DOCSLIB.ORG

Gulf of Alaska Oil and Gas Exploration License

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Gulf of Alaska Oil and Gas Exploration License August 2, 2019 GULF OF ALASKA OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION LICENSE Preliminary Written Finding of the Director Recommended citation: DNR (Alaska Department of Natural Resources). 2018. Gulf of Alaska oil and gas exploration license. Preliminary written finding of the director. August 2, 2019. Questions or comments about this preliminary finding should be directed to: Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas 550 W. 7th Ave., Suite 1100 Anchorage, AK 99501-3560 Phone 907-269-8800 The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) administers all programs and activities free from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability. The department administers all programs and activities in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility please write to: Alaska Department of Natural Resources ADA Coordinator P.O. Box 111000 Juneau AK 99811-1000 The department’s ADA Coordinator can be reached via phone at the following numbers: (VOICE) 907-465-2400, (Statewide Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) 1-800-770-8973, or (FAX) 907-465-3886 For information on alternative formats and questions on this publication, please contact: DNR, Division of Oil and Gas 550 W. 7th Ave., Suite 1100 Anchorage, AK 99501-3560 Phone 907-269-8800. GULF OF ALASKA OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION LICENSE Preliminary Written Finding of the Director Prepared by: Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas August 2, 2019 Contents Page Chapter One: Director’s Preliminary Written Finding and Decision A. Director’s Preliminary Written Finding ................................................................................. 1–1 B. Gulf of Alaska Application and Exploration License ............................................................ 1–3 C. Preliminary Decision: Request for Public Comment ............................................................. 1–4 Chapter Two: Authority and Scope of Review A. Constitutional and Statutory Authority .................................................................................. 2–1 B. Written Findings .................................................................................................................... 2–2 C. Review by Phase .................................................................................................................... 2–4 D. Licensing Process .................................................................................................................. 2–6 Chapter Three: Description and Location of the License Area A. Property Location and General Description........................................................................... 3–1 B. Land and Mineral Ownership................................................................................................. 3–1 C. History and Cultural Resources ............................................................................................. 3–5 D. Local Communities ................................................................................................................ 3–6 E. Climate ................................................................................................................................. 3–10 F. Natural Hazards .................................................................................................................... 3–11 G. References ............................................................................................................................ 3–15 Chapter Four: Habitats, Fish, and Wildlife A. Major Habitats of the Area .................................................................................................... 4–1 B. Fish and Wildlife Populations ................................................................................................ 4–4 C. References ............................................................................................................................ 4–25 Chapter Five: Current and Projected Uses A. State Game Refuges, Critical Habitat Areas, and Other Designated Areas ........................... 5–1 B. Current and Projected Uses in the License Area .................................................................... 5–2 C. References ............................................................................................................................ 5–14 Chapter Six: Petroleum Potential and the Likely Methods of Oil and Gas Transportation in the License Area A. Geology .................................................................................................................................. 6–1 B. Phases of Oil and Gas Development ...................................................................................... 6–4 C. Oil and Gas Exploration, Development, and Production Activities....................................... 6–6 D. Likely Methods of Oil and Gas Transportation in the License Area ................................... 6–11 E. Spill Risk, Prevention, and Response ................................................................................... 6–14 F. References ............................................................................................................................ 6–26 Chapter Seven: Governmental Powers to Regulate Oil and Gas A. State of Alaska ....................................................................................................................... 7–1 B. Federal .................................................................................................................................. 