Analyses of Bering Sea bottom-trawl surveys in Norton Sound: absence of regime shift effect on epifauna and demersal fish

This study retrospectively examined evidence of ocean climate regime shift effects on epifauna and demersal fish of Norton Sound, Alaska, northeast Bering Sea, based on triennial bottom-trawl surveys from 1976 to 2002. Throughout the period, benthic fauna was dominated by sea stars (48–78%), followe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ICES journal of marine science 2005-12, Vol.62 (8), p.1597-1602
Main Authors: Hamazaki, Toshihide, Fair, Lowell, Watson, Leslie, Brennan, Elisabeth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bering Sea
Decapoda
demersal fishes
epifauna
Marine
Norton Sound
Pisces
regime shift
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Summary:This study retrospectively examined evidence of ocean climate regime shift effects on epifauna and demersal fish of Norton Sound, Alaska, northeast Bering Sea, based on triennial bottom-trawl surveys from 1976 to 2002. Throughout the period, benthic fauna was dominated by sea stars (48–78%), followed by cods (5–19%), flatfish (5–15%), sculpins (1.5–7%), and crabs (2–6%). From 1976 to 2002, the cpue index of total species increased exponentially (4.5% y−1) by threefold with some declines in 1991 and 1999. The increase was also observed in sea stars (5.1% y−1), flatfish (6.1% y−1), and crabs (2.5% y−1). However, trends of cods and sculpins were mixed. Regression analysis showed the cpue index of total species to be positively correlated with survey years and bottom-water temperature. However, bottom-water temperature, when considered by itself, was not significant. Results suggest that regime shifts caused biomass increases of Norton Sound epifauna and demersal fish.
ISSN:1054-3139
1095-9289
DOI:10.1016/j.icesjms.2005.06.003