Ecology Boreal

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Ecology Boreal Subarctic Waters

• 1. Ecosystem Health Temperate Tropical
• Species Diversity Ecosystem Health
• 2. Evolutionary Divisions TT Communities
• Speciation by Niche Specialization
• 3. TT Communities Nearest Neighbor Distance
• Meters to Tens of Meters

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Ecology Boreal Subarctic Waters

• 1. Ecosystem Health Boreal Subarctic Waters
• Not by Species Diversity
• 2. Evolutionary Divisions BSA Communities
• Generalists Predominate - Seasonal
  Differences
• 3. BSA Communities Nearest Neighbor Distance
• Monocultures Covering Vast Areas

3
Bottom Line

• 1. Use Caution When Attempting to Apply
• Ecological Principles Derived from TT
• 2. Estimations of Over-Fishing Cannot Be Based
• on Comparisons with TT Populations
• 3. Generalist Physiological Parameters can
• be Markedly Different from Niche Specialists
• 4. Boreal Subarctic Waters can be Distinct in
• their Ecology Compared with TT

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Specialists Versus Generalists

• 1. Specialists
• a. Allows Escape from Direct Competition
• b. More Efficient - Greater Degree Fine
  Tuning
• c. Less Evolutionarily Flexible
• 2. Generalists
• a. Less Efficient - Tuned to Different
  Seasons
• b. Greater Exposure to Direct Competition
• c. Greater Evolutionary Flexibility

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Age Classes

• .

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Age Classes

• 1. Plot Fish Size versus Frequency
• 2. Data is not Smooth, but Comb-Like with
• Discrete High Columns
• 3. Assumption is that Peaks Represent Fish
• of Different Ages. Youngest are Smallest
• 4. Works for Populations Reproducing Once
• per Year.
• 5. Skippers will Target Age Class with Large
• fish Providing They are Abundant

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Boreal Subarctic Species

• 1. Ongoing Biological Research
• a. Cold Adaptation
• b. Reproductive Ecology
• c. Census of Marine Life
• 2. Needed Research
• a. BSA Community Ecology
• b. Winter Physiology
• c. Stress, Disease Monocultures

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Weathervane Scallops

• 1. Scientific Name Pationopectin caurinus
• 2. Mature 3-4 yrs - Harvested 6-8 yrs
• 3. Fast Swimmers - Valve Clapping
• 4. Have Many Eyes - Can Spot Predators
• 5. Habitat Sand, Gravel, Rocks 50-200 meters
• 6. 2007 Harvest - 275 mt

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Weathervane Scallop
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Other Molluscs

• 56 Licensed Shellfish Farms in Alaska
• Farmed Oysters - Mostly S. Central, S. East
• Main Species Crassostrea gigas
• Some Farmed Blue Mussels - Mytilus edulis
• 1 Oyster Hatchery, 2 Nurseries in State
• Cold Water Temperatures - Long Growth Period
• High Quality Product - Cost Effectiveness?

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King Crab

• 1. Complex Life History - Pelagic Larval Stage
• 2. Mature 4-5 yrs
• 3. 1978-1979 Harvest RKC - 83,200 mt.
• 4. 2007 Harvest - 9,225 mt.
• 5. Juveniles are Cannibalistic
• 6. Larval Settlement on Filamentous Material
• 7. Deadliest Catch

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Setting Crab Pots
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Red King Crab
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Blue King Crab
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Chionoecetes Bairdi C. opilio

• 1. C. bairdi - Tanner Crab 2007 - 2,545 mt
• 2. C. opilio - Snow Crab 2007 - 28,635 mt
• 3. Mating Males Clasp Females until Molt
• 4. Large Pods, Spherical Mating Aggregations
• 5. Females Mature 5 yrs, Males 6 yrs

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Opilio (Snow) Crab
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Shrimp Genus Pandalus

• 1. 1976 Harvest - 58,620 mt, 2007 - 227 mt.
• 2. Five Main Species Harvested
• 3. Gear, Beam Trawl Pots
• 4. All are Protandrous Hermaphrodites
• 5. Relatively Brief Life Cycle
• 6. Biomass Can be Enormous
• 7. Mechanical Peelers 1960s
• 8. Spot Shrimp - up to 9 without Antennae

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Shrimp Harvest Regions
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Baby Pink Shrimp
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Sidestripe Shrimp
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Coonstriped Shrimp
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Spot Shrimp, Spot Prawn
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Humpbacked Shrimp
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Next Time

• Introduction to Harvesting Gear
• a. Otter Trawl
• b. Beam Trawl
• c. Scallop Dredge

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