Hatching date, nursery grounds, and early growth of juvenile walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) off northern Japan*

Walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) is widely distributed in the North Pacific Ocean and plays an important role in coastal subarctic ecosystems. The Japanese Pacific population of this species is one of the most important demersal fishes for commercial fisheries in northern Japan. The population is distributed along the Pacific coast of Hokkaido and the Tohoku area (Fig. 1), which is the southern limit of distribution of the species in the western North Pacific. In Funka Bay, the main spawning ground for this population, pollock spawn from December to March (Kendall and Nakatani, 1992). Planktonic eggs and larvae are transported into the bay, where juveniles usually remain until late July when they reach 60−85 mm in total length (Hayashi et al., 1968; Nakatani and Maeda, 1987). These juvenile pollock then migrate from Funka Bay eastward to the Doto area off southeastern Hokkaido (Honda et al., 2004). Many studies on eggs, larvae, and juveniles of the species have been conducted in or near Funka Bay, but little information is available on the ecology of the early life stages in the Tohoku area. Hashimoto and Ishito (1991) suggested that eggs are transported from Funka Bay southward to the Tohoku area by the coastal branch of the Oyashio Current, but there has been no study to verify this hypothesis.

Triglops dorothy, a new species of sculpin (Teleostei: Scorpaeniformes: Cottidae) from the southern Sea of Okhotsk

A new species of the cottid genus Triglops Reinhardt is described on the basis of 21 specimens collected in Aniva Bay, southern Sakhalin Island, Russia, and off Kitami, on the northern coast of Hokkaido, Japan, at depths of 73–117 m. Of the ten species of Triglops now recognized, the new species, Triglops dorothy, is most similar to T. pingeli Reinhardt, well known from the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans and throughout coastal waters of the Arctic. The new species differs from T. pingeli in a combination of morphometric and meristic characters that includes most importantly the number of dorsolateral scales; the number of oblique, scaled dermal folds below the lateral line; and the number of gill rakers.

Reproductive biology of female Rikuzen sole (Dexistes rikuzenius)*

The annual ovarian cycle, mode of maturation, age at maturity, and potential fecundity of female Rikuzen sole (Dexistes rikuzenius) from the North Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan were studied by 1) histological examination of the gonads, 2) measurement and observation of the oocytes, and 3) by otolith aging. The results indicated that ovulation occurs from September to December and peaks between September and October. Vitellogenesis began again soon after the end of the current season. Maturity was divided into eight phases on the basis of oocyte developmental stages. Mature ovaries contained developing oocytes and postovulatory follicles but no recruiting oocytes, indicating that this species has group-synchronous ovaries and is a multiple spawner. Almost all females matured first at an age of 1+ year and spawned every year until at least age 8+ years. Potential fecundity increased exponentially with body length and the most fecund fish had 15 times as many oocytes as the least fecund fish. Potential fecundity and relative fecundity were both positively correlated with age from 1 to 6+ years, but were negatively correlated, probably because of senescence, in fish over 7 years. These results emphasize that the total productivity of a D. rikuzenius population depends not only on the biomass of females older than 1+ but also on the age structure of the population.

Soviet Illegal Whaling: The Devil and the Details

In 1948, the U.S.S.R. began a global campaign of illegal whaling that lasted for three decades and, together with the poorly managed “legal” whaling of other nations, seriously depleted whale populations. Although the general story of this whaling has been told and the catch record largely corrected for the Southern Hemisphere, major gaps remain in the North Pacific. Furthermore, little attention has been paid to the details of this system or its economic context. Using interviews with former Soviet whalers and biologists as well as previously unavailable reports and other material in Russian, our objective is to describe how the Soviet whaling industry was structured and how it worked, from the largest scale of state industrial planning down to the daily details of the ways in which whales were caught and processed, and how data sent to the Bureau of International Whaling Statistics were falsified. Soviet whaling began with the factory ship Aleut in 1933, but by 1963 the industry had a truly global reach, with seven factory fleets (some very large). Catches were driven by a state planning system that set annual production targets. The system gave bonuses and honors only when these were met or exceeded, and it frequently increased the following year’s targets to match the previous year’s production; scientific estimates of the sustainability of the resource were largely ignored. Inevitably, this system led to whale populations being rapidly reduced. Furthermore, productivity was measured in gross output (weights of whales caught), regardless of whether carcasses were sound or rotten, or whether much of the animal was unutilized. Whaling fleets employed numerous people, including women (in one case as the captain of a catcher boat). Because of relatively high salaries and the potential for bonuses, positions in the whaling industry were much sought-after. Catching and processing of whales was highly mechanized and became increasingly efficient as the industry gained more experience. In a single day, the largest factory ships could process up to 200 small sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus; 100 humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae; or 30–35 pygmy blue whales, Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda. However, processing of many animals involved nothing more than stripping the carcass of blubber and then discarding the rest. Until 1952, the main product was whale oil; only later was baleen whale meat regularly utilized. Falsified data on catches were routinely submitted to the Bureau of International Whaling Statistics, but the true catch and biological data were preserved for research and administrative purposes. National inspectors were present at most times, but, with occasional exceptions, they worked primarily to assist fulfillment of plan targets and routinely ignored the illegal nature of many catches. In all, during 40 years of whaling in the Antarctic, the U.S.S.R. reported 185,778 whales taken but at least 338,336 were actually killed. Data for the North Pacific are currently incomplete, but from provisional data we estimate that at least 30,000 whales were killed illegally in this ocean. Overall, we judge that, worldwide, the U.S.S.R. killed approximately 180,000 whales illegally and caused a number of population crashes. Finally, we note that Soviet illegal catches continued after 1972 despite the presence of international observers on factory fleets.

