VOLUME 59 DECEMBER 2018 CALIFORNIA COOPERATIVE OCEANIC FISHERIES INVESTIGATIONS Reports VOLUME 59 JANUARY 1 TO DECEMBER 31, 2018 Cooperating Agencies: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE CALCOFI COORDINATOR John N. Heine EDITOR John N. Heine This report is not copyrighted, except where otherwise indicated, and may be reproduced in other publications provided credit is given to California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations and to the author(s). Inquiries concerning this report should be addressed to CalCOFI Coordinator, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92038-0218. EDITORIAL BOARD John N. Heine Brice Semmens Printed and distributed December 2018, La Jolla, California ISSN 0575-3317 CONTENTS Scientific Contributions State of the California Current 2017–18: Still Not Quite Normal in the North and Getting Interesting in the South. Andrew R.Thompson, Isaac D. Schroeder, Steven J. Bograd, Elliott L. Hazen, Michael G. Jacox, Andrew Leising, Brian K.Wells, John Largier, Jennifer Fisher, Eric Bjorkstedt, Roxanne R. Robertson, Francisco P. Chavez, Mati Kahru, Ralf Goericke, Sam McClatchie, Clare E. Peabody,Tim Baumgartner, Bertha E. Lavaniegos, Jose Gomez-Valdes, Richard D. Brodeur, Elizabeth A. Daly, Cheryl A. Morgan,Toby D. Auth, Brian J. Burke, John Field, Keith Sakuma, Edward D.Weber,William Watson, Julia Coates, Ryan Schoenbaum, Laura Rogers-Bennett, Robert M. Suryan, Jane Dolliver, Stephanie Loredo, Jennifer Zamon, Stephanie R. Schneider, Richard T. Golightly, Pete Warzybok, Jaime Jahncke, Jarrod A. Santora, Sarah Ann Thompson,William Sydeman, and Sharon R. Melin ............................................................................. 1 Evaluation of the Influence of Age and Length on Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax) Maturation and Characterization of Its Temporal Variability. Kevin Piner, Jenny Mcdaniel, Hui-Hua Lee, Kevin Hill, and Beverly Macewicz ................................................................................................. 67 Spring Spawning Distribution of Pacific Sardine in US and Mexican Waters. J. A.Valencia-Gasti, E. D.Weber,T. Baumgartner, R. Durazo, S. McClatchie, and C. E. Lennert-Cody ..................... 79 Population Dynamics of the Bigeye Croaker Micropogonias megalops in the Northern Gulf of California. Edgar Arnoldo Arzola-Sotelo, Juana López-Martínez, Carlos Hiram Rábago-Quiroz, Jesús Guadalupe Padilla-Serrato, and Enrique Morales-Bojórquez ...................................................................... 86 Reproductive Tactics of California Halibut (Paralichthys californicus): Combining Spawning Season, Interspawning Interval, and Batch Fecundity to Estimate Annual Reproductive Output for a Multiple-Batch Spawning Fish. Cheryl L. Barnes and Richard M. Starr ................................................... 102 Instructions to Authors ................................................................................................................................................... 115 CalCOFI Basic Station Plan . inside back cover SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT 2017–18: STILL NOT QUITE NORMAL IN THE NORTH AND GETTING INTERESTING IN THE SOUTH CalCOFI Rep., Vol. 59, 2018 STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT 2017–18: STILL NOT QUITE NORMAL IN THE NORTH AND GETTING INTERESTING IN THE SOUTH ANDREW R.THOMPSON* SAM MCCLATCHIE ROBERT M. SURYAN1, National Marine Fisheries Service 38 Upland Rd, Huia JANE DOLLIVER2, AND Southwest Fisheries Science Center Auckland 0604, New Zealand STEPHANIE LOREDO2 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive 1NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center La Jolla, CA 92037-1509 CLARE E. PEABODY Auke Bay Laboratories/ [email protected] National Marine Fisheries Service Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute Southwest Fisheries Science Center 17109 Pt. Lena Loop Road ISAAC D. SCHROEDER1,2, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive Juneau, AK 99801 1 1 STEVEN J. BOGRAD , ELLIOTT L. HAZEN , La Jolla, CA 92037-1509 2Department of Fisheries and Wildlife MICHAEL G. JACOX1,3, ANDREW LEISING1, 4 Oregon State University AND BRIAN K.WELLS TIMOTHY R. BAUMGARTNER, Hatfield Marine Science Center 1Southwest Fisheries Science Center BERTHA E. LAVANIEGOS, AND Newport, OR 97365 National Marine Fisheries Service JOSE GOMEZ-VALDES 99 Pacific Street, Suite 255A Oceanology Division JEANNETTE E. ZAMON Monterey, CA 93940-7200 Centro de Investigación Científica y Northwest Fisheries Science Center 2Institute of Marine Sciences Educación Superior de Ensenada Point Adams Research Station University of California, Santa Cruz, CA Carretera Ensenada-Tijuana No. 3918 520 Heceta Place and Southwest Fisheries Science Center Zona Playitas C.P. 22860 