Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound During the Marine Heatwave

Changes in the body condition of a key forage fish species, Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), are examined to understand how energy transfer to predators may have been disrupted during the recent marine heatwave in the North Pacific (late 2013 to mid 2016).

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Warmer temperatures can disrupt energy transfer through forage fish by raising metabolic costs and shifting the base of the food web toward lower-lipid zooplankton species. Sand lance were collected across five years that ranged in temperature from cool (summers 2012-2013) to extremely warm (summers 2014-2016) in Prince William Sound, Alaska, during July at the annual peak of lipid content. Length, energy density (kJ g^-1 dry mass), and total body energy (kJ) are being measured in age-0 and age-1 sand lance. A shift in sand lance body condition may link warming water conditions with predator responses to the heatwave including seabird breeding failures and the 2015-16 die-off of starving common murres (Uria aalge). This work is part of the Gulf Watch Alaska Monitoring Program of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council.

Pacific sand lance in a sieve from a purse seine in Prince William Sound

Pacific sand lance in a colander that were captured in a small purse seine in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
(Credit: Sarah Schoen, USGS. Public domain.)

2 Black-legged Kittiwakes, one captured Pacific sand lance

2 Black-legged Kittiwakes, one captured 2 Pacific sand lance.
(Credit: Sarah Schoen, USGS. Public domain.)

Closer view of setting a small purse seine in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Closer view of setting a small purse seine to catch Pacific sand lance in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
(Credit: Mayumi Arimitsu, USGS. Public domain.)

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Contacts

Vanessa

von Biela

Research Fish Biologist
Alaska Science Center
Email: vvonbiela@usgs.gov
Phone: 907-786-7073

Mayumi

Arimitsu

Research Ecologist
Alaska Science Center
Email: marimitsu@usgs.gov
Phone: 907-364-1593

John

Piatt

Research Wildlife Biologist
Alaska Science Center
Email: jpiatt@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-774-0516

Sarah

Schoen

Wildlife Biologist
Alaska Science Center
Email: sschoen@usgs.gov
Phone: 907-786-7467

Caitlin

Marsteller

Biologist
Alaska Science Center
Email: cmarsteller@usgs.gov
Phone: 907-786-7069

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Pacific Marine Heatwave
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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...

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Contacts: Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D., Mayumi L Arimitsu, Ph.D., John Piatt, Ph.D., Sarah K Schoen, Caitlin Marsteller

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Year Published: 2019

Extreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016

Pacific sand lance Ammodytes personatus are a key forage fish in the North Pacific for many species of salmon, groundfish, seabirds, and marine mammals and have historically been important to predators in relatively warm years. However, extreme declines in the nutritional value of sand lance in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, during...

von Biela, Vanessa R.; Arimitsu, Mayumi L.; Piatt, John F.; Heflin, Brielle; Schoen, Sarah K.; Trowbridge, Jannelle; Clawson, Chelsea

Attribution: Alaska Science Center, Region 11: Alaska

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