Nearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
Science Center Objects
Nearshore systems provide habitat to a unique community of marine and diadromous (lives in both fresh and saltwater) fish and support high fish abundance.
Return to Ecosystems >> Fish and Aquatic Ecology
In the Arctic, rapid changes in temperature and salinity have led to changes in where fish commonly occur. Recent offshore survey efforts also provide an opportunity to compare fish abundance between offshore and nearshore habitats to understand which species use nearshore and offshore habitats and if nearshore habitats are used for specific part of their lives (like juvenile rearing, feeding, or reproduction). Updated information on fish community and use of nearshore habitats will provide management agencies with information for assessments and improve understanding of current susceptibility and risks of development and production in federal waters.
Project Tasks:
- Examine the composition of nearshore fish communities along spatial (central to eastern Beaufort) and temporal (inter-annual) scales.
- Describe the distribution and abundance of marine and diadromous fish species in nearshore habitats in relation to known hydrographic (e.g., salinity, temperature) and biological (e.g., presence of kelp) drivers.
- Assess the possible connectivity between continental shelf and estuarine nearshore fish communities through comparative analyses of community assemblage, abundance, and individual attributes (e.g., length) to identify the role of nearshore habitats.
Engage local students from Kaveolook School through K-12 Oceanography Program (see https://utmsi.utexas.edu/visit/summer-science/kaktovik-alaska)
A fyke net or fish trap used for continuous sampling of nearshore fish in shallow waters. Fish swimming along the beach are stopped by a small-mesh net that guides them in to one of these two underwater fish traps that are set side by side. Researchers visit nets at least once a day to identify, count, and release fish.
(Credit: Vanessa von Biela, USGS. Public domain.)
An underwater image of fish captured by a fyke net near Kaktovik, Alaska, Beaufort Sea, USA. The small silver fish with dark backs are young-of-year (age-0) Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) and the flatfish are Arctic flounder (Liopsetta glacialis).
(Credit: Vanessa von Biela, USGS. Public domain.)
Biologists identify species, count, measure length, and release thousands of fish each year to understand how fish use nearshore habitats.
(Credit: Vanessa von Biela, USGS. Public domain.)
Fish and Aquatic Ecology
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...
-
Date published: May 6, 2019Status: ActiveWinter Habitat of Juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River
In the Arctic, rivers often freeze all the way to the bottom each winter leaving fish with limited habitat where they can survive.
Contacts: Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D., Michael P Carey, Ph.D., Randy J. BrownAttribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 25, 2018Status: ActiveArctic Lake Food Webs
From 2011 to 2013 we investigated freshwater food webs of Arctic Coastal Plain lakes in Alaska to improve our understanding how Arctic freshwater food webs may respond to landscape change the warmer, drier future.
Contacts: Sarah Laske, Ph.D., Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Joshua C Koch, Ph.D., Joel A Schmutz, Ph.D., Amanda Rosenberger, Ph.D., Mark Wipfli, Matthew WhitmanAttribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 25, 2018Status: ActiveCondition 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).
Attribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 24, 2018Status: ActiveEcosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
In addition to the direct effects of sea ice loss on walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) that use ice as a platform, the decline of Arctic sea ice is predicted to promote a fundamental ecosystem shift from benthic animals that forage on the sea floor to pelagic animals that forage near the sea surface.
Contacts: Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D., David Douglas, Daniel Esler, Ph.D., Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Bryan Black, Kenneth Dutton -
Date published: April 24, 2018Status: ActiveLake Trout Biochronologies as Long-term Climate and Productivity Indicators in Alaska Lake Ecosystems
High latitude ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to long-term climate change, yet continuous, multidecadal indicators by which to gauge effects on biology are scarce, especially in freshwater environments.
Contacts: Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D., Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Bryan Black, Randy J. Brown, Dan YoungAttribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 19, 2018Status: ActivePrimary Production Sources and Bottom-up Limitations in Nearshore Ecosystems
Kelp forests are among the world’s most productive habitats, but recent evidence suggests that production is highly variable.
Attribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 18, 2018Status: ActiveHydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Ecology
Permafrost thaw is leading to a myriad of changes in physical and chemical conditions throughout the Arctic.
Attribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 18, 2018Status: ActiveEffect of Elodea spp. on Fish Performance Mediated Through Food Web Interactions
The potential for invasive species introductions in Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems is growing as climate change manifests and human activity increases in high latitudes.
Contacts: Michael P Carey, Ph.D., Suresh Andrew Sethi, Ph.D., Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Dan Young, Gordon Reeves, Theresa Tanner -
Date published: April 17, 2018Status: ActiveSockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of Their Distribution
The physiological challenge for anadromous fish to migrate upriver to spawn and complete their life cycle is influenced by river temperature.
Contacts: Michael P Carey, Ph.D., Stephen D McCormick, Amy Regish, Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Kevin D. Keith, Merlyn Schelske, Charlie LeanAttribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 3, 2018Status: ActiveAssessing heat stress in migrating Yukon River Chinook Salmon
We will examine evidence of heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) using heat shock proteins and gene expression.
Contacts: Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D., Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Lizabeth Bowen, Shannon Waters, Stephen D McCormick, Amy Regish, Michael P Carey, Ph.D., Randy J. Brown, Sean Larson
Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) char captured in brackish water
Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) char captured in brackish water along the Beaufort Sea coastline. Dolly Varden are an important subsistence fish across their range.
Arctic smelt (Osmerus dentex) captured along the Beaufort Sea
Arctic smelt (Osmerus dentex) captured along the Beaufort Sea coastline in Alaska. This species is a close relative of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax)
Arctic smelt (Osmerus dentex) captured along Beaufort Sea
Arctic smelt (Osmerus dentex) captured along the Beaufort Sea coastline in Alaska. This species is a close relative of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax).
Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) captured along the Beaufort Sea
Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) captured along the Beaufort Sea coastline in Alaska.
Least cisco (Coregonus sardinella) captured along the Beaufort Sea
Least cisco (Coregonus sardinella) captured along the Beaufort Sea coastline in Alaska. Least cisco are part of subsistence fisheries in Alaska.
Humpback whitefish (Coregonus pidschian) captured along Beaufort Sea
Humpback whitefish (Coregonus pidschian) captured along the Beaufort Sea coastline in Alaska. Humpback whitefish are part of subsistence fisheries in Alaska.
Broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus) captured along the Beaufort Sea
Broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus) captured along the Beaufort Sea coastline in Alaska. Broad whitefish are part of subsistence fisheries in Alaska.
Two Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) captured along the Beaufort Sea
Two Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) captured along the Beaufort Sea coastline in Alaska. Arctic cod are the primary forage fish and a key prey item for predators in the Pacific Arctic.
The catch from a fyke net set near Kaktovik, Alaska
Biologists identify species, count, measure length, and release thousands of fish each year to understand how fish use nearshore habitats.
A fyke net set to catch nearshore fish near Kaktovik, Alaska
A fyke net or fish trap used for continuous sampling of nearshore fish in shallow waters. Fish swimming along the beach are stopped by a small-mesh net that guides them in to one of these two underwater fish traps that are set side by side. Researchers visit nets at least once a day to identify, count, and release fish.
Underwater image of fish captured by a fyke net
An underwater image of fish captured by a fyke net near Kaktovik, Alaska, Beaufort Sea, USA. The small silver fish with dark backs are young-of-year (age-0) Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) and the flatfish are Arctic flounder (Liopsetta glacialis).
Beaufort Sea coastline on Arey Island with flock of birds
Flock of birds over Arey Island near Kaktovik on the coastline of the Beaufort Sea.