Volume 2 Principal Investigators' Reports July-September 1976 U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration VOLUME 1. MARINE MAMMALS, MARINE BIRDS VOLUME 2. FISH, PLANKTON, BENTHOS, LITTORAL VOLUME 3, EFFECTS, CHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY, PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY VOLUME 4, GEOLOGY, ICE, DATA MANAGEMENT Environmental Assessment of the Alaskan Continental Shelf July - Sept 1976 quarterly reports from Principal Investigators participating in a multi-year program of environmental assessment related to petroleum development on the Alaskan Continental Shelf. The program is directed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the sponsorship of the Bureau of Land Management. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES Boulder, Colorado November 1976 VOLUME 2 FISH, PLANKTON, BENTHOS, LITTORAL iii FISH, PLANKTON, BENTHOS, LITTORAL Research Unit Proposer Title Page 5/303 H. M. Feder The Distribution, Abundance, Diver- 1 IMS/U. of Alaska sity and Productivity of Benthic Organisms in the Bering Sea 6 A. G. Carey The Distribution, Abundance, Diver- 6 Oregon State U. sity and Productivity of the Western Beaufort Sea Benthos 7 A. G. Carey Summarization of Existing Litera- 39 Oregon State U. ture and Unpublished Data on the Distribution, Abundance, and Life Histories of Benthic Organisms 19/ Louis H. Barton Spawning Herring Surveys in the Bering 41 19E ADF&G Sea and Finfish Resource Surveys in Norton Sound and Kotzebue Sound 19E James E. Blackburn Pelagic and Demersal Fish Assessment 103 ADF&G in the Lower Cook Inlet Estuary System 24 Rod Kaiser Razor Clam (Siliqua patula, Dixon) 114 ADF&G Distribution and Population Assess- ment Study 27 Loren B. Flagg Kenai Peninsula Study of Littoral 163 ADF&G Zone 58 G. C. Anderson A Description and Numerical 165 Ronald K. Lam Analysis of the Factors Affecting Beatrice Booth the Processes of Production in the Dept. of Ocean. Gulf of Alaska U. of Wash. 64/ W. T. Pereyra Resources of Non-Salmonid Pelagic 173 354 M. 0. Nelson Fish of the Eastern Bering Sea and NMFS/NWFC Gulf of Alaska 78/ S. T. Zimmerman Baseline/Reconnaissance Characterization, 252 79 T. R. Merrell Littoral Biota, Gulf of Alaska and Bering NMFS/Auke Bay Sea Fisheries Lab. v FISH, PLANKTON, BENTHOS, LITTORAL Research Unit Proposer Title Page 156/ T. S. English (a) Plankton of the Gulf of Alaska- 269 164 Dept. of Ocean. Ichthyoplankton U. of Wash. D. M. Damkaer (b) Initial Zooplankton Investiga- 304 PMEL tions in Lower Cook Inlet J. D. Larrance (c) Phytoplankton and Primary Pro- 315 PMEL ductivity in the Northeast Gulf of Alaska R. T. Cooney (d) Zooplankton and Micronekton in the 345 IMS/U. of Alaska Bering-Chukchi/Beaufort Seas Vera Alexander (e) Phytoplankton Studies in the Bering 349 IMS/U. of Alaska Sea 174 L. Ronholt Baseline Studies of Demersal 353 NMFS/NWFC Resources of the Northern Gulf of Alaska Shelf and Slope: An Historical Review 175 W. T. Pereyra Baseline Studies of Fish and Shell- 355 Robert J. Wolotira fish Resources of Norton Sound and NWFS/NMFC the Southeastern Chukchi Sea 233 Terrence N. Bendock Beaufort Sea Estuarine Fishery 360 ADF&G Study 281 H. M. Feder The Distribution, Abundance, Diver- 363 IMS/U. of Alaska sity and Productivity of Benthic Organisms in the Gulf of Alaska 282/ H. M. Feder Summarization of Existing Litera- 415 301 IMS/U. of Alaska ture and Unpublished Data on the Distribution, Abundance and Pro- ductivity of Benthic Organisms of the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea 284 Ronald Smith Food and Feeding Relationships in 418 IMS/U. of Alaska the Benthic and Demersal Fishes of the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea 285 J. E. Morrow Preparation of Illustrated Keys to 426 Dept. of Biology Otoliths of Forage Fishes U. of Alaska 318 J. E. Morrow Preparation of Illustrated Keys to 429 Dept. of Biological Otoliths of Forage Fishes Sci. U. of Alaska vi FISH, PLANKTON, BENTHOS, LITTORAL Research Unit Proposer Title Page 348 J. E. Morrow Literature Search on Density 432 Dept. of Biology Distribution of Fishes of the U. of Alaska Beaufort Sea 349 T. S. English Alaska Marine Ichthyoplankton Key 435 Dept. of Ocean. Univ. of Wash. 356 A. C. Broad Reconnaisance Characterization of 437 Western Wash. Littoral Biota, Beaufort and Chukchi State Col. Seas 359 T. S. English Beaufort Sea Plankton Studies 457 Rita A. Horner Dept. of Ocean. U. of Wash. 380 Felix Favorite Ichthyoplankton of the Eastern Bering 483 Kenneth Waldron Sea NMFS/NWFC 485 Colin K. Harris Assessment of Pelagic and Nearshore 487 Allan C. Hartt Fish in Three Bays on Southeast Kodiak U. of Washington Island 486 James E. Blackburn Demersal Fish and Shellfish Assess- 511 ADF&G ment in Selected Estuary Systems of Kodiak Island 502 Howard M. Feder Technical Trawl Survey of the Benthic 521 IMS/U. of Alaska Epifauna of the Chukchi Sea and Norton Sound 517 Howard M. Feder The Distribution, Abundance and Diver- 527 