Commercial Whaling, Especially for Gray Whales, Eschrichtius robustus, and Humpback Whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, at California and Baja California Shore Stations in the 19th Century (1854–1899)

Shore whaling along North America’s California and Baja California coasts during 1854–99 was ancillary to the offshore and alongshore American whale fishery, which had begun in the North Pacific in the early 1800’s and was flourishing by the 1840’s. From its inception at Monterey, Calif., in the mid 1850’s, the shore fishery, involving open boats deployed from land to catch and tow whales for processing, eventually spread from Monterey south to San Diego and Baja California and north to Crescent City near the California–Oregon border. It had declined to a relict industry by the 1880’s, although sporadic efforts continued into the early 20th century. The main target species were gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus, and humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, with the valuable North Pacific right whale, Eubalaena japonica, also pursued opportunistically. Catch data are grossly incomplete for most stations; no logbooks were kept for these operations as they were for high-seas whaling voyages. Even when good information is available on catch levels, usually as number of whales landed or quantity of oil produced, it is rarely broken down by species. Therefore, we devised methods for extrapolation, interpolation, pro rationing, correction, and informed judgment to produce time series of catches. The resulting estimates of landings from 1854 to 1899 are 3,150 (SE = 112) gray whales and 1,637 (SE = 62) humpback whales. The numbers landed should be multiplied by 1.2 to account for hunting loss (i.e. whales harpooned or shot but not recovered and processed).

Sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria, Populations on Gulf of Alaska Seamounts

Sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria, were tagged and released on Gulf of Alaska seamounts during 1999–2002 to determine the extent, if any, of emigration from the seamounts back to the continental slope and of movement between seamounts. Seventeen sablefish from Gulf of Alaska seamounts have been recovered on the continental slope since tagging began, verifying that seamount to slope migration occurs. Forty-two sablefish were recovered on the same seamounts where they were tagged, and none have been recaptured on seamounts other than the ones where they were released. Sablefish populations on Gulf of Alaska seamounts are made up of individuals mostly older than 5 years and are maledominant, with sex ratios varying from 4:1 up to 10:1 males to females. Males are smaller than females, but the average age of males is greater than that of females, and males have a greater range of age (4–64 yr) than females (4–48 yr). Otoliths of seamount fish frequently have an area of highly compressed annuli, known as the transition zone, where growth has suddenly and greatly slowed or even stopped. Because transition zones can be present in both younger and older seamount fish and are rare in slope fish, formation of otolith transition zones may be related to travel to the seamounts. The route sablefish use to reach the seamounts is so far unknown. One possibility is that fish enter the eastward-flowing North Pacific Current off the Aleutian Islands or western Gulf of Alaska and travel more or less passively on the current until encountering a seamount. The route from seamount back to slope would likely be the northwardflowing Alaska Current. These routes are discussed in light of tag recovery locations of slope- and seamount-tagged fish.

An Historical Review of Sebastes Taxonomy and Systematics

Following the initial description of a species of Sebastes from the Atlantic in the late 1700’s, in the late 1800’s the incredible taxonomic diversity of the genus began to be recognized as more species were discovered in northeast Pacific waters. With over 100 species, most of them from the North Pacific, the genus Sebastes (rockfishes) now presents taxonomic problems at every level. For example, although early efforts to understand relationships among the species resulted in the erection of several subgenera, those and more recent efforts remain largely unsuccessful. Also, the position of the genus within the order Scorpaeniformes, as well as the limits of the genus and the validity of some species are all unresolved. This paper examines the worldwide history and status of taxonomic studies on Sebastes, and reviews the 23 subgenera that have been erected over the years. This review of research, which includes morphological and genetic studies, provides a framework against which to evaluate studies using new genetic techniques.

