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Worksheet BSAI Pollock

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Worksheet BSAI Pollock Worksheet BSAI Pollock Worksheet – species-specific determinations on whether EFH needs to be changed (please refer to Item B under instructions above) 1. EFH Description Update Does new information warrant change to the EFH text description (Y or N) or the EFH distribution maps by life stage? Y or N If yes, explain. No, but editorial and some minor text revisions. Does the new description, and any associated information, change the level of information known for the species life stage (e.g., not-identified to Level 1; Level 1 to 2*)? No 2. New Information Is there any new information (published or other) that you have used in the review that is not listed in the revisions to the FMP text? If so, please reference it here. References added to document If appropriate, please briefly list any relevant studies that are currently underway that may be useful for EFH reviews in the future. BSIERP 3. Research and Information Needs Is research needed or do data gaps exist? Briefly explain and list in order of priority. No 4. Fishing Activities Does new information, and any changes in the distribution of fishing intensity, suggest that the fishing effects analysis summarized in the FMP should be updated? Explain. See item #4 in section B of instructions. No 5. Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) Are there specific ecologically significant, rare, or sensitive sites, relevant to your species, that are particularly vulnerable to human perturbation, which the Council might want to consider identifying as HAPC? Y or N. If yes, list. No 6. Conservation recommendations Do you have any EFH conservation recommendations that the Council may want to consider? Explain. No, not specific to pollock. * EFH Information Levels: Level 1 - Distribution (general) data available; Level 2 - Habitat-related density data available; Level 3 - Growth, reproduction, or survival rates within habitats are available; Level 4 – Production rates by habitat are available. See FMP for EFH Level specifics by life stage. 1 [Pulled from BSAI Groundfish FMP, sections 4.2.2, 4.2.2.1, 4.2.2.2] BSAI Pollock 1.1.1 Essential Fish Habitat Definitions 1.1.1.1 Essential Fish Habitat Information Levels A summary of the habitat information levels for each species is listed in Table 4-9. Table 4-9 Levels of essential fish habitat information currently available for BSAI groundfish, by life history stage. Late Species Eggs Larvae Early Juveniles Juveniles Adults Pollock 1 1 x 1 1 Juveniles were subdivided into early and late juvenile stages based on survey selectivity curves Note: “1" indicates that there is sufficient information available to describe EFH; “x” indicates that there is insufficient information available to describe EFH. 1.1.1.2 Essential Fish Habitat Text Descriptions for BSAI Groundfish 1.1.1.2.1 Walleye Pollock Eggs: EFH for walleye pollock eggs is the general distribution area for this life stage, located in pelagic waters along the entire shelf (0 to 200 m), upper slope (200 to 500 m), and intermediate slope (500 to 1,000 m) throughout the BSAI, as depicted in Figure E-1. Larvae: EFH for larval walleye pollock is the general distribution area for this life stage, located in epipelagic waters along the entire shelf (0 to 200 m), upper slope (200 to 500 m), and intermediate slope (500 to 1,000 m) throughout the BSAI, as depicted in Figure E-2. Early Juveniles: No EFH description determined. Information is insufficient due to these ages Deleted: Description (primarily age 2) being unavailable to bottom-trawl survey gear and partially Deleted: Determined available to echo-integrated mid-water trawl surveys. Deleted: I Late Juveniles: EFH for late juvenile walleye pollock is the general distribution area for this Deleted: information is available life stage, located in the lower and middle portion of the water column along the inner (0 to 50 m), middle (50 to 100 m), and outer (100 to 200 m) shelf throughout the BSAI, as depicted in Figure E-3. Substrate preferences, if they Deleted: No known p exist, are unknown. Deleted: for substrate Adults: EFH for adult walleye pollock is the general distribution area for this life stage, Deleted: s exist located in the lower and middle portion of the water column along the entire shelf (~10 to 200 m) and slope (200 to 1,000 m) throughout the BSAI, as Deleted: No known preference for depicted in Figure E-3. Substrate preferences, if they exist, are unknown. substrates exist. 