Research
Cooperative Research
Cooperative research blends the insights of fishermen with the scientific knowledge of fishery managers. This powerful combination allows fishermen to be directly involved in the research projects which shape their fisheries.
Some of the cooperative research projects ALFA has played a lead roll in are:
Developing a voluntary logbook program for sablefish vessels which allows fisheries data to be incorporated into the sablefish apportionment formula--In 1995, with the beginning of the sablefish IFQ program, the overall sablefish ABC was divided among each area of the Gulf based on catch rates experienced by the sablefish longline survey vessel during the annual survey. Many fishermen were concerned about relying solely on the survey data as as the survey vessel is in an area for only 1 -2 weeks/year. If the fish are off the bite, the weather is bad, the whales are hungry, or any of a number of factors effect fishing in that area, then the TAC for that area could suffer because the survey "snap-shot" did not accurately reflect distribution.
To address this concern, ALFA initiated a logbook program for vessels under 60' in an effort to balance the "snap-shot" the survey vessels experiences with fishery data collected over the entire 9 month fishing season. In 2000, the Council approved a formula to apportion the sablefish ABC between areas based on a weighted average between the survey data and the logbook/observer data.
The industry has strongly supported the inclusion of this fishery data and as the 2007 SAFE notes "logbook participation by vessels under 60 feet has increased greatly in recent years. In 2005, vessels under 60 feet accounted for 66% of all logbooks submitted." The inclusion of this logbook data has had a dramatic, positive effect on catch limits in the Eastern part of the Gulf of Alaska each year since 2000.
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Bleeding PRR--In 2002, NMFS began applying a Product Recovery Rate (PRR) for round, bled sablefish of 0.98. This PRR resulted in a 2% deduction from the landed weight for fishermen who bleed their catch to improve quality. In 2003, ALFA initiated a cooperative research project with the NMFS Auke Bay Laboratory to determine of the PRR was accurate.
The study had several interesting findings including that:
Blood loss is 1.0% of body weight for sablefish that are gaffed aboard. The implied PRR is
0.99 rather than the current 1.0.
Blood loss is slightly less, 1.7% of body weight for bled sablefish that are gaffed aboard then actively bled.
Maximum blood loss was greater for sablefish actively bled without seawater (2%) than for sablefish actively bled in flowing seawater (1.6%). The hydrostatic pressure of the water in the bleeding tank may act on the severed blood vessels to reduce blood volume loss.
Testing light weight seabird avoidance devices appropriate for small longline vessels--In 2001, NMFS required longline vessels to deploy streamer lines to prevent seabirds from being accidentally hooked while setting longline gear. These streamer lines were developed and tested on larger longline vessels in the Bering Sea and Western Gulf. The ability of smaller, community based longline vessels, and vessels using different types of longline gear, such as “snap-on” to deploy the streamer lines, were never tested. In 2002, ALFA initiated a cooperative research project with Washington State Sea Grant, to test the streamer lines in the small boat longline fleet. The results of that project lead to new light weight streamer lines and modified performance standards for many small vessels.
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RE/SR identification project--In 2003 the Science and Stastical Committee of the NPFMC expressed concern that shortraker rockfish were being disproportionately harvested in the RE/SR assemblage and recommended reducing the ABC. Longline gear accounts for 40% - 50% of the harvest of RE/SR, and most of this is taken as bycatch in the sablefish and halibut fisheries.
Most of the information used in the longline portion of the data was derived from fish tickets with species identification being done by processing workers (graders) at the plant. In 2004, ALFA initiated a cooperative research project with NMFS Auke Bay Laboratory to evaluate the accuracy of the species identification in SE processing plants and to educate processing workers in rockfish identification.
The project found that species identification was largly being done correctly across the region. Miss-identification was confined to the smaller sizes of each species which make up a small fraction of the region wide catch. Education of the plant workers helped correct problems where they were found. The net result was an improvement in both the quality of species identification and confidence in the data generated.
Developing low bycatch gear for underutilized rockfish species--A number of rockfish species available for harvest in the Southeast Outside (SEO) District of the Eastern Gulf of Alaska have not been effectively targeted by commercial ishing. For example, in 2003, approximately 1,600 mt of Pacific ocean perch (POP), 4,000 mt of the other slope rockfish complex (OSR), and 800 mt of the pelagic shelf rockfish (PSR) complex remained un-harvested.