Hammond OR 97121 NOAA Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico Monterey, CA STEPHANIE R. SCHNEIDER1 AND RICHARD D. BRODEUR1, 2 3 RICHARD T. GOLIGHTLY Earth System Research Laboratory 2 ELIZABETH A. DALY , 1 NOAA 2 2 Moss Landing Marine Labs CHERYL A. MORGAN ,TOBY D. AUTH 8272 Moss Landing Road Boulder, CO 80305 AND BRIAN J. BURKE3 4 Moss Landing, CA 95039 Southwest Fisheries Science Center 1NOAA-Fisheries National Marine Fisheries Service 2Department of Wildlife Northwest Fisheries Science Center Humboldt State University NOAA Hatfield Marine Science Center Santa Cruz, CA 95064 1 Harpst Street Newport, OR 97365 Arcata, CA 95521 JOHN L. LARGIER 2Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies PETE WARZYBOK AND JAIME JAHNCKE Bodega Marine Laboratory Oregon State University University of California Davis, Point Blue Conservation Science Hatfield Marine Science Center Bodega Bay, CA 94923 3820 Cypress Drive, Suite 11 Newport, OR 97365 Petaluma, CA 94954 JENNIFER L. FISHER1, KYM JACOBSON2, 3Fish Ecology Division SAMANTHA ZEMAN1 Northwest Fisheries Science Center JARROD A. SANTORA1, SARAH ANN THOMPSON2, AND 1Cooperative Institute for National Marine Fisheries Service WILLIAM SYDEMAN2 Marine Resources Studies National Oceanic and Oregon State University Atmospheric Administration 1Department of Applied Mathematics Hatfield Marine Science Center 2725 Montlake Boulevard E and Statistics Newport, OR 97365 Seattle,WA 98112 Center for Stock Assessment Research University of California, Santa Cruz 2Northwest Fisheries Science Center JOHN FIELD AND KEITH SAKUMA Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Hatfield Marine Science Center Southwest Fisheries Science Center 2 Newport, OR 97365 Farallon Institute for National Marine Fisheries Service Advanced Ecosystem Research ERIC P. BJORKSTEDT1 AND NOAA Petaluma, CA 94952 ROXANNE R. ROBERTSON2 Santa Cruz, CA 95064 SHARON R. MELIN 1Southwest Fisheries Science Center EDWARD D.WEBER AND National Marine Fisheries Service National Marine Fisheries Service WILLIAM WATSON NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service Santa Cruz, CA 95064 Marine Mammal Laboratory Southwest Fisheries Science Center NOAA 2CIMEC, Humboldt State University 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive 7600 Sand Point Way N. E. La Jolla, CA 92037-1509 FRANCISCO P. CHAVEZ Seattle,WA 98115 Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute JULIA COATES1, RYAN SCHOENBAUM1, Moss Landing, CA 95039 AND LAURA ROGERS-BENNETT2 1California Department of Fish and Wildlife MATI KAHRU AND RALF GOERICKE 1933 Cliff Drive, Suite 9 Scripps Institution of Oceanography Santa Barbara, CA 93109 University of California, San Diego 2California Department of Fish and Wildlife La Jolla, CA 92093 Bodega Marine Laboratory University of California, Davis 2099 Westshore Road Bodega Bay, CA 94923 1 STATE OF THE CALIFORNIA CURRENT 2017–18: STILL NOT QUITE NORMAL IN THE NORTH AND GETTING INTERESTING IN THE SOUTH CalCOFI Rep., Vol. 59, 2018 ABSTRACT at Yaquina Head, Oregon, and Castle Rock, Califor- Following the marine heat wave of 2014–16, the nia. In both cases, forage was scarce, birds conducted California Current System (CCS) trended towards long foraging excursions which left eggs unattended more typical conditions north of Point Conception, for extended periods, and many eggs were consumed California, from mid-2017 to mid-2018, but became by avian predators. Brandt’s (Phalacrocorax peniscillatus) highly abnormal in the south by mid-2018.Two basin- and pelagic (P. pelagicus) cormorants had above aver- scale indices (Pacific Decadal Oscillation and Oce- age reproductive success in 2017 at Yaquina Head, but anic Niño Index) were close to neutral, but the North Brandt’s cormorant also had total reproductive failure Pacific Gyre Oscillation was extremely low at the in 2017 at Castle Rock. At Southeast Farallon Island end of 2017 and beginning of 2018. Regional anal- murre, Brandt’s cormorant, and pelagic cormorant pro- yses demonstrated that upwelling was close to nor- ductivity was close to average in 2017, and Brandt’s mal throughout most of the CCS with the exception cormorant and murre were slightly above average in of high upwelling from northern California to Wash- 2018. Preliminary 2018 results from Yaquina Head also ington in summer and fall of 2017. Sea surface tem- indicated that murre successfully produced chicks for perature was close to normal throughout most of the the first time since 2014. At-sea bird surveys in the CCS but warmed to record levels in summer 2018 north demonstrated that sooty shearwater and common in southern California and northern Baja California. murre abundances were historically low in 2017, but In spring 2018, surface chlorophyll a was negatively increased to some of the highest values on record