Continue acquisition of long-term biological and physical time series. Recover and deploy moorings at FOCI site 2 and site 3. Deploy satellite-tracked drifting buoys.

Occupy hydrographic stations along SEBSCC's monitoring transects taking CTD, water bottle, bongo, and CalVET samples. Reoccupy stations at Moorings 2 & 3 to examine rate processes of nutrient dynamics, primary productivity, and zooplankton growth and development. Collect plankton samples for stable isotope determination Examine larval fish distribution along the Alaska Peninsula Conduct biological sampling in the project areas. Complete CTDs at Unimak Pass, the mooring locations and between the mooring sites.

The primary objective of this cruise was to conduct bottom trawl sampling in the head of Bering Canyon to collect ripe adult arrowtooth flounder (ATF) and conduct deep 60 cm bongo plankton tows to collect their eggs and establish their appearance so they can be identified in the future with confidence in plankton samples. The secondary objective was to collect CTD data and 20 cm bongo, chlorophyll, and nutrient samples on line "D" of the "Unimak Box".

To conduct an ichthyoplankton survey in the Bering Sea in the vicinity of Unimak Island, Alaska. This work is needed to describe larval fish assemblages in the Bering Sea (slope, outer shelf, and middle shelf) in spring. Zooplankton data and data on physical characteristics of the water column will also be collected. The primary objective of this cruise was to examine community structure and transport of fish larvae and plankton on the continental shelf, slope, and deep water areas of the southeastern Bering Sea and Unimak Pass. Hydrographic, nutrient, and microzooplankton samples were also collected.

The primary objective was to conduct an assessment of eggs and larvae of Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) over the eastern Bering Sea shelf. The data collected will be used to examine the interactions among climate, weather, and ichthyoplankton distribution and abundance. This work is needed to describe larval fish assemblages and determine how physical and biological factors affect the transport and survival of fish larvae. The survey is a collaboration between two Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) programs, Ecosystems and Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (Eco-FOCI), and Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment (EMA). A SBE 49 was deployed synoptically with Bongo, CalVET and Tucker trawls used to sample icythoplankton and zooplankton at selected stations. Temperature and Conductivity were measured and Salinity and Sigma-T were derived from these measurements. While the SeaCAT measures values on the down and upcasts, only the upcasts are used.

This research area is focused on improving and reducing uncertainty in stock assessment models of important commercial fish species in the Bering Sea through the collection of fisheries oceanographic indices.

The Southeast Alaska Coastal Monitoring (SECM) project in Alaska was initiated in 1997 by the Auke Bay Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, to study the habitat use and early marine ecology of juvenile (age-0) Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and associated epipelagic ichthyofauna. This research has been conducted to meet several needs identified in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries 2006-2011 Strategic Plan, the North Pacific Anadromous Fisheries Commission (NPAFC) 20062010 Science Plan, and the Gulf of Alaska Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) Program.

We will conduct bottom trawl sampling in Bering Canyon to collect ripe adult Greenland halibut (Reinharditus hippoglossides), and we will conduct an ichthyoplankton survey in the same vicinity to collect ichthyoplankton. This work is needed to describe Greenland halibut spawning ecology, as well as the distribution of eggs and larvae over the slope and in Bering Canyon in winter. The work will also be used in the study of transport and early life history of this species. Data on physical characteristics of the water column will also be collected. We will also deploy 2 oceanographic instrumentation moorings, one in Bering Canyon and one on the EBS shelf in the vicinity to Unimak Island.

The primary objective of this cruise will be mooring operations – including recoveries, deployments and searches - in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. Additionally, there will be biological sampling at mooring sites and the 70 m isobath line. A SBE 19Plus was deployed synoptically with gear used to sample icythoplankton and zooplankton at these locations. Temperature and Conductivity were measured and Salinity and Sigma-T were derived from these measurements. While the SeaCAT measures values on the down and upcasts, only the upcasts are used.

Examine the interactions among climate, weather, and the recruitment of fishes in the eastern Bering Sea. We will conduct ichthyoplankton and zooplankton surveys in the waters along the eastern Aleutian Island chain, the Alaska Peninsula, and the Pribilof Islands. This work is needed to describe larval fish assemblages and determine how physical and biological factors affect the transport and survival of fish larvae.