SPO News

Age determination manual of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Age and Growth Program (PP 13)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:24:35 -0400

NOAA Professional Paper NMFS 13 was published online April 24, 2012:

Age determination manual of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Age and Growth Program, by Mary Elizabeth Matta and Daniel K. Kimura (editors), 97 p.

Marine Fisheries Review 73(4)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:11:49 -0400

Marine Fisheries Review 73(4) was published online on April 17, 2012

The special issue includes a single article:

“They Come, They Fish, and They Go:” EC Fisheries Agreements with Cape Verde and São Tomé e Príncipe by Gonçalo Carneiro

Fishery Bulletin, Vol. 110, No. 2

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:32:00 -0400

Fishery Bulletin Vol. 110, No. 2 was published online March 26, 2012

Fishery Bulletin, Vol. 110, No. 1

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:08:00 -0500

Fishery Bulletin Vol. 110, No. 1 was published online on Dec. 20, 2011.

Marine Fisheries Review 73(3)

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:59:57 -0500

Marine Fisheries Review 73(3) was published online Dec. 30, 2011. Articles include:

Soviet Illegal Whaling: The Devil and the Details
by Yulia V. Ivashchenko, Phillip J. Clapham, and Robert L. Brownell, Jr.

Ecosystem-based Management for Protected Species in the North Pacific Fisheries
by Jeannie M. Heltzel, David Witherell, and William J. Wilson

Evaluation of a Pound Net Leader Designed to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch
by Ryan D. Silva, Joseph T. Dealteris, and Henry O. Milliken

A guide to the deep-water sponges of the Aleutian Island Archipelago (Prof Paper 12)

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:06:00 -0500

“A guide to the deepwater sponges of the Aleutian Island Archipelago,” by Robert P. Stone, Helmut Lehnert, and Henry Reiswig, NOAA Professional Paper NMFS 12, was published online here, Nov. 15, 2011. The 187-page guide includes full color photos and descriptions of 112 sponges.

Abstract—The first dedicated collections of deep-water (>80 m) sponges from the central Aleutian Islands revealed a rich fauna including 28 novel species and geographical range extensions for 53 others. Based on these collections and the published literature, we now confirm the presence of 125 species (or subspecies) of deep-water sponges in the Aleutian Islands. Clearly the deep-water sponge fauna of the Aleutian Islands is extraordinarily rich and largely understudied. Submersible observations revealed that sponges, rather than deep-water corals, are the dominant feature shaping benthic habitats in the region and that they provide important refuge habitat for many species of fish and invertebrates including juvenile rockfish (Sebastes spp.) and king crabs (Lithodes sp). Examination of video footage collected along 127 km of the seafloor further indicate that there are likely hundreds of species still uncollected from the region, and many unknown to science. Furthermore, sponges are extremely fragile and easily damaged by contact with fishing gear. High rates of fishery bycatch clearly indicate a strong interaction between existing fisheries and sponge habitat. Bycatch in fisheries and fisheries-independent surveys can be a major source of information on the location of the sponge fauna, but current monitoring programs are greatly hampered by the inability of deck personnel to identify bycatch. This guide contains detailed species descriptions for 112 sponges collected in Alaska, principally in the central Aleutian Islands. It addresses bycatch identification challenges by providing fisheries observers and scientists with the information necessary to adequately identify sponge fauna. Using that identification data, areas of high abundance can be mapped and the locations of indicator species of vulnerable marine ecosystems can be determined. The guide is also designed for use by scientists making observations of the fauna in situ with submersibles, including remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles.

Fishery Bulletin, 1881-present online

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:23:00 -0500

The NMFS Scientific Publications Office has completed the process of OCRing all past issues of Fishery Bulletin (including those originally scanned by the NOAA Central Library as graphic images). Files for each individual article are now available in searchable PDF format. This electronic archive begins with the very first issue published in 1881. To view the list of issues, click here for the Fishery Bulletin main contents page. Use the Google search feature on the contents page to search the articles.

Marine Fisheries Review 73(2)

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:03:00 -0500

Marine Fisheries Review 73(2) was added to the SPO website on Oct. 18, 2011.

Fishery Bulletin Vol. 109, No. 4

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:33:00 -0500

Fishery Bulletin vol. 109, no. 4, was published online on Sept. 28, 2011.