7–11 C. Other Federal and State Regulatory Considerations ............................................................ 7–14 D. References ............................................................................................................................ 7–16 Chapter Eight: Reasonably Foreseeable Effects of Licensing and Subsequent Activity A. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 8–1 B. Reasonably Foreseeable Cumulative Effects on Air .............................................................. 8–2 C. Reasonably Foreseeable Cumulative Effect on Water Resources and Water Quality ................................................................................................................................... 8–3 Gulf of Alaska Oil and Gas Exploration License | Preliminary Written Finding of the Director i D. Reasonably Foreseeable Cumulative Effects on Terrestrial and Freshwater Habitats and Fish and Wildlife Populations .......................................................................... 8–7 E. Reasonably Foreseeable Cumulative Effects on Coastal and Marine Habitats and Fish and Wildlife Populations ............................................................................................. 8–14 F. Reasonably Foreseeable Cumulative Effects on Fish and Wildlife Uses ............................. 8–25 G. Reasonably Foreseeable Cumulative Effects on Historic and Cultural Resources .............. 8–28 H. Reasonably Foreseeable Fiscal Effects of the Disposal and Subsequent Activity on the State and Affected Municipalities and Communities .................................................... 8–29 I. Other Reasonably Foreseeable Effects on Municipalities and Communities Near the License Area .................................................................................................................. 8–33 J. References ............................................................................................................................. 8–35 Chapter Nine: Mitigation Measures A. Mitigation Measures .............................................................................................................. 9–1 B. Definitions .............................................................................................................................. 9–8 Appendix A: Summary of Comments and Responses Appendix B: Gulf of Alaska Sample Exploration License Appendix C: Gulf of Alaska Sample Lease Tables Page Table 2.1. Topics required by AS 38.05.035(g)(1)(B). ............................................................... 2–4 Table 5.1. Nominal Prince William Sound permit values, 2000–2016 ....................................... 5–7 Table 5.2. Nominal total Prince William Sound permit earnings, 2000–2016............................ 5–8 Table 5.3. Economic impact of sport fishing in Alaska in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2011. ................ 5–10 Figures Page Figure 3.1. Gulf of Alaska Area Map ........................................................................................... 3–3 Figure 3.2. Gulf of Alaska Land Status Map ................................................................................ 3–4 Figure 5.1. Critical Habitat Area and Anadromous Rivers in and adjacent to the License Area ............................................................................................................... 5–2 Figure 5.2. Gulf of Alaska Game Management Units ................................................................ 5–12 Gulf of Alaska Oil and Gas Exploration License | Preliminary
Load more

Recommended publications
  • University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan GEOLOGY of the SCOTT GLACIER and WISCONSIN RANGE AREAS, CENTRAL TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS, ANTARCTICA
    This dissertation has been /»OOAOO m icrofilm ed exactly as received MINSHEW, Jr., Velon Haywood, 1939- GEOLOGY OF THE SCOTT GLACIER AND WISCONSIN RANGE AREAS, CENTRAL TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS, ANTARCTICA. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1967 Geology University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan GEOLOGY OF THE SCOTT GLACIER AND WISCONSIN RANGE AREAS, CENTRAL TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS, ANTARCTICA DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University by Velon Haywood Minshew, Jr. B.S., M.S, The Ohio State University 1967 Approved by -Adviser Department of Geology ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report covers two field seasons in the central Trans- antarctic Mountains, During this time, the Mt, Weaver field party consisted of: George Doumani, leader and paleontologist; Larry Lackey, field assistant; Courtney Skinner, field assistant. The Wisconsin Range party was composed of: Gunter Faure, leader and geochronologist; John Mercer, glacial geologist; John Murtaugh, igneous petrclogist; James Teller, field assistant; Courtney Skinner, field assistant; Harry Gair, visiting strati- grapher. The author served as a stratigrapher with both expedi­ tions . Various members of the staff of the Department of Geology, The Ohio State University, as well as some specialists from the outside were consulted in the laboratory studies for the pre­ paration of this report. Dr. George E. Moore supervised the petrographic work and critically reviewed the manuscript. Dr. J. M. Schopf examined the coal and plant fossils, and provided information concerning their age and environmental significance. Drs. Richard P. Goldthwait and Colin B. B. Bull spent time with the author discussing the late Paleozoic glacial deposits, and reviewed portions of the manuscript.
