DOCSLIB.ORG

In the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
In the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 AMNWR 09/01 SEABIRD, FISH, MARINE MAMMAL AND OCEANOGRAPHY COORDINATED INVESTIGATIONS (SMMOCI) IN THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS, ALASKA, JULY 2005 By Donald E. Dragoo Key Words: Alaska, Bering Sea, CTD, fishes, hydroacoustics, marine mammals, oceanography, pelagic surveys, Pribilof Islands, St. George Island, St. Paul Island, salinity, seabirds, temperature U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge 95 Sterling Hwy., Suite 1 Homer, Alaska, USA 99603 August 2009 _____ Cite as: D. E. Dragoo. 2009. Seabird, fish, marine mammal and oceanography coordinated investigations (SMMOCI) in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005. U. S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Report AMNWR 09/01. Homer, Alaska. Executive Summary SMMOCI investigators conducted a survey of seabirds, fishes, marine mammals and oceanographic conditions in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska from the M/V Tigˆlaxˆ during 20-26 July 2005 as part of the Seabird, Fish, Marine Mammal and Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (SMMOCI) project. The objective was to characterize the marine environment in the vicinity of the Pribilof Islands, whose seabird colonies are monitored annually by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, and to repeat a 1997 SMMOCI survey of the area. In addition to surveying seabirds and marine mammals on transects, we characterized local oceanography by taking profiles of the water column at numerous stations on a series of CTD transects. We measured the relative abundance of zooplankton and fish biomass using a dual-frequency echosounder. We sampled with a mid-water trawl net to help associate species with observed acoustic sign. We set long-lines to catch large demersal fish species, used bottom trawls to describe the bottom fauna and sampled zooplankton. In 2005, we counted a total of 23,026 birds on 10 transects that covered approximately 791 linear km of surveys, resulting in an average density of approximately 101 birds/km2 over an area of some 228 km2. We also counted 10,268 birds during a circumnavigation of St. George Island. Bird density observed during circumnavigation was about 538 birds/km2. The study area for our 2005 Pribilof Island SMMOCI cruise was similar to that surveyed by us in 1997 except that in 2005, due to time constraints, we concentrated our efforts mainly on the transects south of St. George Island and added a circumnavigation survey of St. George Island. The overall density of seabirds encountered on linear transects in 2005 was nearly twice what we observed in 1997. Similar to 1997, northern fulmars, murres, fork-tailed storm-petrels and kittiwakes were the most numerous birds seen on surveys in 2005. We counted a few glaucous-winged gulls in 2005, whereas none were seen during the 1997 surveys. As in 1997, fin whales, Dall’s porpoises and northern fur seals were the most numerous marine mammals observed. Sculpins were the most numerous fishes caught in bottom trawls in both 1997 and 2005. Walleye pollock dominated the fish component of the mid-water trawl catch in both years. Similar numbers of Pacific cod, yellow Irish lord and Pacific halibut were caught on long-line gear in both surveys, even though we set the gear fewer times in 2005. New size records were set for great sculpin and northern sculpin. CTD profiles indicated a highly stratified water column in the survey area. i Table of Contents Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... i Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables and Appendices ........................................................................................................ ii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Personnel ..............................................................................................................................1 Methods............................................................................................................................................1 Bird and Marine Mammal Observations..............................................................................1 Hydroacoustic Surveys ........................................................................................................2 Fishing..................................................................................................................................2 Oceanography ......................................................................................................................3 Results ..............................................................................................................................................3 Bird and Marine Mammal Observations..............................................................................3 Hydroacoustic Surveys ........................................................................................................4 Fishing..................................................................................................................................4 Oceanography ......................................................................................................................5 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................5 Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................5 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................................6 