Publications

We analyze intraspecific mitochondrial DNA variation in chinook salmon from drainages in the Yukon River, the Kenai River, and Oregon and California rivers; and chum salmon from the Yukon River and vancouver Island, and Washington rivers. For each species, three different portions of the mtDNA molecule were amplified seperately using the polymerase chain reaction and then digested with...

Existing knowledge on high-seas and coastal gillnet fisheries known to kill seabirds in the North Pacific is summarized. Recent estimates suggest that high-seas gillnet fisheries may have taken more than 500,000 seabirds in 1990. The majority of birds taken in those fisheries were Sooty Puffinus griseus or Short-tailed P. tenuirostris shearwaters. A recent analysis of impacts of those...

We summarize current knowledge about the distribution of Pacific Black Brant and recent dynamics of colonies, particularly on the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta, Alaska. About 20,000 nests are required to produce the number of young in the autumn flight using estimates of clutch size, hatching success and gosling survival based on colonies on the Y-K Delta. More than 80% of the nests in the

Abundance, distribution, and habitat selection of breeding and moulting Pacific Black Brant were studied on Wrangel Island in 1989-91. Two nests and

This collection of 19 papers continues the annual series of U.S. Geological Survey reports on the geology of Alaska. The contributions, which include full-length Articles and shorter Geologic Notes, cover a broad range of topics including dune formation, stratigraphy, paleontology, isotopic dating, mineral resources, and tectonics. Articles, grouped under four regional headings, span...

I investigated the stability of parent-offspring bonds, and sibling-sibling bonds of neck-banded Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) during winters (September-May) in California and southern Oregon from 1979 to 1989. Geese captured at feeding sites were more likely to be in social groups than those captured at roosting sites. Offspring remained associated with their...

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) give birth in dens of snow and ice. The altricial neonates cannot leave the den for >2 months post-partum and are potentially vulnerable to disturbances near dens. The coastal plain (1002) area of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) lies in a region of known polar bear denning and also may contain >9 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Polar...

We estimated age at sexual maturity and age-specific reproductive rates by examining carcasses and reproductive tracts from 177 female sea otters (Enhydra lutris). Carcasses were recovered from south-central Alaska, Primarily from western Prince William Sound, as a result of the T/V Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. We found 65% of our sample to be sexually mature. Sexual maturity was...

Results from two experiments are presented that contrast differences in life-history traits and population dynamics between two species of live bearing fishes (Gambusia affinis and G. holbrooki) that hybridize across portions of the southeastern United States. Progeny from parental holbrooki and holbrooki-affinis F1 crosses exhibited larger lengths at birth, at 15 days, and matured...

Natural populations of many species are increasingly impacted by human activities. Perturbations are particularly pronunced for large ungulates due in part to sport and commercial harvest, to reductions and fragmentation of native habitat, and as the result of reintroductions. These perturbations affect population size, sex and age composition, and population breeding structure, and as a

Several recently published papers discussed the importance of systematics (the study of evolutionary and genetic relationships among organisms) and taxonomy (the naming and classification of organisms) for managing wildlife (Ryder 1986, Avise 1989, Amato 1991, O'Brien and Mayr 1991, Dowling et al. 1992), Often, classification below the species level is needed; for example, the Endangered...

Laysan albatrosses (Diomedea immutabilis) are among the most prominent bird species which interact with commercial fisheries in the North Pacific. They are attracted to fishing nets and vessels and feed extensively on animals caught in nets, waste fish, offal, and refuse discarded from vessels. Approximately 17,500 individuals were killed in the five major high seas driftnet fisheries in...