Fish and Aquatic Ecology Active
Fish and aquatic habitats in Alaska support important commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries and provide forage fish that support wildlife populations. The USGS Alaska Science Center conducts interdisciplinary research to inform local, state, federal, and international policy makers regarding conservation of fish, aquatic species, and their habitats. We work collaboratively with hydrologists, geologists and other biologists to study fish and aquatic systems in an ecosystem based framework. The goal of our current research effort is to improve our understanding of the biocomplexity, resilience, and function of aquatic ecosystems to better inform future predictions of fish and aquatic ecosystems as they respond to a changing environment.
Return to Ecosystems
- Assessing Heat Stress in Migrating Yukon River Chinook Salmon
- Nearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
- Sockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of Their Distribution
- Effect of Elodea spp. on Fish Performance Mediated Through Food Web Interactions
- Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Ecology or Hydrology
- Primary production sources and bottom-up limitations in nearshore ecosystems
- Lake Trout Biochronologies as Long-term Climate and Productivity Indicators in Alaska Lake Ecosystems
- Ecosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
- Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound during the marine heatwave
- Arctic Lake Food Webs
- Winter Habitat of juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River
- Beavers Impacting Tundra Ecosystems (BITE)
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Abundance, Timing of Migration, and Egg-to-Smolt Survival of Juvenile Chum Salmon, Kwethluk River, Alaska, 2007 and 2008
Recent ecological divergence despite migration in sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)
Perspectives: Gene Expression in Fisheries Management
Fine-scale population genetic structure in Alaskan Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis)
A method of mounting multiple otoliths for beam-based microchemical analyses
A likelihood framework for joint estimation of salmon abundance and migratory timing using telemetric mark-recapture
Estuarine Ecology of Juvenile Salmon in Western Alaska: a Review
Distribution and spawning dynamics of capelin (Mallotus villosus) in Glacier Bay, Alaska: A cold water refugium
- Overview
Fish and aquatic habitats in Alaska support important commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries and provide forage fish that support wildlife populations. The USGS Alaska Science Center conducts interdisciplinary research to inform local, state, federal, and international policy makers regarding conservation of fish, aquatic species, and their habitats. We work collaboratively with hydrologists, geologists and other biologists to study fish and aquatic systems in an ecosystem based framework. The goal of our current research effort is to improve our understanding of the biocomplexity, resilience, and function of aquatic ecosystems to better inform future predictions of fish and aquatic ecosystems as they respond to a changing environment.
Return to Ecosystems
- Assessing Heat Stress in Migrating Yukon River Chinook Salmon
- Nearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
- Sockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of Their Distribution
- Effect of Elodea spp. on Fish Performance Mediated Through Food Web Interactions
- Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Ecology or Hydrology
- Primary production sources and bottom-up limitations in nearshore ecosystems
- Lake Trout Biochronologies as Long-term Climate and Productivity Indicators in Alaska Lake Ecosystems
- Ecosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
- Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound during the marine heatwave
- Arctic Lake Food Webs
- Winter Habitat of juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River
- Beavers Impacting Tundra Ecosystems (BITE)
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 17 - Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 23No Result Found - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 100No results found. - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 68Abundance, Timing of Migration, and Egg-to-Smolt Survival of Juvenile Chum Salmon, Kwethluk River, Alaska, 2007 and 2008
To better understand and partition mortality among life stages of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), we used inclined-plane traps to monitor the migration of juveniles in the Kwethluk River, Alaska in 2007 and 2008. The migration of juvenile chum salmon peaked in mid-May and catch rates were greatest when water levels were rising. Movement of chum salmon was diurnal with highest catch rates occurrinAuthorsSean E. Burril, Christian E. Zimmerman, James E. Finn, Daniel GillikinRecent ecological divergence despite migration in sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)
Ecological divergence may result when populations experience different selection regimes, but there is considerable discussion about the role of migration at the beginning stages of divergence before reproductive isolating mechanisms have evolved. However, detection of past migration is difficult in current populations and tools to differentiate genetic similarities due to migration versus recentAuthorsScott A. Pavey, Jennifer L. Nielsen, Troy R. HamonPerspectives: Gene Expression in Fisheries Management
Functional genes and gene expression have been connected to physiological traits linked to effective production and broodstock selection in aquaculture, selective implications of commercial fish harvest, and adaptive changes reflected in non-commercial fish populations subject to human disturbance and climate change. Gene mapping using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify functionalAuthorsJennifer L. Nielsen, Scott A. PaveyFine-scale population genetic structure in Alaskan Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis)
Pacific halibut collected in the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska were used to test the hypothesis of genetic panmixia for this species in Alaskan marine waters. Nine microsatellite loci and sequence data from the mitochondrial (mtDNA) control region were analyzed. Eighteen unique mtDNA haplotypes were found with no evidence of geographic population structure. Using nine microsatellAuthorsJennifer L. Nielsen, Sara L. Graziano, Andrew C. SeitzA method of mounting multiple otoliths for beam-based microchemical analyses
Beam-based analytical methods are widely used to measure the concentrations of elements and isotopes in otoliths. These methods usually require that otoliths be individually mounted and prepared to properly expose the desired growth region to the analytical beam. Most analytical instruments, such as LA-ICPMS and ion and electron microprobes, have sample holders that will accept only one to six sliAuthorsC.J. Donohoe, Christian E. ZimmermanA likelihood framework for joint estimation of salmon abundance and migratory timing using telemetric mark-recapture
Many fisheries for Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are actively managed to meet escapement goal objectives. In fisheries where the demand for surplus production is high, an extensive assessment program is needed to achieve the opposing objectives of allowing adequate escapement and fully exploiting the available surplus. Knowledge of abundance is a critical element of such assessment programs. AbAuthorsJeffrey F. Bromaghin, Kenneth S. Gates, Douglas E. PalmerEstuarine Ecology of Juvenile Salmon in Western Alaska: a Review
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, large declines in numbers of chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta and Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha returning to the Arctic-YukonKuskokwim (AYK) region (Alaska, USA) illuminated the need for an improved understanding of the variables controlling salmon abundance at all life stages. In addressing questions about salmon abundance, large gaps in our knowledge of basic salmAuthorsChristian E. Zimmerman, Nicola HillgruberDistribution and spawning dynamics of capelin (Mallotus villosus) in Glacier Bay, Alaska: A cold water refugium
Pacific capelin (Mallotus villosus) populations declined dramatically in the Northeastern Pacific following ocean warming after the regime shift of 1977, but little is known about the cause of the decline or the functional relationships between capelin and their environment. We assessed the distribution and abundance of spawning, non-spawning adult and larval capelin in Glacier Bay, an estuarine fAuthorsMayumi L. Arimitsu, John F. Piatt, Michael A. Litzow, Alisa A. Abookire, Marc D. Romano, Martin D. Robards