List of Tables and Appendices No. Title Page 1. Locations, dates and times of surveys used for bird and marine mammal observations, and hydroacoustics surve y s near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ...........................8 2. Species composition and numbers of seabirds and marine mammals observed on 10 linear transects near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ...............................................9 3. Species composition and numbers of seabirds and marine mammals observed during circumnavigation of St. George Island, Alaska, July 2005................................................10 ii List of Tables and Appendices (Continued) No. Title Page 4. Locations, times and depths of fishing efforts near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ............................................................................................................................11 5. Count of fishes caught by bottom trawls near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 .....12 6. Total lengths of fishes caught by bottom trawls near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ............................................................................................................................13 7. Counts of invertebrates caught by bottom trawls near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ............................................................................................................................14 8. Count of fishes caught by mid-water trawls near the Pribilof Islands, July 2005 .............22 9. Total lengths of fishes caught by mid-water trawls near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ............................................................................................................................23 10. Counts of invertebrates caught by mid-water trawls near the Pribilof Islands, July 2005 ............................................................................................................................24 11. Count of fishes caught by long-line near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 .............25 12. Total lengths and weights of fishes caught by long-line near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ...............................................................................................................26 13. Prey composition of stomach samples taken from Pacific halibut caught by long-line near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ......................................................................26 14. Prey composition of stomach samples taken from Pacific cod caught by long-line near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ......................................................................27 15. Prey composition of stomach samples taken from yellow Irish lord caught by long-line near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ......................................................................28 16. Count of individuals captured with plankton nets during SMMOCI near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 .......................................................................................................... 29 17. Locations, times and dates of CTD casts made near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ............................................................................................................................31 18. Estimates of at-sea densities of seabirds near colonies at several Alaskan sites ...............32 A. Photographs of some species caught during the SMMOCI cruise near the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, July 2005 ................................................................................................54
Load more

Recommended publications
  • SRSC. 2013. Summary of Fish Catch Results for Runstad Cove, 2008
    Summary of Fish Catch Results for Runstad Cove, 2008 and 2009 Skagit River System Cooperative Research Program May 2012 Beach seine sampling for fish was conducted at Runstad Cove as part of Washington State’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board Project # 07-1863 N: WRIA2 Habitat Based Assessment of Juvenile Salmon, also locally known as the Big Picture Project. Runstad Cove is located on the southeast side of Blakely Island within the San Juan Islands (Figure 1). Large beach seine nets were used at Runstad Cove after methods described in Skagit System Cooperative Research Department (2003). We made 14 beach seine sets over the two- year study period. Beach seining occurred monthly from March through August 2008 and March through October 2009. The beach seine site at Runstad Cove consisted of gravel to mixed coarse substrate. Eelgrass or macro algae were present on 64% of sampling days. Average maximum water depth was 2.2 meters and average salinity was 30.4 parts per thousand within the area seined. Water temperatures varied by month, ranging from approximately 8 °C in March to peaks of over 13 °C in July of each year. We caught a total of 2,512 fish from 37 different species or species groupings over the two-year study period, including three species of juvenile salmon and three species of forage fish (Table 1). We kept count of Dungeness crab (23) caught by seines, as this species is of commercial and recreational interest. Please refer to Beamer and Fresh (2012) for more information regarding timing, abundance, and habitat selection of focal fish species for the Big Picture Project.