In order to investigate the feasibility of harvesting the underutilized rockfish species with vessels and gear common to the SE Alaska fishing community, ALFA received grant funds from the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) in the fall of 2003 to develop fishing techniques for these species using hook and line gear.
After researching several approaches to hook and line fishing for pelagic rockfish, ALFA assembled a steering committee comprised of local fishermen and fishery managers. The steering committee identified three types of gear for testing: shrimp fly troll gear, vertical longlines, and off-bottom longlines adapted from the method used in the Azores.
Based on that test fishing a gear type new to Southeast Alaska called "shrimp fly troll gear" appears to have commercial potential for silvergrey rockfish (OSR complex), yellowtail, dusky and black rockfish. Consistently high CPUE was observed for silvergrey rockfish using the shrimp fly gear. Catches of 25 to 35 fish on a 50 hook train were not uncommon. Black, dusky and yellowtail rockfish (PSR complex) also appear to be exploitable using shrimp fly gear with catches of 10 to 20 fish on a 50 hook train being common.
Finally, during the 108 deployments of the shrimp fly gear, not a single halibut or sablefish was caught. ALFA is now involved in commercial trials of the shrimp fly gear under a three year Experimental Fishing Permit. Any vessels interested in participating in the test fishery should contact ALFA as soon as possible!
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Research
Southeast Alaska Sperm Whale Project
SEASWAP researchers record video of sperm whale depredation on longline gear.
You can also view the video online through http://seaswap.info/.
SEASWAP Through cooperative research with fishermen, government, and scientists the ultimate goal of this study is to provide recommendations for strategies to reduce or eliminate depredation on longline gear by sperm whales. As a first step towards this goal, information was collected, in collaboration from the fishing fleet, on the timing of interactions seasonally and diurnally, and identify the sperm whales occurring on the fishing grounds through visual photographic identification and genetic tissue samples.
This research helped define the scope of the problem, identify stock structure and the ecology of this endangered species, as well as provided baseline information needed for studying depredation mechanisms, cues and, finally, developing solutions to reducing negative interactions.
The acoustic phase of the project incorporated a passive acoustic component to study how sperm whales might use sound to perform longline depredation. During the deployment of a set of longline gear over a 20 hour period, a set of autonomous acoustic recorders were attached to a buoy anchor line, creating an autonomous vertical array that recorded sounds made in the vicinity of the array.
These sounds included noise made by shifting or moving fishing gear that might attract whales, fishing vessel sounds, and distinctive sounds made by sperm whales, called 'clicks'. The array was also used to track sperm whales in range and depth, within a 2-4 km radius via their acoustic vocalizations, during periods when the longline is on the ocean floor, and during longline recovery. These passive acoustic measurements provided insights into when and how the animals locate the fishing gear, and whether and how the animals use biosonar to locate individual fish being hauled up on the longline during recovery. Given this information, possible countermeasures to reduce depredation might be surmised.
The fishing fleet out of Sitka, and the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association (ALFA), has taken a proactive conservation approach to try and develop a deterrence system before mortalities occur. The use of a longliner communication network allowed the study to maximize the success of the study by limiting fieldwork to days when sperm whales are reported on the grounds. Although this research was conducted in the eastern Gulf of Alaska, the results will be communicated to the fleet elsewhere in the North Pacific where interactions also occur.
Study Area
Sperm whales are often sighted in near coastal waters of Alaska, and the fishing port of Sitka is uniquely situated with ready access to interactions. Sablefish occur on the continental slope and most commercial longliners fish for sablefish in water depths between 1200' and 3,000'. The continental shelf off Kruzof, Baranof and Chichagof islands is very narrow; consequently, the sablefish grounds are only 12-20 miles from shore in this area. Sitka is an ideal location to launch this project as the fishing grounds are easily accessible and much of the fleet (primarily vessels less than 60 feet) is based out of Sitka. The full report can be found at http://www.seaswap.info/index.html.
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UPDATES
Jan Straley, UAS, and colleagues used satellite tags to monitor sperm whale movements in the Eastern Gulf of Alaska in June 2009. Some of the preliminary results are shown below.
9/2/10 Map
8/28/10 Map
8/24/10 Map
8/23/10 Map
8/22/10 Map
8/21/10 Map
08/03/09 Map
07/27/09 Maps
07/19/09 Maps
07/14/09 Maps
07/2009 Maps
06/2009 Maps