The U.S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross: A History (Papers from a Symposium)

At her launch on 19 October 1882 in Wilmington, Del., the Albatross was the world’s first large deep-sea oceanographic and fisheries research vessel, and she would go on to have a distinguished 40-year career, ranging from the north Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, around Cape Horn in 1887–88, and into the North Pacific. By 1908, Deputy Fish Commissioner Hugh M. Smith reported that “The Albatross has contributed more to the knowledge of marine biology than has any other vessel.” And, of course, her career continued for another 13 years, being decommissioned in late 1921, serving later as a training vessel for nautical cadets, and disappearing from the records in Hamburg, Germany, in late 1928.

The Threatened Status of Steller Sea Lions, Eumetopias jubatus, under the Endangered Species Act: Effects on Alaska Groundfish Fisheries Management

In April 1990, the Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, was listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act by emergency action. Competitive interactions with the billion-dollar Alaska commercial groundfish fisheries have been suggested as one of the possible contributing factors to the Steller sea lion population decline. Since the listing, fisheries managers have attempted to address the potential impacts of the groundfish fisheries on Steller sea lion recovery. In this paper, we review pertinent Federal legislation, biological information on the Steller sea lion decline, changes in the Alaska trawl fishery for walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma, since the late 1970's, andpossible interactions between fisheries and sea lions. Using three cases, we illustrate how the listing of Steller sea lions has affected Alaska groundfish fisheries through: I) actions taken at the time of listing designed to limit the potential for directhuman-related sea lion mortality, 2) actions addressing spatial and temporal separation of fisheries from sea lions, and 3) introduction of risk-adverse stock assessment methodologies and Steller sea lion conservation considerations directly in the annual quota-setting process. This discussion shows some of the ways that North Pacific groundfish resource managers have begun to explicitly consider the conservation ofmarine mammal and other nontarget species.

A Review of Recent Developments in the World Sea Cucumber Fisheries

Sea cucumbers (Holothuridae and Stichopodidae) have been harvested commercially for at least 1,000 years. The world fisheries for sea cucumbers, however, are not well documented and in general are poorly managed. Depending upon the species exploited, there are two processing procedures for the sea cucumber product. Some species are eaten raw, while most commercial species are processed into a dry product called beche-de-mer or trepang. This dry product is exported to a central market such as Hong Kong and then re-exported to the consumers. In this review, recent statistics on the world sea cucumber fisheries, collected from different services, are detailed for each major fishing area. Case studies for each fishing area are also presented. Recent major changes in the Indo-Pacific fishery include the participation of new producer countries, the shift in the species being exploited, and an increase in the Chinese market. The expansion of the largely monospecific temperate North Pacific fisheries is also described. Statistics from Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Food and Agriculture Organization provide valuable information on the producer and importer countries. Particular attention is paid to the reciprocal trade of beche-de-mer between Hong Kong and Singapore. An evaluation of the world sea cucumber landings and beche-de-mer production is presented. Recent developments include an expansion of the Hong Kong market due to increased demand by China, the importance of Indonesia as a major world producer, and an increase in the fisheries of Tropical Pacific nations. This increase is best documented for New Caledonia and Fiji. Ways to improve the access and the reliability of the statistics for the sea cucumber fishery are discussed, as is the potential for management of artisanal fisheries.

Yellowfin Sole, Pleuronectes asper, of the Eastern Bering Sea: Biological Characteristics, History of Exploitation, and Management

Yellowfin sole, Pleuronectes asper, is the second most abundant flatfish in the North Pacific Ocean and is most highly concentrated in the eastern Bering Sea. It has been a target species in the eastern Bering Sea since the mid-1950's, initially by foreign distant-water fisheries but more recently by U.S. fisheries. Annual commercial catches since 1959 have ranged from 42,000 to 554,000 metric tons (t). Yellowfin sole is a relatively small flatfish averaging about 26 cm in length and 200 g in weight in commercial catches. It is distributed from nearshore waters to depths of about 100 m in the eastern Bering Sea in summer, but moves to deeper water in winter to escape sea ice. Yellowfin sole is a benthopelagic feeder. It is a longlived species (>20 years) with a correspondingly low natural mortality rate estimated at 0.12. After being overexploited during the early years of the fishery and suffering a substantial decline in stock abundance, the resource has recovered and is currently in excellent condition. The biomass during the 1980's may have been as high as, if not higher than, that at the beginning of the fishery. Based on results of demersal trawl surveys and two age structured models, the current exploitable biomass has been estimated to range between 1.9 and 2.6 million t. Appropriate harvest strategies were investigated under a range of possible recruitment levels. The recommended harvest level was calculated by multiplying the yield derived from the FOI harvest level (161 g at F = 0.14) hy an average recruitment value resulting in a commercial harvest of 276,900 t, or about 14% of the estimated exploitable biomass.