    [Show full text]
  • Examples of Sea Sponges
    Examples Of Sea Sponges Startling Amadeus burlesques her snobbishness so fully that Vaughan structured very cognisably. Freddy is ectypal and stenciling unsocially while epithelial Zippy forces and inflict. Monopolistic Porter sailplanes her honeymooners so incorruptibly that Sutton recirculates very thereon. True only on water leaves, sea of these are animals Yellow like Sponge Oceana. Deeper dives into different aspects of these glassy skeletons are ongoing according to. Sponges theoutershores. Cell types epidermal cells form outer covering amoeboid cells wander around make spicules. Check how These Beautiful Pictures of Different Types of. To be optimal for bathing, increasing with examples of brooding forms tan ct et al ratios derived from other microscopic plants from synthetic sponges belong to the university. What is those natural marine sponge? Different types of sponges come under different price points and loss different uses in. Global Diversity of Sponges Porifera NCBI NIH. Sponges EnchantedLearningcom. They publish the outer shape of rubber sponge 1 Some examples of sponges are Sea SpongeTube SpongeVase Sponge or Sponge Painted. Learn facts about the Porifera or Sea Sponges with our this Easy mountain for Kids. What claim a course Sponge Acme Sponge Company. BG Silicon isotopes of this sea sponges new insights into. Sponges come across an incredible summary of colors and an amazing array of shapes. 5 Fascinating Types of what Sponge Leisure Pro. Sea sponges often a tube-like bodies with his tiny pores. Sponges The World's Simplest Multi-Cellular Creatures. Sponges are food of various nudbranchs sea stars and fish. Examples of sponges Answers Answerscom. Sponges info and games Sheppard Software.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Date 28/09/2021 16:17:42
    Physical And Biological Factors Affecting The Diel Vertical Migration Of Walleye Pollock Item Type Thesis Authors Adams, Charles F. Download date 28/09/2021 16:17:42 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8927 PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE DIEL VERTICAL MIGRATION OF WALLEYE POLLOCK A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Charles F. Adams, M.Sc. Fairbanks, Alaska August 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3286616 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3286616 Copyright 2008 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE DIEL VERTICAL MIGRATION OF WALLEYE POLLOCK By Charles F. Adams RECOMMENDED: --Vi,- / ? VZ2 ■/ AdvisoiyCommittee Co/Oiair ' ^ t / Advisory Committee Head, Program in lVffene Science and Limnology APPROVED: Dean/School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Dean of the Graduate School ^ l a r 1 £ - Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.
    [Show full text]
  • Crabs and Their Relatives of British Columbia by Josephine Hart 1984 British Columbia Provincial Museum Handbook 40
    Crabs and their relatives of British Columbia by Josephine Hart 1984 British Columbia Provincial Museum Handbook 40. Victoria, British Columbia. 267 pp. Extracted from the publication (now out of print) SECTION MACRURA Superfamily Thalassinidea Key to Families 1. Shrimp-like. Integument soft and pleura on abdomen large. Live in burrows……………………………………………………………………………..……….……Axiidae 1. Shrimp-like. Integument soft and pleura small. Live in burrows………………………………………………………………………………………………….2 2. Rostrum distinct, ridged and setose. Eyestalks cylindrical and cornea terminal. Chelipeds subchelate and subequal…………………………………………………………………….Upogebiidae 2. Rostrum minute and smooth. Eyestalks flattened with mid-dorsal corneal pigment or cylindrical without dark pigment. Chelipeds chelate and unequal in size and shape.......Callianassidae Family AXIIDAE The thin-shelled shrimp-like animals in this family are all burrowers and are found from shallow subtidal habitats to great depths. Recently Pemberton, Risk and Buckley (1976) determined that one species found off Nova Scotia makes burrows more than 2.5 m into the substrate. Obviously in abyssal regions the collection of these animals under such circumstances in particularly haphazard. Thus the number of specimens obtained is few and often these are damaged. Four species of this family are known to occur in the waters off British Columbia. All have one or two small hollow knobs of apparently unknown function on the mid-dorsal ridge of the carapace. These species have been assigned to the genera Axiopsis, Calastacus and Calocaris. The definitions of these genera were made when few species had been studied and recent discoveries indicate that the criteria used are not satisfactory. New genera will have to be created and the taxonomy of the Family revised.
