Applicability:

These instructions, with "FOCI Standard Operating Instructions for NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN" present complete information for this cruise.

Western Gulf of Alaska (between Shumagin Islands and Kodiak Island)

Depart 2 September 2000 from Kodiak
Arrive 20 September 2000 to Kodiak

NOAA - Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC)
NOAA - Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL)

Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (FOCI) is an effort by NOAA and associated academic scientists. At present, FOCI consists of a Shelikof Strait (western Gulf of Alaska) walleye pollock project, and a NOAA Coastal Ocean Program project: Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity. FOCI also supports associated projects, such as the Arctic Research Initiative, U.S. GLOBEC, NSF Inner Front Study, and North Pacific Marine Research Program, that address scientific issues related to FOCI's. FOCI's goal is to understand the effects of abiotic and biotic variability on ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea in order to discern the physical and biological processes that determine recruitment variability of commercially valuable finfish and shellfish stocks in Alaskan waters.

The late-summer FOCI cruise is designed to address biological and methodological questions regarding age-0 walleye pollock in the western Gulf of Alaska. The primary cruise objective is to collect data on age-0 pollock and their environment in the area between Shelikof Strait and the Shumagin Islands, from nearshore to the outer shelf. The variables to be measured include fish density, size (length and length-specific weight), growth (large size at age, and rapid otolith growth), and feeding (gut content). Environmental variables to be measured include water depth, temperature, salinity, and zooplankton density. Many juvenile pollock, spawned in Shelikof Strait, are carried to the area of interest by the prevailing current. Complex topography in this area creates a habitat mosaic that probably affects pollock nursery suitability and may lead to accumulations of fish in favorable areas. This is relevant to FOCI’s goal because accumulation of age-0 pollock in favorable areas may be an important factor in subsequent recruitment to the GOA stock. The Chirikof Island area is of particular interest because the abundance of yearling pollock in that area during the spring is a proven indicator of year-class strength.

A second cruise objective is to determine the effect of day versus night sampling on estimates of age-0 density and size composition. Trawl catches may be highest at night after tight aggregations of fish, found near bottom during the day, disperse to feed in the upper water column and become more vulnerable to mid-water gear; in addition to vertical position, light-related net avoidance and diel aggregation patterns are considerations. Acoustic estimates of age-0 density might also be highest at night when individuals are off bottom and dispersed thereby minimizing acoustic shadowing. Nighttime dispersal of fish may provide better target strength data by reducing the noise threshold effect and multiple-target detection; target strengths are important because they indicate sound scatterer size (target strengths for age-0 pollock 4.5-10.0 cm are reasonably well predicted by TS (dB) =20log(L)-66). Acoustic data collected during this cruise may be useful for studying fine scale horizontal and vertical distributions of age-0 pollock (38 kHz) and their prey (120 kHz, 1-m Tucker trawl).

Tertiary objectives that will be added as time permits include (1) CTD sampling along Line 8, (2) sampling with the anchovy trawl along east Kodiak Island, and (3) sampling with the Sameoto neuston net off southeast Kodiak Island. Stations associated with these activities are included in Figure 1 and Table 3.

1.1. Chief Scientist:

Matt Wilson, M/AFSC
206-526-6522
Matt.Wilson@NOAA.gov

The Chief Scientist has the authority to revise or alter the technical portion of the instructions as work progresses provided that, after consultation with the Commanding Officer, it is ascertained that the proposed changes will not: (1) jeopardize the safety of personnel or the ship; (2) exceed the overall time allotted for the project; (3) result in undue additional expenses; (4) alter the general intent of these project instructions.

Morgan Busby, M/AFSC
Rachel Cartwright, F/AFSC
Jay Clark M/AFSC
Frank Morado M/AFSC
Steve Porter M/AFSC
Bill Rugen M/AFSC
Janet Duffy-Anderson F/JISAO
Sonia Hamilton F/PMEL

Larry Mordock
NOAA/MOP (MOP1x4)
1801 Fairview Ave. East
Seattle, WA 98102-3767
(206) 553 - 4764
Larry.Mordock@noaa.gov

Dr. Phyllis Stabeno
PMEL
7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115-6349
(206) 526-6453
Phyllis.Stabeno@noaa.gov

Dr. Art Kendall
AFSC
7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115-6349
(206) 526-4108
 

A standard oceanographic watch will be utilized which consists of a winch operator, a scientific staff of four and a Survey Tech on deck. Because this cruise involves much fishing with otter trawls, a fishing crew will also be necessary. Operations will be conducted 24 hours a day.

