Inventory of marine and estuarine fishes in southeast and central Alaska national parks. Final Report.
Arimitsu ML, Litzow MA, Piatt JF, Robards MD, Abookire AA, Drew GS. 2003. Inventory of marine and estuarine fishes in southeast and central Alaska national parks. Final Report.. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Alaska Science Center. Anchorage, Alaska
As part of a national inventory program funded by the National Park Service, we conducted an inventory of marine and estuarine fishes in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Sitka National Historical Park, and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in 2001 and 2002. In addition, marine fish data from a previous project that focused on forage fishes and marine predators during 1999 and 2000 in Glacier Bay proper were compiled for this study. Sampling was conducted with modified herring and Isaacs-Kidd midwater trawls, a plumb staff beam trawl, and beach seines. Species lists of relative abundance were generated for nearshore fishes in all parks, and for demersal and pelagic fishes in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. With a total sampling effort of 531 sets, we captured 100 species in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, 31 species in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, 23 species in Sitka National Historical Park, and 11 species in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. We estimated that between 59 and 85 percent of the total marine fish species present were sampled by us in the various habitat-park units. We also combined these data with historical records and prepared an annotated species list of 160 marine and estuarine fishes known to occur in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Shannon-Wiener diversity index and catch per unit effort were used to assess the effects of depth and latitude (distance from tidewater glaciers) on marine fish community ecology in Glacier Bay proper. Our findings suggest that demersal fishes are more abundant and diverse with increased distance from tidewater glaciers, and that pelagic fishes sampled deeper than 50 m are more abundant in areas closer to tidewater glaciers. KEY WORDS: Fish, Marine, Estuarine, National Parks, Southeast Alaska, Central Alaska, Inventory, Monitoring, Diversity, Abundance, G
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Arimitsu, M; Litzow, M; Piatt, J; Robards, M; Abookire, A; Drew, G
- Date of Issue
- 2003
- Publisher
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Alaska Science Center
- Units
- CAKN , GLBA , KLGO , SEAN , SITK , WRST
- Keywords
- Abundance, Central Alaska, Coastal/Marine Systems, Diversity, Estuarine, Estuary, Fish, Glacier Bay, habitat (fish), Ichthyology, Inventory, Inventory And Monitoring, Marine, marine fisheries, Monitoring, National Parks, Southeast Alaska
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Marine Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Marine Invertebrates , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Fishes