Review of Salmonid Use of North Aleutian Basin Lease Area and Surrounding Habitats

摘要

In southwestern Bristol Bay, the North Aleutian Basin has been identified as a potential lease area for oil and gas exploration. In preparation of an upcoming field project to learn more about the salmon distribution, season use, and migration pathways in the lease area the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute undertook a review of existing information on salmon in the area. Bristol Bay has some of the largest salmon returns in the world which play an important role for the subsistence communities and for the economic health of the region. Between 1988 and 2008 in Bristol Bay, commercial fisheries harvested an average of over 26 million salmon. Salmon research efforts were instigated in the 1930s to better understand this important resource. Seaward-bound juveniles as well as returning adults are abundant in the North Aleutian Basin lease area from May to September. Migratory routes for both juveniles and maturing fish traverse the North Aleutian Basin, Bristol Bay and the eastern Bering Sea. Bycatch data collected by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) observer program shows that immature salmon occupy the area at all seasons of the year.