2 [Pulled from Appendix D BSAI Groundfish FMP, Tables D.1-D.3] BSAI Pollock Table Error! No text of specified style in document..1 Summary of habitat associations for BSAI groundfish. BSA Groundfish Nearshore Shelf Slope Stratum Reference Location Inter- Upper Pelagic Outer Middle Inner Inner mediate Lower Basin Flat Flat Bank Bank Gully Edge Edge 1-50m 1-50m Surafce Surafce Subtidal Subtidal >3000m >3000m Intertidal 51-100m Shallows Shallows Estuarine Bay/Fjord Bay/Fjord Demersal Demersal Life Stage Stage Life 101-200m 201-300m 301-500m 501-700m Freshwater Freshwater 701-1000m 701-1000m Island Pass Pass Island 1001-3000m 1001-3000m 1-200m (epi) (epi) 1-200m Near surface surface Near Semi-demersal Semi-demersal >1000m (bathy) 201-1000m (meso) Species Walleye Pollock M x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x J x x x x x x x x x x x x x L x x x x x x x x x x x x E x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x BSA Groundfish Physical Substrate Structure Oceanography Mud Bars Bars Rock Sand Sand Sinks Sinks Reefs Reefs Gyres Gyres Fronts Gravel Gravel Cobble Cobble Ledges Channels Channels Pinnacles Life Stage Stage Life Man-made Man-made Seamounts Seamounts Mud & sand & sand Mud Sand & mud Sand & Mud & gravel gravel & Mud Vertical Walls Walls Vertical Gravel & mud mud & Gravel Gravel & sand sand & Gravel Organic Debris Debris Organic Upwelling areas Edges (ice, bath) bath) (ice, Edges Thermo/pycnocline Gravel & & sand mud Gravel sand & mud & Gravel Slumps\Rockfalls\Debris Species Walleye Pollock M x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x J x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x L x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x E x x x x 3 [Pulled from Appendix D BSAI Groundfish FMP, Tables D.1-D.3] BSAI Pollock BSA Groundfish Community Associations Oceanographic Properties Kelp Kelp Mollusca Mollusca Tunicates Soft Coral Life Stage Stage Life Life Stage Stage Life Anenomes Anenomes Hard Coral Algal Cover Cover Algal Sea Onions Polychaetes Polychaetes Salinity (ppt) Sea Grasses Sea Grasses Enchinoderms Drift Algae\Kelp Algae\Kelp Drift Oxygen Conc (ppm) Temperature (Celsius) (Celsius) Temperature Species 2- M M Walleye Pollock 10 2- J J 10 L L E E Table Error! No text of specified style in document..2 Summary of biological associations for BSAI groundfish. Reproductive Traits Age at Maturity BSAI Groundfish Fertilization/Egg Spawning Behavior Spawning Season Female Male Development Species May May July July April April June June 50% 50% 50% March 100% 100% August August January January October Guarder Guarder Spawner Spawner Internal Internal February Life Stage Stage Life External December December November November Egg Case Deposition September September Broadcast Oviparous Viviparous Egg/Young Egg/Young Nest Builder Ovoviviparous Batch Spawner Spawner Batch Egg/Young Bearer Bearer Egg/Young 3- 3- M x x x x x x Deleted: 4 Walleye Pollock 4 4 Deleted: 5 Deleted: 4-5 4 Walleye Pollock Pollock Walleye Species Species Table D.1-D.3] FMP,Tables Groundfish D BSAI Appendix [Pulled from Species Species Error! No text of specified document. style in specified text Error!of No EJ LJ M E L EJ LJ Life Stage M E L x x x x x x x x x Algae x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Jellyfish x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Plants Starfish Plankton Chaetognaths (arrowworms) Zooplankton Crab Diatoms Herring Sponges Salmon Eusphausiid Pollock Hydroids Pacific cod Summary.3 of predatorprey and associationsBSAI for groundfish Amphipoda Ling cod Copepods Rockfish Starfish Rock Sole Polychaetes Flathead Sole BSAI Pollock Pollock BSAI Squid Yellowfin sole to Predator Philodae (gunnels) Arrowtooth flounder Prey of Bi-valves Hailbut Mollusks Salmon Shark Crustaceans Northern Fur Seal Ophiuroids (brittle stars) Harbor Seal Shrimps, mysidacae Steller sea lion Sand lance Dalls Porpoise Osmerid (eulachon) Beluga whale Herring Killer Whale Myctophid (lantern fishes) Minke whale Cottidae (sculpins) Eagles Arrowtooth Murres Rockfish Puffin Salmon Kittiwake Pacific cod Gull Pollock Terrerstrial Mammals Halibut 5 [Pulled from Appendix D BSAI Groundfish, D.1] BSAI Pollock 1.2 Walleye pollock (Theragra calcogramma) The Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) and Aleutian Islands pollock stocks are managed under the BSAI groundfish fisheries management plan. Pollock occur throughout the area covered by the FMP and straddle into the Canadian and Russian EEZ, international waters of the central Bering Sea, and into the Chukchi Sea. 1.2.1 Life History and General Distribution Pollock is the most abundant species within the eastern Bering Sea comprising 75-80% of the catch and 60% of the biomass. In the Gulf of Alaska, pollock is the second most abundant groundfish stock comprising 25-50% of the catch and 20% of the biomass.
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