    [Show full text]
  • Book of Abstracts
    PICES Seventeenth Annual Meeting Beyond observations to achieving understanding and forecasting in a changing North Pacific: Forward to the FUTURE North Pacific Marine Science Organization October 24 – November 2, 2008 Dalian, People’s Republic of China Contents Notes for Guidance ...................................................................................................................................... v Floor Plan for the Kempinski Hotel......................................................................................................... vi Keynote Lecture.........................................................................................................................................vii Schedules and Abstracts S1 Science Board Symposium Beyond observations to achieving understanding and forecasting in a changing North Pacific: Forward to the FUTURE......................................................................................................................... 1 S2 MONITOR/TCODE/BIO Topic Session Linking biology, chemistry, and physics in our observational systems – Present status and FUTURE needs .............................................................................................................................. 15 S3 MEQ Topic Session Species succession and long-term data set analysis pertaining to harmful algal blooms...................... 33 S4 FIS Topic Session Institutions and ecosystem-based approaches for sustainable fisheries under fluctuating marine resources ..............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • INVERTEBRATE SPECIES in the EASTERN BERING SEA By
    Effects of areas closed to bottom trawling on fish and invertebrate species in the eastern Bering Sea Item Type Thesis Authors Frazier, Christine Ann Download date 01/10/2021 18:30:05 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/5018 e f f e c t s o f a r e a s c l o s e d t o b o t t o m t r a w l in g o n fish a n d INVERTEBRATE SPECIES IN THE EASTERN BERING SEA By Christine Ann Frazier RECOMMENDED: — . /Vj Advisory Committee Chair Program Head / \ \ APPROVED: M--- —— [)\ Dean, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences • ~7/ . <-/ / f a Dean of the Graduate Sch6oI EFFECTS OF AREAS CLOSED TO BOTTOM TRAWLING ON FISH AND INVERTEBRATE SPECIES IN THE EASTERN BERING SEA A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE 6 By Christine Ann Frazier, B.A. Fairbanks, Alaska December 2003 UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS ABSTRACT The Bering Sea is a productive ecosystem with some of the most important fisheries in the United States. Constant commercial fishing for groundfish has occurred since the 1960s. The implementation of areas closed to bottom trawling to protect critical habitat for fish or crabs resulted in successful management of these fisheries. The efficacy of these closures on non-target species is unknown. This study determined if differences in abundance, biomass, diversity and evenness of dominant fish and invertebrate species occur among areas open and closed to bottom trawling in the eastern Bering Sea between 1996 and 2000.
    [Show full text]
  • XIV. Appendices
    Appendix 1, Page 1 XIV. Appendices Appendix 1. Vertebrate Species of Alaska1 * Threatened/Endangered Fishes Scientific Name Common Name Eptatretus deani black hagfish Lampetra tridentata Pacific lamprey Lampetra camtschatica Arctic lamprey Lampetra alaskense Alaskan brook lamprey Lampetra ayresii river lamprey Lampetra richardsoni western brook lamprey Hydrolagus colliei spotted ratfish Prionace glauca blue shark Apristurus brunneus brown cat shark Lamna ditropis salmon shark Carcharodon carcharias white shark Cetorhinus maximus basking shark Hexanchus griseus bluntnose sixgill shark Somniosus pacificus Pacific sleeper shark Squalus acanthias spiny dogfish Raja binoculata big skate Raja rhina longnose skate Bathyraja parmifera Alaska skate Bathyraja aleutica Aleutian skate Bathyraja interrupta sandpaper skate Bathyraja lindbergi Commander skate Bathyraja abyssicola deepsea skate Bathyraja maculata whiteblotched skate Bathyraja minispinosa whitebrow skate Bathyraja trachura roughtail skate Bathyraja taranetzi mud skate Bathyraja violacea Okhotsk skate Acipenser medirostris green sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus white sturgeon Polyacanthonotus challengeri longnose tapirfish Synaphobranchus affinis slope cutthroat eel Histiobranchus bathybius deepwater cutthroat eel Avocettina infans blackline snipe eel Nemichthys scolopaceus slender snipe eel Alosa sapidissima American shad Clupea pallasii Pacific herring 1 This appendix lists the vertebrate species of Alaska, but it does not include subspecies, even though some of those are featured in the CWCS.