PICES Press, Vol. 18, No. 1, Winter 2010

•Major Outcomes from the 2009 PICES Annual Meeting: A Note from the Chairman (pp. 1-3, 8) •PICES Science – 2009 (pp. 4-8) •2009 PICES Awards (pp. 9-10) •New Chairmen in PICES (pp. 11-15) •PICES Interns (p. 15) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the First Half of 2009 (pp. 16-17, 27) •The State of the Northeast Pacific in 2009 (pp. 18-19) •The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 20-21) •2009 PICES Summer School on “Satellite Oceanography for the Earth Environment” (pp. 22-25) •2009 International Conference on “Marine Bioinvasions” (pp. 26-27) •A New PICES Working Group Holds Workshop and Meeting in Jeju Island (pp. 28-29) •The Second Marine Ecosystem Model Inter-comparison Workshop (pp. 30-32) •ICES/PICES/UNCOVER Symposium on “Rebuilding Depleted Fish Stocks – Biology, Ecology, Social Science and Management Strategies” (pp. 33-35) •2009 North Pacific Synthesis Workshop (pp. 36-37) •2009 PICES Rapid Assessment Survey (pp. 38-40)

PICES Press, Vol. 18, No. 2, Summer 2010

•The 2010 Inter-sessional Science Board Meeting: A Note from the Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-3) •2010 Symposium on “Effects of Climate Change on Fish and Fisheries” (pp. 4-11) •2009 Mechanism of North Pacific Low Frequency Variability Workshop (pp. 12-14) •The Fourth China-Japan-Korea GLOBEC/IMBER Symposium (pp. 15-17, 23) •2010 Sendai Ocean Acidification Workshop (pp. 18-19, 31) •2010 Sendai Coupled Climate-to-Fish-to-Fishers Models Workshop (pp. 20-21) •2010 Sendai Salmon Workshop on Climate Change (pp. 22-23) •2010 Sendai Zooplankton Workshop (pp. 24-25, 28) •2010 Sendai Workshop on “Networking across Global Marine Hotspots” (pp. 26-28) •The Ocean, Salmon, Ecology and Forecasting in 2010 (pp. 29, 44) •The State of the Northeast Pacific during the Winter of 2009/2010 (pp. 30-31) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the Second Half of 2009 (pp. 32-33) •The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 34-35, 39) •PICES Seafood Safety Project: Guatemala Training Program (pp. 36-39) •The Pacific Ocean Boundary Ecosystem and Climate Study (POBEX) (pp. 40-43) •PICES Calendar (p. 44)

PICES Press, Vol. 19, No. 1, Winter 2011

•2010 PICES Science: A Note from the Former Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-4) •2010 PICES Awards (pp. 5-7) •The First Year of FUTURE: A Progress Report (pp. 8-13) •New Chairmen in PICES (pp. 14-19) •Pacific Ocean Interior Carbon Data Synthesis, PACIFICA, in Progress (pp. 20-23) •2011 PICES Calendar (p. 23) •Ecosystems 2010: Global Progress on Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management (pp. 24-26) •PICES 2010 Rapid Assessment Survey (pp. 27-29) •PICES Workshop on “An Introduction to Rapid Assessment Survey Methodologies for Application in Developing Countries” (pp. 30-31) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the First Half of 2010 (pp. 32-34) •PICES Interns (p. 34) •The State of the Bering Sea in 2010 (pp. 35-37) •The State of the Northeast Pacific in 2010 (pp. 38-40)

PICES Press, Vol. 19, No. 2, Summer 2011

•The 2011 Inter-sessional Science Board Meeting: A Note from Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-4) •Indicators for Status and Change within North Pacific Marine Ecosystems: A FUTURE Workshop (pp. 5-8) •PICES Calendar (p. 8) •2011 ESSAS Open Science Meeting (pp. 9-13) •The 5th Zooplankton Production Symposium (pp. 14-17) •Workshop on "Individual-Based Models of Zooplankton” (pp. 18-21) •New Book Release on the 100th Anniversary of the T/S Osharu Maru (p. 21) •Workshop on “Advances in Genomic and Molecular Studies of Zooplankton” (pp. 22-24) •Workshop on “Updates and Comparisons of Zooplankton Time Series” (pp. 25-27) •Workshop on “Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Zooplankton” (pp. 28-29) •Workshop on “Automated Visual Plankton Identification” (p. 30) •Professor Plum in the Dining Room with a Knife (p. 31) •PICES and ICES on the River Elbe (p. 32) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the Second Half of 2010 (pp. 33-34) •The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Events (pp. 35-37) •Northeast Pacific News (pp. 38-39) •PICES Advice on Marine Ecology at a Canadian Judicial Inquiry (p. 40)