Annual report 1996 - North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). Fifth meeting, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, October 11-20, 1996

Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Meeting Agenda Report of Opening Session Report of Governing Council Meetings Reports of Science Board and Committees Science Board Working Group 5: Bering Sea (Final Report) Working Group 9: Subarctic Pacific Monitoring Report of the First Meeting Report of the Second Meeting Biological Oceanography Committee Working Group 11: Consumption of Marine Resources by Marine Birds and Mammals Fishery Science Committee Working Group 12: Crabs and Shrimps Marine Environmental Quality Committee Working Group 8: Practical Assessment Methodology Physical Oceanography and Climate Committee Working Group 10: Circulation and Ventilation in the Japan Sea /East Sea and its Adjacent Areas Technological Committee on Data Exchange Finance and Administration Report of Finance and Administration Committee Assets on 31st of December, 1995 Income and Expenditures for 1995 Budget for 1997 Composition of the Organization Officers, Delegates, Finance and Administration Committee, Science Board, Secretariat, Scientific and Technical Committees List of Participants List of Acronyms (Document has 163 pages.)

Population structure of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in British Columbia and Washington, determined with microsatellites

Population structure of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) from British Columbia and Washington was examined with a survey of microsatellite variation to describe the distribution of genetic variation. Variation at 16 microsatellite loci was surveyed for approximately 46,500 pink salmon sampled from 146 locations in the odd-year broodline and from 116 locations in the even-year broodline. An index of genetic differentiation, FST, over all populations and loci in the odd-year broodline was 0.005, with individual locus values ranging from 0.002 to 0.025. Population differentiation was less in the even-year broodline, with a FST value of 0.002 over all loci, and with individual locus values ranging from 0.001 to 0.005. Greater genetic diversity was observed in the odd-year broodline. Differentiation in pink salmon allele frequencies between broodlines was approximately 5.5 times greater than regional differentiation within broodlines. A regional structuring of populations was the general pattern observed, and a greater regional structure in the odd-year broodline than in the even-year broodline. The geographic distribution of microsatellite variation in populations of pink salmon likely ref lects a distribution of broodlines from separate refuges after the last glaciation period.

Using experiments and expert judgment to model catchability of Pacific rockfishes in trawl surveys, with application to bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis) off British Columbia

The time series of abundance indices for many groundfish populations, as determined from trawl surveys, are often imprecise and short, causing stock assessment estimates of abundance to be imprecise. To improve precision, prior probability distributions (priors) have been developed for parameters in stock assessment models by using meta-analysis, expert judgment on catchability, and empirically based modeling. This article presents a synthetic approach for formulating priors for rockfish trawl survey catchability (qgross). A multivariate prior for qgross for different surveys is formulated by using 1) a correction factor for bias in estimating fish density between trawlable and untrawlable areas, 2) expert judgment on trawl net catchability, 3) observations from trawl survey experiments, and 4) data on the fraction of population biomass in each of the areas surveyed. The method is illustrated by using bocaccio (Sebastes paucipinis) in British Columbia. Results indicate that expert judgment can be updated markedly by observing the catch-rate ratio from different trawl gears in the same areas. The marginal priors for qgross are consistent with empirical estimates obtained by fitting a stock assessment model to the survey data under a noninformative prior for qgross. Despite high prior uncertainty (prior coefficients of variation ≥0.8) and high prior correlation between qgross, the prior for qgross still enhances the precision of key stock assessment quantities.

Dividing population genetic distance data with the software Partitioning Optimization with Restricted Growth Strings (PORGS): an application for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Vancouver Island, British Columbia

A new method of finding the optimal group membership and number of groupings to partition population genetic distance data is presented. The software program Partitioning Optimization with Restricted Growth Strings (PORGS), visits all possible set partitions and deems acceptable partitions to be those that reduce mean intracluster distance. The optimal number of groups is determined with the gap statistic which compares PORGS results with a reference distribution. The PORGS method was validated by a simulated data set with a known distribution. For efficiency, where values of n were larger, restricted growth strings (RGS) were used to bipartition populations during a nested search (bi-PORGS). Bi-PORGS was applied to a set of genetic data from 18 Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations from the west coast of Vancouver Island. The optimal grouping of these populations corresponded to four geographic locations: 1) Quatsino Sound, 2) Nootka Sound, 3) Clayoquot +Barkley sounds, and 4) southwest Vancouver Island. However, assignment of populations to groups did not strictly reflect the geographical divisions; fish of Barkley Sound origin that had strayed into the Gold River and close genetic similarity between transferred and donor populations meant groupings crossed geographic boundaries. Overall, stock structure determined by this partitioning method was similar to that determined by the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA), an agglomerative clustering algorithm.