This study will focus mainly on a grid of stations over the shelf and nearshore areas between Kodiak and the Shumagin Islands (Figure 1). About 760 nmi of acoustic tracklines (plus 150 nmi between lines) and 43 trawl stations will be occupied. Some modification of station location may be needed to avoid unnavigable areas. Sampling will commence at the southern-most station on Line 1, approximately 1.25 d from Kodiak. Enroute to the study area, a CTD cast will be conducted to calibrate the Sea-Cat, micro-bathythermographs (MBT), and Scanmar (or NetMind) depth sensor. A couple more calibrations will be conducted while sampling the main station grid. Nighttime sampling at all stations and acoustic transects will be used to address the primary cruise objective; the secondary objective will be addressed by comparing nighttime samples with daytime samples collected at as many stations and transect segments as possible.

Night or day, the same procedure will be used to sample with nets at each grid station. The first operation at each station will always be to collect a plankton sample. This will be accomplished with a 1-m Tucker trawl to provide additional information on the vertical distribution of plankters. The second operation at each station will be to collect age-0 pollock with double oblique tows (surface to near bottom to surface) of the anchovy trawl. Night or day, acoustic data will be collected at each station and while underway. Backscatter and target strength data will be collected with the MACE group’s EK-500 echo sounder (38 and 120 kHz) continuously for the cruise duration, including the transits between Kodiak and the study area. Continuous monitoring of the acoustic system will require the dedication of one person per shift. Each of the nine transects will be run at 12 kts. Slower speed may be necessary for safe navigation near shallows. Most transects are 15 nmi apart and each varies in length from about 60 to 90 nmi long. Depth-targeted fishing (Tucker and trawl) may be requested at places other than the predetermined stations to improve the utility of the acoustic data. Two anchovy and two high-opening shrimp trawls (61’ headrope and footrope) will be available for targeted fishing in midwater and on bottom, respectively. Both trawls are fished with 5x7’ steel-V doors, and both will have 1/8" (3mm) codend liners.

A gear comparison experiment will be conducted at night consisting of five Methot tows at five different grid stations where at least 1,000 age-0 pollock are collected in the anchovy trawl. Age-0 pollock density and size estimates will be compared. Each net will be fished obliquely (surface-bottom-surface). Methot net depth will be monitored with Scanmar (real time, no data record) and a micro-bathythermograph (MBT, data record).

The following operations will be conducted on this cruise. Supplementary instructions for these operations are listed in the FOCI Standard Operating Instructions (SOI):

CTD/Water samples (SOI 2.2.1)
MARMAP bongo tow (SOI 2.2.2)
Methot trawl (SOI 2.2.7)
Midwater trawl (SOI 2.2.8)
Tucker trawl (SOI 2.2.9)
EK500 monitoring (SOI 2.2.12)

The Tucker trawl will be fished obliquely from 200 m or 10 m off bottom, whichever is shallowest, to the surface. Real time depth of the trawl will be determined using the Sea-Cat, which will also be used to record temperature and salinity profiles. A codend may be put on the drogue to provide a quantitative sample of the zooplankton from the surface to near bottom with a 505-um mesh net. Nets 1 and 2 will be 333-um mesh. Net 1 will be fished from the maximum depth to the lower edge of the thermocline as determined during the downcast; if no thermocline, Net 1 will be closed at 40 m from the surface. Net 2 will be fished to the surface. Adding the catch in Net 1 and 2 will provide a quantitative estimate of zooplankton from the surface to near bottom. Except for large jellyfish, the entire catch will be preserved in 5% formalin, large jellyfish will be counted, weighed (as a group) and discarded. A second Tucker trawl will be aboard as backup.