    [Show full text]
  • Table of Contents
    Table of Contents Chapter 3f Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Species Structure of Species Account……………………………………………………….2 Bigeye sculpin…………………………………………………………………..…10 Ribbed Sculpin……………………………………………………………………..14 Crested Sculpin……………………………………………………………………..20 Eyeshade Sculpin…………………………………………………………………...25 Polar Sculpin………………………………………………………………………..29 Smoothcheek Sculpin……………………………………………………………….33 Alligatorfish…………………………………………………………………………37 Arctic Alligatorfish………………………………………………………………….43 Chapter 3. Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Species Accounts By Milton S. Love1, Nancy Elder2, Catherine W. Mecklenburg3, Lyman K. Thorsteinson2, and T. Anthony Mecklenburg4 Abstract Although tailored to address the specific needs of BOEM Alaska OCS Region NEPA analysts, the information presented Species accounts provide brief, but thorough descriptions in each species account also is meant to be useful to other about what is known, and not known, about the natural life users including state and Federal fisheries managers and histories and functional roles of marine fishes in the Arctic scientists, commercial and subsistence resource communities, marine ecosystem. Information about human influences on and Arctic residents. Readers interested in obtaining additional traditional names and resource use and availability is limited, information about the taxonomy and identification of marine but what information is available provides important insights Arctic fishes are encouraged to consult theFishes of Alaska about marine ecosystem status and condition, seasonal patterns
    [Show full text]
  • A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States And
    t a AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY QL 614 .A43 V.2 .A 4-3 AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY Special Publication No. 2 A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes -^ ru from the United States m CD and Canada (SECOND EDITION) A/^Ssrf>* '-^\ —---^ Report of the Committee on Names of Fishes, Presented at the Ei^ty-ninth Annual Meeting, Clearwater, Florida, September 16-18, 1959 Reeve M. Bailey, Chairman Ernest A. Lachner, C. C. Lindsey, C. Richard Robins Phil M. Roedel, W. B. Scott, Loren P. Woods Ann Arbor, Michigan • 1960 Copies of this publication may be purchased for $1.00 each (paper cover) or $2.00 (cloth cover). Orders, accompanied by remittance payable to the American Fisheries Society, should be addressed to E. A. Seaman, Secretary-Treasurer, American Fisheries Society, Box 483, McLean, Virginia. Copyright 1960 American Fisheries Society Printed by Waverly Press, Inc. Baltimore, Maryland lutroduction This second list of the names of fishes of The shore fishes from Greenland, eastern the United States and Canada is not sim- Canada and the United States, and the ply a reprinting with corrections, but con- northern Gulf of Mexico to the mouth of stitutes a major revision and enlargement. the Rio Grande are included, but those The earlier list, published in 1948 as Special from Iceland, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Cuba Publication No. 1 of the American Fisheries and the other West Indian islands, and Society, has been widely used and has Mexico are excluded unless they occur also contributed substantially toward its goal of in the region covered. In the Pacific, the achieving uniformity and avoiding confusion area treated includes that part of the conti- in nomenclature.
    [Show full text]
  • Venom Evolution Widespread in Fishes: a Phylogenetic Road Map for the Bioprospecting of Piscine Venoms
    Journal of Heredity 2006:97(3):206–217 ª The American Genetic Association. 2006. All rights reserved. doi:10.1093/jhered/esj034 For permissions, please email: [email protected]. Advance Access publication June 1, 2006 Venom Evolution Widespread in Fishes: A Phylogenetic Road Map for the Bioprospecting of Piscine Venoms WILLIAM LEO SMITH AND WARD C. WHEELER From the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027 (Leo Smith); Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Ichthyology), American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192 (Leo Smith); and Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192 (Wheeler). Address correspondence to W. L. Smith at the address above, or e-mail: [email protected]. Abstract Knowledge of evolutionary relationships or phylogeny allows for effective predictions about the unstudied characteristics of species. These include the presence and biological activity of an organism’s venoms. To date, most venom bioprospecting has focused on snakes, resulting in six stroke and cancer treatment drugs that are nearing U.S. Food and Drug Administration review. Fishes, however, with thousands of venoms, represent an untapped resource of natural products. The first step in- volved in the efficient bioprospecting of these compounds is a phylogeny of venomous fishes. Here, we show the results of such an analysis and provide the first explicit suborder-level phylogeny for spiny-rayed fishes. The results, based on ;1.1 million aligned base pairs, suggest that, in contrast to previous estimates of 200 venomous fishes, .1,200 fishes in 12 clades should be presumed venomous.