Life history characteristics for silvergray rockfish (Sebastes brevispinis) in British Columbia waters and the implications for stock assessment and management

We summarize the life history characteristics of silvergray rockfish (Sebastes brevispinis) based on commercial fishery data and biological samples from British Columbia waters. Silvergray rockfish occupy bottom depths of 100−300 m near the edge of the continental shelf. Within that range, they appear to make a seasonal movement from 100−200 m in late summer to 180−280 m in late winter. Maximum observed age in the data set was 81 and 82 years for females and males, respectively. Maximum length and round weight was 73 cm and 5032 g for females and 70 cm and 3430 g for males. The peak period of mating lasted from December to February and parturition was concentrated from May to July. Both sexes are 50% mature by 9 or 10 years and 90% are mature by age 16 for females and age 13 years for males. Fecundity was estimated from one sample of 132 females and ranged from 181,000 to 1,917,000 oocytes and there was no evidence of batch spawning. Infection by the copepod parasite Sarcotaces arcticus appears to be associated with lower fecundity. Sexual maturation appears to precede recruitment to the trawl fishery; thus spawning stock biomass per recruit analysis (SSB/R) indicates that a F50% harvest target would correspond to an F of 0.072, 20% greater than M (0.06). Fishery samples may bias estimates of age at maturity but a published meta-data analysis, in conjunction with fecundity data, independently supports an early age of maturity in relation to recruitment. Although delayed recruitment to the fishery may provide more resilience to exploitation, managers may wish to forego maximizing economic yield from this species. Silvergray rockfish are a relatively minor but unavoidable part of the multiple species trawl catch. Incorrectly “testing” the resilience of one species may cause it to be the weakest member of the specie

Climate forcing of Pacific herring recruitment and growth in southern British Columbia

Over the last 50 years, much of the variability in ocean climate and herring recruitment has occurred at two dominant periods centered around 5 and 16 years. Herring growth has also exhibited a dominant 5- and 18-year periodicity. A recent analysis of a number of relevant time series suggests that interannual variations in oceanic conditions off the west coast of Vancouver Island affect survival of herring and their principal predator, Pacific hake, which also exhibits a marked 16-year oscillation in abundance. Thus the dynamics of the herring stock are modulated by a combination of climate and predator forcing. Much of the interannual variation in herring growth is centered around the 5-year (moderate ENSO period) and 16-year (strong ENSO period) ocean climate oscillations and the 16-year recruitment oscillation.

A 10-year time series of zooplankton anomalies off the British Columbia coast [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Zooplankton biomass and species composition have been sampled since 1985 at a set of standard locations off Vancouver Island. From these data, I have estimated multi-year average seasonal cycles and time series of anomalies from these averages.

Genetic analysis of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) off Oregon and Washington reveals few Columbia River wild fish

Little is known about the ocean distributions of wild juvenile coho salmon off the Oregon-Washington coast. In this study we report tag recoveries and genetic mixed-stock estimates of juvenile fish caught in coastal waters near the Columbia River plume. To support the genetic estimates, we report an allozyme-frequency baseline for 89 wild and hatchery-reared coho salmon spawning populations, extending from northern California to southern British Columbia. The products of 59 allozyme-encoding loci were examined with starch-gel electrophoresis. Of these, 56 loci were polymorphic, and 29 loci had P0.95 levels of polymorphism. Average heterozygosities within populations ranged from 0.021 to 0.046 and averaged 0.033. Multidimensional scaling of chord genetic distances between samples resolved nine regional groups that were sufficiently distinct for genetic mixed-stock analysis. About 2.9% of the total gene diversity was due to differences among populations within these regions, and 2.6% was due to differences among the nine regions. This allele-frequency data base was used to estimate the stock proportions of 730 juvenile coho salmon in offshore samples collected from central Oregon to northern Washington in June and September-October 1998−2000. Genetic mixed-stock analysis, together with recoveries of tagged or fin-clipped fish, indicates that about one half of the juveniles came from Columbia River hatcheries. Only 22% of the ocean-caught juveniles were wild fish, originating largely from coastal Oregon and Washington rivers (about 20%). Unlike previous studies of tagged juveniles, both tag recoveries and genetic estimates indicate the presence of fish from British Columbia and Puget Sound in southern waters. The most salient feature of genetic mixed stock estimates was the paucity of wild juveniles from natural populations in the Columbia River Basin. This result reflects the large decrease in the abundances of these populations in the last few decades.

