A global sensitivity analysis was conducted on the algorithm implemented in the Echoview w software to detect and describe aggregations in acoustic backscatter. Multiple aggregation detections were performed using walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) data from the eastern Bering Sea. Walleye pollock form distinct aggregations and dense and diffuse layers. In each aggregation detection, input...

This study analyzed recruitment fluctuation in the Pacific stock of walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma. Here, we present a recruitment forecasting model that includes ocean environmental factors. We used the water temperatures in the Funka Bay as the independent variables. We tested whether the fluctuations in recruitment and spawning stock biomass could be reproduced using this model. Furth...

Catch quotas for walleye pollock Gadus chalcogrammus, the dominant species in the groundfish fishery off Alaska, are set by applying harvest control rules to annual estimates of spawning stock biomass (SSB) from age-structured stock assessments. Adult walleye pollock abundance and maturity status have been monitored in early spring in Shelikof Strait in the Gulf of Alaska for almost three decad...

The respiration rate and swimming activity of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) larvae were measured in the laboratory to determine how these were affected by body size (measured as dry weight), and amount of light. Size influenced respiration rates, but not activity. Activity increased with increased light, and as walleye pollock larvae developed, light had an increasingly important effe...

*University of Washington, Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, Box 357941, Seattle, WA 98195, U.S.A., †Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Building 4, Seattle, WA 98115, U.S.A. and §U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Washington, School of Aqua...

To explore the geographical distribution and temporal trends of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the Great Lakes, lake trout from Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Ontario and walleye from Lake Erie, collected during the period of 1980-2000, were analyzed. The concentrations of fifteen PBDE congeners and one polybrominated biphenyl (PBB-153) were determined in each fish sample. Lake...

Franz J. Mueter 1*, Nicholas A. Bond2, James N. Ianelli 3, and Anne B. Hollowed3 School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau, AK 99801, USA Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Oceans, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Cent...

A highly chlorinated flame retardant, Dechlorane Plus (DP), was detected and identified in ambient air, fish, and sediment samples from the Great Lakes region. The identity of this compound was confirmed by comparing its gas chromatographic retention times and mass spectra with those of authentic material. This compound exists as two gas chromatographically separable stereoisomers (syn and anti...

Methyl Mercury (MeHg) exposure is a global environmental health concern. Indigenous peoples around the world are susceptible to MeHg exposure from often higher fish consumption compared to general populations. The objective of this study was to estimate dietary exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) among First Nations living on-reserve in the province of Ontario, Canada. A total diet study was const...

To perform whole genome scanning for complex trait analysis, we isolated and characterized a total of 21 novel genomic-SSRs and EST-SSRs for yellow perch (Perca flavescens), using the methods of construction of SSR-enrichment libraries and EST database mining of a related species P. fluviatilis. Of 16 genomic-SSR primer pairs examined, eight successfully amplified scorable products. The number ...