    [Show full text]
  • The Exchange of Water Between Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska Recommended
    The exchange of water between Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska Item Type Thesis Authors Schmidt, George Michael Download date 27/09/2021 18:58:15 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/5284 THE EXCHANGE OF WATER BETWEEN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND THE GULF OF ALASKA RECOMMENDED: THE EXCHANGE OF WATER BETWEEN PRIMCE WILLIAM SOUND AND THE GULF OF ALASKA A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE by George Michael Schmidt III, B.E.S. Fairbanks, Alaska May 197 7 ABSTRACT Prince William Sound is a complex fjord-type estuarine system bordering the northern Gulf of Alaska. This study is an analysis of exchange between Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska. Warm, high salinity deep water appears outside the Sound during summer and early autumn. Exchange between this ocean water and fjord water is a combination of deep and intermediate advective intrusions plus deep diffusive mixing. Intermediate exchange appears to be an annual phen­ omenon occurring throughout the summer. During this season, medium scale parcels of ocean water centered on temperature and NO maxima appear in the intermediate depth fjord water. Deep advective exchange also occurs as a regular annual event through the late summer and early autumn. Deep diffusive exchange probably occurs throughout the year, being more evident during the winter in the absence of advective intrusions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Appreciation is extended to Dr. T. C. Royer, Dr. J. M. Colonell, Dr. R. T. Cooney, Dr. R.
    [Show full text]
  • Bathymetry and Geomorphology of Shelikof Strait and the Western Gulf of Alaska
    geosciences Article Bathymetry and Geomorphology of Shelikof Strait and the Western Gulf of Alaska Mark Zimmermann 1,* , Megan M. Prescott 2 and Peter J. Haeussler 3 1 National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Seattle, WA 98115, USA 2 Lynker Technologies, Under contract to Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA 98115, USA; [email protected] 3 U.S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK 99058, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-206-526-4119 Received: 22 May 2019; Accepted: 19 September 2019; Published: 21 September 2019 Abstract: We defined the bathymetry of Shelikof Strait and the western Gulf of Alaska (WGOA) from the edges of the land masses down to about 7000 m deep in the Aleutian Trench. This map was produced by combining soundings from historical National Ocean Service (NOS) smooth sheets (2.7 million soundings); shallow multibeam and LIDAR (light detection and ranging) data sets from the NOS and others (subsampled to 2.6 million soundings); and deep multibeam (subsampled to 3.3 million soundings), single-beam, and underway files from fisheries research cruises (9.1 million soundings). These legacy smooth sheet data, some over a century old, were the best descriptor of much of the shallower and inshore areas, but they are superseded by the newer multibeam and LIDAR, where available. Much of the offshore area is only mapped by non-hydrographic single-beam and underway files. We combined these disparate data sets by proofing them against their source files, where possible, in an attempt to preserve seafloor features for research purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • Alaska OCS Socioeconomic Studies Program
    Technical Report Number 36 Alaska OCS Socioeconomic Studies Program Sponsor: Bureau of Land Management Alaska Outer Northern Gulf of Alaska Petroleum Development Scenarios Sociocultural Impacts The United States Department of the Interior was designated by the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act of 1953 to carry out the majority of the Act’s provisions for administering the mineral leasing and develop- ment of offshore areas of the United States under federal jurisdiction. Within the Department, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has the responsibility to meet requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) as well as other legislation and regulations dealing with the effects of offshore development. In Alaska, unique cultural differences and climatic conditions create a need for developing addi- tional socioeconomic and environmental information to improve OCS deci- sion making at all governmental levels. In fulfillment of its federal responsibilities and with an awareness of these additional information needs, the BLM has initiated several investigative programs, one of which is the Alaska OCS Socioeconomic Studies Program (SESP). The Alaska OCS Socioeconomic Studies Program is a multi-year research effort which attempts to predict and evaluate the effects of Alaska OCS Petroleum Development upon the physical, social, and economic environ- ments within the state. The overall methodology is divided into three broad research components. The first component identifies an alterna- tive set of assumptions regarding the location, the nature, and the timing of future petroleum events and related activities. In this component, the program takes into account the particular needs of the petroleum industry and projects the human, technological, economic, and environmental offshore and onshore development requirements of the regional petroleum industry.