IMS/U. of Alaska sity of the Epifaunal Benthic Organ- isms in Two (Alitak and Ugak) Bays of Kodiak Island, Alaska vii Quarterly Report Contract #03-5-022-56 Research Unit #5/303 Reporting Period 7/1 - 9/30/76 Number of Pages 4 THE DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, DIVERSITY AND PRODUCTIVITY OF BENTHIC ORGANISMS IN THE BERING SEA Dr. Howard M. Feder Professor of Marine Science Institute of Marine Science University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 October 1, 1976 QUARTERLY REPORT I. Task Objectives A. Qualitative and quantitative census of dominant species within oil lease sites. B. Description of 'seasonal and spatial distribution patterns, with emphasis on assessing patchiness and correleation with micro- habitat. C. Comparison of species distribution with physical, chemical and geological factors. D. Observations of biological interrelationships in benthic biota of the study area. II. Field and Laboratory Activities A. No cruise was scheduled during the last quarter. B. A continuation of the analysis of grab and trawl samples taken in the past year is in progress at the Marine Sorting Center and the bio- logical laboratory of the Institute of Marine Science. All data is being keypunched as it becomes available. Refinement of computer programs developed for the Gulf of Alaska studies is in progress. The methods used in Cluster Analysis are outlined in the Annual Report for the Gulf of Alaska (Feder, et al., 1976, The Distribution, Abundance, Diversity and Productivity of Benthic Organisms in the Bering Sea). GRAB PROGRAM III. Results 1. A selected set of stations from the cruise of the R/V Discoverer in 1975 have been processed by the Marine Sorting Center. This data has been keypunched, and analysis, inclusive of cluster analysis, will take place when 60 selected stations on the MB grid have been completely processed. 2. A series of stations have been given to the Marine Sorting Center for processing in the coming quarter: MB Station Number of replicates 1 5 2 3 3 5 4 3 6 5 8 5 10 5 11 5 12 5 19 5 2 20 5 23 5 24 5 25 2 27 5 28 5 35 5 38 5 39 5 43 5 42 5 59 4 3. Refinement of computer programs used in the Gulf of Alaska benthic investigation has progressed. One set of the Clustering Programs has been modified to accept the increased number of stations involved in the grid in the Bering Sea. 4. All grab programs have been modified to accept the 12-digit species code decided upon by the Marine Sorting Center and NOAA. IV. Preliminary Interpretation of Results No preliminary interpretations are currently available. It is anticipated that an additional 10 stations will be given to the Sorting Center for processing in the coming quarter. It is currently projected that numerical analysis will be initiated by December 1976. Coordination between the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea projects has been initiated to facilitate programming compatability. V. Problems Encountered The nature of the substrate in many of the stations sampled in the Bering Sea is such that considerable time is needed to process each replicate for each station. Thus, the cost per sample in the Bering Sea is considerably higher than originally anticipated. A careful selection of stations to be processed has been made, and these stations are double checked as they are completed to avoid processing of any extra samples. The end result of this unexpected problem is a much slower completion rate of samples in the Bering Sea as compared to the Gulf of Alaska. In addition, a reduced grid of stations will be processed as compared to the extensive coverage originally anticipated. It is anticipated that a continuing problem in the sorting of materials will ensue; thus, it is probable that a full second-year coverage will not be possible. Instead, only a very limited number of selected stations will be processed for comparison over a wide area on the Bering Sea grid. TRAWL PROGRAM III. Results Benthic invertebrates obtained on Leg I 1976 have been processed. Verification of specimens from Legs II and III will follow. 3 IV. Preliminary Interpretation of Results No new interpretations at present. V. Problems Encountered No problems. OCS COORDINATION OFFICE University of Alaska ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SUBMISSION SCHEDULE DATE: September 30, 1976 CONTRACT NUMBER: 03-5-022-56 T/O NUMBER: 15 R.U. NUMBER: 5/303 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr. H. M. Feder Submission dates are estimated only and will be updated, if necessary, each quarter. Data batches refer to data as ident- ified in the data management plan. Cruise/Field Operation Collection Dates Estimated Submission Dates From To Batch 1 2 Discoverer Leg I #808 5/15/75 5/30/75 * None Discoverer Leg II #808 6/2/75 6/19/75 * None Miller Freeman 8/16/75 10/20/75 * Miller Freeman 3/76 6/76 (a) (a) Note: 1 Data Management Plan and Data Format have been approved and are considered contractual.