PICES Press, Vol. 15, No. 1, January 2007

PICES science – 2006 (pdf, 0.1 Mb) 2006 Wooster Award (pdf, 0.1 Mb) Thank you note from the Past-Chairman of PICES (pdf, 0.1 Mb) A comparison of regional mechanisms for fish production: Ecosystem perspectives (pdf, 0.3 Mb) 2006 CREAMS/PICES international workshop and summer school (pdf, 0.2 Mb) PICES Calendar (pdf, 0.2 Mb) 2006 Harmful Algal Bloom Section annual workshop (pdf, 0.1 Mb) 2006 PICES Workshop on “Modeling iron biogeochemistry and ocean ecosystems” (pdf, 0.1 Mb) Strolling through the NEMURO ecosystem model (pdf, 0.1 Mb) Climate and marine birds and mammals in the North Pacific (pdf, 0.2 Mb) Photo highlights of the PICES Fifteenth Annual Meeting (pdf, 3.5 Mb) Recent trends in waters of the subarctic NE Pacific: Cooler and fresher in summer of 2006 (pdf, 0.2 Mb) The state of the western North Pacific in the first half of 2006 (pdf, 0.3 Mb) Latest and upcoming PICES publications (pdf, 0.3 Mb) A seven-year effort of the PICES CCCC MODEL Task Team culminates in a dedicated issue of Ecological Modelling (pdf, 0.1 Mb) Japan joins PICES Marine Metadata Federation (pdf, 0.3 Mb) Argo: A 2006 status report (pdf, 0.3 Mb) New Chairmen in PICES (pdf, 0.2 Mb) PICES Interns (pdf, 0.2 Mb)

PICES Press, Vol. 14, No. 2, July 2006

The 2006 inter-sessional Science Board and Governing Council meeting: A note from the Chairman (pdf, 0.1 Mb) Future Integrative Science Program – Progress report (pdf, 0.2 Mb) Big-picture synthesis requires understanding the small and "in-between" stuff - A summary of the CCCC Synthesis Symposium (pdf, 0.4 Mb) PICES Calendar (pdf, 0.4 Mb) Integration of ecological indicators for the North Pacific with emphasis on the Bering Sea (pdf, 0.2 Mb) Time series of the Northeast Pacific: A symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of Line-P (pdf, 0.1 Mb) PICES hosts an ESSAS workshop in St. Petersberg, Russia (pdf, 0.2 Mb) Professor Mikhail N. Koshlyakov (pdf, 0.5 Mb) The state of the western North Pacific in the second half of 2005 (pdf, 0.8 Mb) Recent trends in waters of the subarctic NE Pacific (pdf, 0.2 Mb) Unusual invertebrates and fish observed in the Gulf of Alaska, 2004-2005 (pdf, 0.1 Mb) The Bering Sea: Current status and recent events (pdf, 0.2 Mb) The Year of the Euphausiid (pdf, 0.01 Mb) Michio J. Kishi awarded 2005 Uda Prize by the Japan Society of Fisheries Oceanography (pdf, 0.03 Mb)

PICES Press, Vol. 14, No. 1, January 2006

The state of PICES science - 2005 (pdf, 0.2 Mb) 2005 Wooster Award (pdf, 0.4 Mb) Korea and U.S. federate metadata collection (pdf, 0.3 Mb) PICES Interns (pdf, 0.3 Mb) Studies on long-term variation of ocean ecosystem / climate interactions based on the Odate collection (pdf, 0.2 Mb) Hokkaido University Fisheries & Oceanographic Database CD-ROM (pdf, 0.2 Mb) Workshop on sardine and anchovy fluctuations (pdf, 0.1 Mb) Photo highlights of PICES XIV (pdf, 0.4 Mb) Workshop on SEEDS-II (pdf, 0.2 Mb) NPAFC-PICES joint symposium "The status of Pacific salmon and their role in North Pacific marine ecosystems" (pdf, 0.2 Mb) PICES Calendar (pdf, 0.2 Mb) New Chairman of the PICES Fishery Science Committee (pdf, 0.1 Mb) The state of the western North Pacific in the first half of 2005 (pdf, 0.4 Mb) Latest and upcoming PICES publications (pdf, 0.4 Mb) Recent trends in waters of the subarctic NE Pacific (pdf, 0.2 Mb) The Bering Sea: Current status and recent events (pdf, 0.1 Mb) PICES and GLOBEC to sponsor workshop on sub-arctic seas (pdf, 0.1 Mb) Professor Mikhail N. Koshlyakov - 75 (pdf, 0.1 Mb) Obituary - Dr. Al Tyler (pdf, 0.1 Mb)