    [Show full text]
  • Spanning the Bering Strait
    National Park service shared beringian heritage Program U.s. Department of the interior Spanning the Bering Strait 20 years of collaborative research s U b s i s t e N c e h UN t e r i N c h UK o t K a , r U s s i a i N t r o DU c t i o N cean Arctic O N O R T H E L A Chu a e S T kchi Se n R A LASKA a SIBERIA er U C h v u B R i k R S otk S a e i a P v I A en r e m in i n USA r y s M l u l g o a a S K S ew la c ard Peninsu r k t e e r Riv n a n z uko i i Y e t R i v e r ering Sea la B u s n i CANADA n e P la u a ns k ni t Pe a ka N h las c A lf of Alaska m u a G K W E 0 250 500 Pacific Ocean miles S USA The Shared Beringian Heritage Program has been fortunate enough to have had a sustained source of funds to support 3 community based projects and research since its creation in 1991. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev expanded their cooperation in the field of environmental protection and the study of global change to create the Shared Beringian Heritage Program.
    [Show full text]
  • Flow of Pacific Water in the Western Chukchi
    Deep-Sea Research I 105 (2015) 53–73 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Deep-Sea Research I journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/dsri Flow of pacific water in the western Chukchi Sea: Results from the 2009 RUSALCA expedition Maria N. Pisareva a,n, Robert S. Pickart b, M.A. Spall b, C. Nobre b, D.J. Torres b, G.W.K. Moore c, Terry E. Whitledge d a P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, 36, Nakhimovski Prospect, Moscow 117997, Russia b Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA c Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada d University of Alaska Fairbanks, 505 South Chandalar Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA article info abstract Article history: The distribution of water masses and their circulation on the western Chukchi Sea shelf are investigated Received 10 March 2015 using shipboard data from the 2009 Russian-American Long Term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) pro- Received in revised form gram. Eleven hydrographic/velocity transects were occupied during September of that year, including a 25 August 2015 number of sections in the vicinity of Wrangel Island and Herald canyon, an area with historically few Accepted 25 August 2015 measurements. We focus on four water masses: Alaskan coastal water (ACW), summer Bering Sea water Available online 31 August 2015 (BSW), Siberian coastal water (SCW), and remnant Pacific winter water (RWW). In some respects the Keywords: spatial distributions of these water masses were similar to the patterns found in the historical World Arctic Ocean Ocean Database, but there were significant differences.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin Vol. 13 No. 4, December, 1993
    AMQIKK Bulletin Vol. 13 No. 4, December, 1993. I raflE ^m T^!:,i"=:■ eta Ie&£2 i^r ->*r vonoaviNV Antarctic (successor to the "Antarctic News Bulletin") Vol. 13 No. 4 Contents Issue No. 147 December 1993 Polar New Zealand 138, 146 Australia 148, 171 ANTARCTIC is published Japan 149 quarterly by the New Zealand Antarctic Korea 156 Society Inc., 1979 United States 161 ISSN 0003-5327 Editor: Robin Ormerod Please address all editorial inquiries, Sub-antarctic contributions etc to the Tracking albatrosses 171 Editor, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington, General New Zealand ICAIR 142 Telephone: (04) 4791.226 NZAS and New Zealand pro International: +64 + 4+ 4791.226 Fax: (04) 4791.185 gramme 138 International: +64 + 4 + 4791.185 First Antarctica Lodge 173 All administrative inquiries should go to Vaughan expedition 176 the Secretary, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington New Zealand. Inquiries regarding back issues should go to P.O. Box 404, Christchurch, New Zealand. (Q No part of this publication may be Coven Detailed DEM for part of Hut reproduced in any way without the prior per Point Peninsula showing building lay mission of the publishers. out for McMurdo Station and Scott Base and roads between them. See ICAIR.. 137 ANTARCTIC December 1993 Vol.13 No. 4 On 2 November 1993, the New Zealand Antarctic Society turned 60. No other organisation in this country has a longer commitment to New Zealand's continued presence on the ice. In this article Bill Hopper, Chairman of the Wellington Branch, traces the origin of the Society. Society presses for New Zealand presence on ice "That a society be formed, and that it be called the New Zealand Antarctic Society.
