska Anchorage Student Commons, located off Bragaw Street in Anchorage, Alaska.

Presenters will include researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska SeaLife Center, Texas A&M University, University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Washington, and Prince William Sound Science Center.

Since its inception in 2000, the PCC Research Center’s top priority has been to learn more about the Bering Sea ecosystem that supports abundant commercial fish stocks amid declining marine mammal, forage fish, and seabird populations. The center’s funding is aimed at understanding issues such as climate change and regime shifts, the impact of commercial fishing and bycatch, and the recovery of species including the Steller sea lion.

Among the researchers is UAF fisheries scientist Bob Foy, who will discuss the seasonal quality of prey found near sea lion haul-outs around Kodiak Island. Shannon Atkinson, science director at the Alaska SeaLife Center, will discuss her studies of metabolic hormone levels in Steller sea lions suffering from malnutrition. The study is expected to help scientists develop a medical index to measure the overall health of sea lions.

UAF scientist Tony Gharrett will present his genetic research on the origins of chinook salmon caught accidentally by the pollock fleet, while UBC researcher Andrew Trites will discuss the extent of competition between Steller sea lions and commercial fisheries. UAA fisheries economist Gunnar Knapp will discuss markets for U.S. pollock catches. A complete agenda of speakers and topics is available.

The PCC Research Center’s industry partners, seven companies that operate pollock catcher-processor vessels in Alaska, have contributed nearly $2 million toward education and scientific and economic research since the center was established at the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences in February 2000.

Industry supporters are Alaska Ocean Seafood Inc., American Seafoods Co., Arctic Storm Inc., Glacier Fish Co., Highland Light Seafoods, Starbound Limited Partnership and Trident Seafoods.

The PCC Research Center seeks to improve knowledge about the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea through research and education, focusing on the fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. The Center provides grants and fellowships to faculty and graduate students for research on the fisheries, fish, and other species of the North Pacific and Bering Sea with an emphasis on pollock, other ground fish species, the fisheries for these species, and on Steller sea lions. It also provides funds for marine resource economics studies, technical training, and equipment.

Websites of interest

Meeting agenda: Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center

Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center (PCCRC)

2000 PCCRC projects at a glance

2001 PCCRC projects at a glance

University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences

UAA campus map

PCCRC meeting announcement at WorldCatch.com