North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission

Technical Report 15

Table of Contents

Mechanisms for Shifts in the Distribution and Abundance of Juvenile Sockeye Salmon in the Eastern Bering Sea during Late Summer, 2002–2018

Authors:
Ellen Yasumiishi, Curry Cunningham, Ed Farley, Kristin Cieciel, Jamal Moss, Wesley Strasburger, Lisa Eisner, Alexander Andrews, Jeanette Gann, Jim Murphy, Andrew Dimond, and Elizabeth Siddon

Abstract Excerpt:
Climate change is altering the distribution and abundance of marine species in Arctic and sub-Arctic oceans. The eastern Bering Sea is a critical rearing habitat for juvenile sockeye salmon during summer (Farley et al. 2007). Southeast Bering Sea shelf water temperatures ranged from 4–10°C, with anomalous warm 2002–2005, cool 2006–2013, and warm 2014–2018 periods (Fig. 1). In response to warming, significant shifts north and increases in abundance were detected for juvenile sockeye salmon and age-0 pollock in the eastern Bering Sea, 2002–2018 (Fig. 2, Fig. 3) (Yasumiishi et al. in prep.). In addition, juvenile sockeye salmon consumed more age-0 pollock during warm years and more zooplankton during cool years (Fig. 4). To get a better understanding of the mechanisms for shifts, we examined spatio-temporal covariates of the distribution and abundance of juvenile sockeye salmon. Covariates included station level sea temperature, large copepod densities (prey), juvenile pink salmon (competitors), and age-0 pollock (competitors and prey).

*This is the first paragraph of an extended abstract. Download the full abstract below.

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr15/129.131.

Citation

Yasumiishi, E., C. Cunningham, E. Farley, K. Cieciel, J. Moss, W. Strasburger, L. Eisner, A. Andrews, J. Gann, J. Murphy, A. Dimond, and E. Siddon.  2019.  Mechanisms for shifts in the distribution and abundance of juvenile sockeye salmon in the eastern Bering Sea during late summer, 2002–2018.  N. Pac. Anadr. Fish Comm. Tech. Rep. 15: 129–131.  https://doi.org/10.23849/npafctr15/129.131.