    [Show full text]
  • Identification and Mitigation of Geologic Hazards
    AIPGprofessional geologists in all specialties of the science Identification and Mitigation of Geologic Hazards An important and practical application of and because earthquakes geology is identifying hazardous natural are of such a scale that phenomena and isolating their causes in they can affect several order to safeguard communities. According communities si-multane- to the USGS, the average economic toll ously, the risk to human life from natural hazards in the United States is is obvious.2 The largest approximately $52 billion per year, while recorded earthquake to hit the average annual death toll is approxi- the North American conti- mately 200.1 The primary causes are nent had a magnitude of earthquakes, landslides, and flooding, but 9.2, which occurred on other events, such as subsidence, volcanic March 27, 1964 in eruptions, and exposure to radon or asbes- Anchorage, Alaska. It dev- tos, also pose considerable danger. astated the town and sur- Awareness of the potential hazards that rounding area, and could persist in areas under consideration for be felt over an area of half Figure 2. Volcano Zones both private and community development a million square miles.2 is critical, and so geological consultants Land-slides caused most of the average global temperature by 2 and engineers are called in to survey land the damage, while a 30-foot high tsunami degrees Fahrenheit for 2 years.3 development sites and assist building con- generated by an underwater quake leveled tractors in designing structures that will coastal villages around the Gulf of Alaska, The role of geologists in mitigating such stand the test of time.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Timeline for Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
    Historical Timeline Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Much of the refuge has been protected as a national wildlife refuge for over a century, and we recognize that refuge lands are the ancestral homelands of Alaska Native people. Development of sophisticated tools and the abundance of coastal and marine wildlife have made it possible for people to thrive here for thousands of years. So many facets of Alaska’s history happened on the lands and waters of the Alaska Maritime Refuge that the Refuge seems like a time-capsule story of the state and the conservation of island wildlife: • Pre 1800s – The first people come to the islands, the Russian voyages of discovery, the beginnings of the fur trade, first rats and fox introduced to islands, Steller sea cow goes extinct. • 1800s – Whaling, America buys Alaska, growth of the fox fur industry, beginnings of the refuge. • 1900 to 1945 – Wildlife Refuge System is born and more land put in the refuge, wildlife protection increases through treaties and legislation, World War II rolls over the refuge, rats and foxes spread to more islands. The Aleutian Islands WWII National Monument designation recognizes some of these significant events and places. • 1945 to the present – Cold War bases built on refuge, nuclear bombs on Amchitka, refuge expands and protections increase, Aleutian goose brought back from near extinction, marine mammals in trouble. Refuge History - Pre - 1800 A World without People Volcanoes push up from the sea. Ocean levels fluctuate. Animals arrive and adapt to dynamic marine conditions as they find niches along the forming continent’s miles of coastline.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Compiled by Mike Wing New Zealand Antarctic Society (Inc
    ANTARCTIC 1 Compiled by Mike Wing US bulldozer, 1: 202, 340, 12: 54, New Zealand Antarctic Society (Inc) ACECRC, see Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperation Research Centre Volume 1-26: June 2009 Acevedo, Capitan. A.O. 4: 36, Ackerman, Piers, 21: 16, Vessel names are shown viz: “Aconcagua” Ackroyd, Lieut. F: 1: 307, All book reviews are shown under ‘Book Reviews’ Ackroyd-Kelly, J. W., 10: 279, All Universities are shown under ‘Universities’ “Aconcagua”, 1: 261 Aircraft types appear under Aircraft. Acta Palaeontolegica Polonica, 25: 64, Obituaries & Tributes are shown under 'Obituaries', ACZP, see Antarctic Convergence Zone Project see also individual names. Adam, Dieter, 13: 6, 287, Adam, Dr James, 1: 227, 241, 280, Vol 20 page numbers 27-36 