PICES Press, Vol. 13, No. 2, July 2005

PICES in transition: The 3rd inter-sessional Science Board and Governing Council meeting (pdf 0.3 MB) New and upcoming PICES publications (pdf 0.3 MB) PICES hosts GLOBEC Symposium on “Climate Variability and Sub-Arctic Marine Ecosystems” in Victoria (pdf 0.4 MB) First CREAMS/PICES Workshop on East Asian Seas Time-series (pdf 0.4 MB) PICES workshop discusses Oceanic Ecodynamics COmparison in the Subarctic Pacific (OECOS) - a project proposal (pdf 0.3 MB) The state of the western North Pacific in the second half of 2004 (pdf 0.4 MB) The Bering Sea: Current status and recent events (pdf 0.3 MB) Recent trends in waters of the subarctic NE Pacific (pdf 0.3 MB) CFAME workshop on “Developing a working plan for CCCC synthesis” (pdf 0.5 MB) What is winter? (pdf 0.5 MB) The first specimens of Humboldt squid in British Columbia (pdf 0.4 MB) Obituary - Dr. Daniel M. Ware (pdf 0.3 MB) PICES Calendar (pdf 0.3 MB)

PICES Press, Vol. 13, No. 1, January 2005

The state of PICES science - 2004 (pdf 0.7 MB) 2004 Wooster Award (pdf 0.2 MB) Micronekton – What are they and why are they important? (pdf 0.5 MB) Upscaling for a better understanding of climate links to ecosystems (pdf 0.1 MB) PICES Interns (pdf 0.1 MB) Report of the APN workshop on “Climate interactions and marine ecosystems” (pdf 0.6 MB) Photo highlights of PICES XIII (pdf 0.3 MB) Recent trends in waters of the subarctic NE Pacific – summer 2004 (pdf 0.1 MB) The state of the western North Pacific in the first half of 2004 (pdf 0.3 MB) The Bering Sea: Current status and recent events (pdf 0.1 MB) Study Group on Fisheries Ecosystem Responses to Recent Regime Shifts completes its mandate for the provision of scientific advice (pdf 0.1 MB) PICES Calendar (pdf 0.1 MB) The new PICES Working Group on Ecosystem-based management (pdf 0.05 MB) CO2 data integration activity for the North Pacific (pdf 0.2 MB) Carbon cycle changes in the North Pacific (pdf 0.8 MB) New and upcoming PICES publications (pdf 0.8 MB)

PICES Press, Vol. 12, No. 2, July 2004

The future of PICES [pdf, 1.7 MB] Paris by day - Symposium on "Quantative ecosystem indicators in fisheries management" [pdf, 0.2 MB] The Bering Sea: Current status and recent events [pdf, 0.4 MB] The state of the western North Pacific in the second half of 2003 [pdf, 0.7 MB] The state of the eastern North Pacific entering spring 2004 [pdf, 0.4 MB] PICES-IFEP Workshop on "In-situ iron enrichment experiments in the eastern and western subarctic Pacific" [pdf, 1.4 MB] Canadian SOLAS/PICES-IFEP session on "Response of the upper ocean to meso-scale iron enrichment" [pdf, 0.3 MB] Fisheries and ecosystem responses to recent regime shifts [pdf, 0.8 MB] PICES Interns [pdf, 0.8 MB] Did a regime shift occur in 1998 around Japan?- Highlights from a symposium addressing this question [pdf, 0.8 MB] The Global Ocean Carbon Observing System - Connecting national programs and regional networks [pdf, 1.7 MB] The North Pacific Ecosystem Metadatabase [pdf, 1.2 MB] International GLOBEC Symposium on "Climate variability and Sub-Arctic marine ecosystems" [pdf, 0.2 MB] PICES Calendar [pdf, 0.2 MB] PICES/GLOBEC Symposium on "Climate variability and ecosystem impacts on the North pacific: A basin-scale synthesis" [pdf, 0.2 MB]