The anchovy trawl will be fished obliquely from 200 m or 10 m off bottom, whichever is shallowest, to the surface. This allows station-to-station comparison without the additional complication of depth-targeted sampling. The remainder of this paragraph details how the catch is to be processed. Age-0 pollock are the highest priority for catch processing but data on other taxa will also be collected. Invertebrates will be sorted to broad taxonomic categories: jellyfish (count and weigh), invertebrate plankton (weigh and note approximate percentage of the volume occupied by dominant constituents (eg., 75% euphausiid, 20% amphipod, 5% pteropod)), and shrimps (count and weigh). Non-gadid fishes will be sorted to the lowest taxonomic level that is easily possible. Cottids, agonids, salmonids, and myctophids need no further identification. Smelts and flatfishes must all be to species except for northern and southern rocksole, which can be grouped as rocksole, and arrowtooth flounder, Kamchatka flounder, and Greenland turbot, which can be grouped as AKG complex. All individuals of each group must be weighed. Individuals within each group must also be counted and their lengths measured, this may be accomplished by taking a representative subsample. Gadid fishes must be counted and weighed by species. It may be necessary to treat juvenile individuals of a species separate from the adults. All individuals, or a representative subsample, of each group must be lengthed. For age-0 pollock, about 200 fish is the desired number of fish to measure. High priority is placed on getting two randomly selected subsamples of age-0 pollock preserved as quickly as possible after the catch has been dumped onto the sorting table. One subsample of about 50 fish is to be frozen (-20^o F, slime lab freezer) (length-weight, otolith), the other will be preserved in 10% formalin (individuals larger than about 60 mm SL must have the body cavity carefully punctured — DO NOT PIERCE THE GUT) (length-weight, diet). Five individuals within each subsample will be selected by relative size, and placed on ice while their individual length and weight is measured (shrinkage control). The number of fish comprising each subsample must be accurately recorded (eg., 49 fish froz.; 63 fish form.). If fewer than 100 fish are collected, freeze up to 50, and preserve the remainder in formalin.

The EK-500 (38 and 120 kHz) acoustic system will be continuously monitored in the study area as well as enroute to and from the area. Markers will be placed on the echograms and in the acoustic data using the Bergen Integrator, and entered in the EK-500 logbook (eg., Start transect, Break transect (at station #, or transit to next transect), Begin net tow (Tucker, =surface; Trawl, =doors away), At depth, End net tow (Tucker, =surface; Trawl, =doors back), Resume transect). The echo sounder will not be calibrated during this cruise, but a calibration will be done just prior to it. As mentioned previously, depth-targeted fishing (plankton and trawl gear) may be requested at places other than the predetermined stations to improve the utility of the acoustic data.

The following systems and their associated support services are essential to the cruise. Sufficient consumables, back-up units, and on-site spares and technical support must be in place to assure that operational interruptions are minimal. All measurement instruments are expected to have current calibrations, and all pertinent calibration information shall be included in the data package. Much of the equipment to be provided by the project was loaded aboard for previous cruises. Some gear, including the two shrimp trawls and Scanmar equipment, will be loaded in Dutch Harbor on August 3 by ship personnel. The remaining gear (including two anchovy trawls, 5x7 doors, Tucker trawl, Sameoto neuston net, jars) will be shipped from Seattle on August 17 and loaded in Kodiak on September 1 or 2.

The ship's Scientific Computer System (SCS) shall operate throughout the cruise, acquiring and logging data from navigation, meteorological, oceanographic, and fisheries sensors. See FOCI Standard Operating Instructions for specific requirements. Need 1 min averaged time, position, T, S, water depth, and insolation in ASCII format.

Data disposition, responsibilities and data requirements are listed in the FOCI Standard Operating Instructions.

5.3 Piggyback projects:

None at this time.

6.5. Hazardous Materials:

The Chief Scientist shall be responsible for complying with NC Instruction 6280A, Hazardous Waste; policy, guidance, and training, dated February 4, 1991, paragraph 7.g and paragraph 9. By federal law, the ship may not sail without a complete inventory of MSDS, and appropriate neutralizing agents, buffers, and/or absorbents in amounts adequate to address spills of a size equal to the amount aboard.

The following hazardous materials will be provided and controlled by the scientists with the Chief Scientist assuming responsibility for the safe handling of such substances:

5 gallons of 37% Formalin

7.4 Important phone numbers, fax numbers and e-mail addresses:

PMEL/CARD Fax: (206) 526-6485
PMEL/ADMIN Fax: (206) 526-6815
AFSC/RACE Fax: (206) 526-6723

MILLER FREEMAN COMSAT (government account numbers): These are much cheaper than Inmarsat direct numbers and should always be used first.

800-678-0872, after voice prompt dial 330-394-113, after tone dial customer ID# (Voice)
800-678-0872, after voice prompt dial 761-267-348, after tone dial customer ID# (Fax)
PIs should establish their ID#s with their program.

Inmarsat (direct numbers)

011-872-330-394-113 (voice)
011-872-761-267-348 (fax)

CELLULAR: 206-660-7167

KODIAK ROAMER: 907-528-7626
DUTCH HARBOR ROAMER: 907-391-7626
(First dial the roamer, wait for dial tone, and then dial cellular number.)