afsc – Fishermens News

Streamlined Technology Allows Science Center to Accelerate Fish Fat Studies

2Oct

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

Streamlined Technology Allows Science Center to Accelerate Fish Fat Studies

Scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) are substantially increasing their research into the amount of energy-rich fat in fish, thanks to a new streamlined method that allows them to more than quadruple the number of fish sampled each day. Study results, announced Sept. 24, looked at all five species of Pacific salmon, Pacific herring, cod, pollock and capelin. The results produced data that matched what traditional methods produced, validating the sulfo-phospho-vanilllin (SPV) assay method and certified a novel way to measure lipids in Alaska marine fish. The SPV assay has for some time been studied as a rapid alternative to traditional methods for lipid analysis. Lipids, or fat, have long been regarded by scientists as the most important energy reserve for anim...

11Sep

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

New NOAA Models Predict Red King Crab Bycatch Locations

New models developed by NOAA Fisheries scientists are predicting red king crab bycatch occurrence and abundance in Bristol Bay flatfish trawl fisheries. The models have found a general northward shift in occurrence and abundance of different ages of male and female red king crab in Bristol Bay, NOAA Fisheries said Sept. 5. These models, which demonstrate it is possible to predict where and when bycatch occurs, are an important first step toward building predictive tools for fishing fleets and fisheries managers to reduce bycatch, said Emily Ryznar, lead author and fisheries biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, or AFSC. The study contributes timely insight regarding distribution and drivers of Bristol Bay red king crab bycatch,” Kodiak Laboratory Director and AFSC ...

14Aug

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

Ferdinand Named Deputy Director at AFSC

Jennifer Ferdinand has been appointed deputy director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, AFSC science and research director Robert Foy announced Aug. 6. Ferdinand, a former commercial fisheries observer, joined NOAA in 1998. In his announcement, Foy praised Ferdinand’s leadership skills, saying she is highly regarded by colleagues, staff, constituents and partners for her ability to bring together disparate groups to build consensus. Ferdinand spent a decade with AFSC’s Fisheries Monitoring and Analysis Division as a debriefer, observer trainer and program manager. In 2008, she became the center planning officer, coordinating the development and implementation of the center’s strategic planning process. In 2018, she became director of the organization’s Fisheries Monitori...

NOAA Fisheries Announces Changes in Alaska Survey Portfolio

12Jun

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

NOAA Fisheries Announces Changes in Alaska Survey Portfolio

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) said in early June that it plans to redesign and reprioritize efforts in several of its surveys this year, while advancing ways to more efficiently collect data and accomplish its research mission to support sustainable fisheries management. The new survey combines the current eastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey, the northern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey, and portions of the historical Eastern Bering Sea slope survey. AFSC is also suspending one survey due to shortfalls in cost recovery to the industry in conducting the survey, related to depressed economic value of the harvest. It’s all part of a NOAA Fisheries multi-year effort, announced June 7, to strategically respond to climate-driven changes in the environment, maintain fi...

AFSC Study Looks at Range of eDNA in Marine Fisheries Management

20Mar

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

AFSC Study Looks at Range of eDNA in Marine Fisheries Management

New research by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) in Juneau examines the influence of distance and tides on distribution and concentration of environmental DNA from chum salmon in net pens in Southeast Alaska. It’s another piece of the puzzle as researchers work to understand the overall impact of changing climate conditions on fisheries in the ocean. This study, AFSC research geneticist Diana Baetscher said, addresses one of the critical knowledge gaps in applying eDNA to marine fisheries management. “The idea here is we are able to use eDNA to understand where the fish are,” she said. “What we did with the chum hatchery net pen in Juneau was an experiment to determine where we no longer detect this eDNA. It is just a piece of information floating around in the water...

NOAA Fisheries Study Looks at Future of Pacific Cod Moving North

27Jun

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

NOAA Fisheries Study Looks at Future of Pacific Cod Moving North

A new study, publicly released June 22 by NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), says the success of reproduction of Pacific cod moving north because of climate change issues remains an unknown. New collaborative research discussed in the study predicts how thermally suitable habitat for Pacific cod spawning in the Bering Sea may shift over the coming century of climate change. The study coupled state-of-the-art climate modeling with information from laboratory experiments relating hatch success to temperature and looked at how changes in spawning habitat might affect Pacific cod productivity. The study projects that suitable spawning habitat will expand and shift over this century, as current spawning hotspots likely become too warm for egg development and ha...

AFSC Speeds Up Data Collection To Tackle Bycatch Issues

31Aug

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

AFSC Speeds Up Data Collection To Tackle Bycatch Issues

Researchers with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) say they’re speeding up the process of gathering data to share with the fisheries managers and others on the decline of Chinook and chum salmon runs, particularly in western Alaska. The AFSC, which is collaborating with state and federal researchers, as well as those at the university level, reported in late August that the center has developed models to better understand and help resource managers address bycatch impacts. “These models, after accounting for natural mortality, produce estimates of the number of adult fish that would be expected to return to their natal rivers to spawn if they hadn’t been taken as bycatch in the Eastern Bering Sea Pollock fisheries,” their report states. Salmon bycatch levels vary year...

AFSC Research Plan Focuses on Shellfish, Seaweed Aquaculture Development

17Aug

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

AFSC Research Plan Focuses on Shellfish, Seaweed Aquaculture Development

A strategic research plan released by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) will be used to help the NOAA Fisheries agency guide research to expand shellfish and seaweed production over the next five years, in hopes of expanding the state’s blue economy. The goal is to provide information for state and federal regulatory agencies and coastal communities in Alaska to ensure a sustainable seafood supply and economic opportunities for Americans. This research will provide an important foundation for sustainable development, AFSC Director Bob Foy said. “Marine aquaculture contributes to restoration efforts in Alaska and is increasing economic opportunities for coastal communities through the farming of shellfish and seaweed,” Foy explained. The research plan notes that the...