    [Show full text]
  • Humboldt Bay Fishes
    Humboldt Bay Fishes ><((((º>`·._ .·´¯`·. _ .·´¯`·. ><((((º> ·´¯`·._.·´¯`·.. ><((((º>`·._ .·´¯`·. _ .·´¯`·. ><((((º> Acknowledgements The Humboldt Bay Harbor District would like to offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to the authors and photographers who have allowed us to use their work in this report. Photography and Illustrations We would like to thank the photographers and illustrators who have so graciously donated the use of their images for this publication. Andrey Dolgor Dan Gotshall Polar Research Institute of Marine Sea Challengers, Inc. Fisheries And Oceanography [email protected] [email protected] Michael Lanboeuf Milton Love [email protected] Marine Science Institute [email protected] Stephen Metherell Jacques Moreau [email protected] [email protected] Bernd Ueberschaer Clinton Bauder [email protected] [email protected] Fish descriptions contained in this report are from: Froese, R. and Pauly, D. Editors. 2003 FishBase. Worldwide Web electronic publication. http://www.fishbase.org/ 13 August 2003 Photographer Fish Photographer Bauder, Clinton wolf-eel Gotshall, Daniel W scalyhead sculpin Bauder, Clinton blackeye goby Gotshall, Daniel W speckled sanddab Bauder, Clinton spotted cusk-eel Gotshall, Daniel W. bocaccio Bauder, Clinton tube-snout Gotshall, Daniel W. brown rockfish Gotshall, Daniel W. yellowtail rockfish Flescher, Don american shad Gotshall, Daniel W. dover sole Flescher, Don stripped bass Gotshall, Daniel W. pacific sanddab Gotshall, Daniel W. kelp greenling Garcia-Franco, Mauricio louvar
    [Show full text]
  • Fishes of the Pacific Coast of Canada
    PLATE V. Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus). Two common shades of colour, illustrated on specimens about 30 inches long. PLATE VI. Blackbanded rockfish (Sebastodes nigrocinctus). Two common shades of colour, illustrated on a specimen 10 inches long. near Nootka but was not examined. In August, 1939, west of Cape St. James, Lat. 52° 49' N, Long. 1340 29' W, three specimens were obtained on a tuna lure and were recorded in 1940 by V. J. Samson. The albacore has been captured off the west coast of Vancouver Island in increasing numbers since 1939. The first large commercial catch was made in 1940. The abundance of the fish has proven to be rather variable in Canadian waters as it has off the California coast. This pelagic fish is distributed throughout all warm to temperate seas. Since no mature individuals have been taken anywhere along the Pacific coast of North America, it would seem that the albacore is a tropical fish whose young make extensive feeding migrations to distant regions and return to the tropics at the onset of maturity. The food consists of schooling small fishes such as anchovies, pilchards, herring, saunes, young mackerel and albacore, blue lanternfish (Tarle- tonbeania crenularis), as well as squid and zooplankton. It is a highly-prized sport and commercial fish and is taken with jigs made of bone, rags and feathers, towed behind boats. The commercial catch in Canadian waters is secured by trolling with bright red feather lures and is frozen for the most part, for subsequent canning. Fishermen sometimes refer to the albacore as the tuna or longfin tuna.
    [Show full text]