are shared by both Adams, Chris, 11: 198, 274, 12: 331, 396, double issues 1&2 and 3&4. Those in double issue Adams, Dieter, 12: 294, 3&4 are marked accordingly. Adams, Ian, 1: 71, 99, 167, 229, 263, 330, 2: 23, Adams, J.B., 26: 22, Adams, Lt. R.D., 2: 127, 159, 208, Adams, Sir Jameson Obituary, 3: 76, A Adams Cape, 1: 248, Adams Glacier, 2: 425, Adams Island, 4: 201, 302, “101 In Sung”, f/v, 21: 36, Adamson, R.G. 3: 474-45, 4: 6, 62, 116, 166, 224, ‘A’ Hut restorations, 12: 175, 220, 25: 16, 277, Aaron, Edwin, 11: 55, Adare, Cape - see Hallett Station Abbiss, Jane, 20: 8, Addison, Vicki, 24: 33, Aboa Station, (Finland) 12: 227, 13: 114, Adelaide Island (Base T), see Bases F.I.D.S. Abbott, Dr N.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER
    Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER Photo credit: Ana Anguilar-Islas The Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) LTER is based in the coastal Gulf of Alaska and mobilizes field expeditions from the Seward Marine Center of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The program seeks to understand how this subarctic shelf system generates the high productivity that sustains one of the world’s largest commercial fisheries, as well as iconic seabird and marine mammal species. Ocean physics in the Gulf of Alaska have been monitored for nearly 50 years, and chemistry and biology have been recorded for the last 20 years. Together, this provides At present: foundational information about the structure and function of this subarctic ecosystem. investigators Scientists in the region have developed a solid understanding of annual 15 cycles and are beginning to appreciate the scales and drivers of observed institutions interannual variability (i.e. ENSO, marine heat waves). Through sustained represented measurements, NGA LTER aims to determine how resiliency arises, how 6 emergent properties provide community level structure, and whether graduate longer term environmental changes will impact this resiliency. Findings students will inform biological resource management in the Gulf of Alaska. 9 Principal Investigator: Est. 2017 NSF Program: Russ Hopcroft Funding Cycle: Geosciences / Division of Ocean Sciences University of Alaska, Fairbanks LTER I Marine Key Findings Stratification is changing. The coastal Gulf of Anomalous warming in 2015-16 led to Alaska water column is becoming progressively profound reorganization of lower trophic more stratified — the entire water column levels. Reductions in primary producer average is warming, but more rapidly at the surface cell size and biomass followed than near the seafloor, while near surface the 2015-2016 warming, waters are becoming fresher.
    [Show full text]
  • Gulf of Alaska Ocean and Climate Changes
    Harbo Rick © Gulf of Alaska Changes Climate and Ocean [153] 86587_p153_176.indd 153 12/30/04 4:42:57 PM highlights ■ For decades, the depth of the surface mixed layer sharks, skates, several forage fi sh species, and had become increasingly shallow, reducing nutrient yellow Irish lord have signifi cantly increased in levels. A deepening of the mixed layer from 1999- abundance and/or frequency of occurrence since 2002 temporarily reduced this trend, but the winter 1990. of 2002/03 was the shallowest on record. abundance and recruitment of many salmon stocks ■ Phytoplankton blooms on the shelf were stronger in was above average for much of the 1980/90s, 1999 and 2000 than 1998 and 2001. while catches have decreased slightly over the past decade. Recruitment of all brood years ■ The seasonal peak of Neocalanus copepods at Ocean through at least the mid-1990s was strong. Station P was early in the 1980/90s and returned to the long-term average from 1999 – 2001. in spite of moderate declines in abundance and Ocean below-average recruitment of some commercial ■ After 1976/77, the groundfi sh community had stocks, most groundfi sh, salmon, and herring relatively stable species composition and abundance and fi sheries remained healthy throughout 2002 with of individual species but, several signifi cant changes no indications of overfi shing or “fi shing down the have occurred: Climate food web.” a general decline in walleye pollock biomass over king crab and shrimp stocks have not recovered the past decade, but with strong recruitment from a collapse in the early 1980s.
    [Show full text]