Exotic Fish And Other Unusual Marine Critters Floods Alaska Waters
Sitka (Alaska):
An array of exotic fish and other unusual marine critters flooded the waters of Southeast Alaska this summer.
Seiners and troll fishermen reported sardines, anchovies, jumbo squid, sharks, barracuda and large concentrations of brilliantly hued open-ocean fish such as pomfret and opah.The sightings are linked to warm ocean temperatures and winds blowing offshore waters toward the coast, scientists said.
The warm waters are not related to the El Niño cycle that has brought tropical currents carrying exotic species to Southeast Alaska in past years, scientists said."It looks like it may be associated with a long-term warming trend," said Bruce Wing, a Juneau-based oceanographer.
The ocean temperature in the Inside Passage and along the outer coastline in the Gulf of Alaska ranged two to three degrees - sometimes even higher - above average this summer, Wing said.As the lab's curator and taxonomist, Wing is collecting specimens of what he calls the "strange and wonderfuls" at the National Marine Fisheries Service's Auke Bay Laboratory.Wing said he has received more reports of "strange and wonderfuls" this summer than he has in the past, and he has started to pay careful attention.
"People are always asking us what we expect with climate change, and how it will affect our fisheries. It is only by keeping track of this - keeping records - that we can really find out what is happening," Wing said.
The reaction from Southeast Alaska fishermen to their catches this summer has been a mixture of fascination, worry and opportunism."Anyone who says there's no such thing as global warming needs to think again," said Paula Terrel, a Juneau troll fisherman who had trouble getting salmon on the line at times this summer because unusual numbers of sharks were biting at her bait.Terrel said it wasn't unusual for her and her husband to catch 20 or 30 pomfret per day. "That was amazing to us. They are wonderful fish. And they are delicious," she added.
"There's definitely an incidence of fish we haven't seen before," said Scott McAllister, a Juneau purse seiner. "But over the years, there's always something different."One of the most unique sightings in Southeast Alaska was large schools of sardines off Dall Island and in Chatham Strait and Cross Sound, among other locations.
The species is not native to Alaska, but its historical range extends as far north as British Columbia. Some Alaska seine fishermen beseeched state biologists unsuccessfully for a sardine fishery this summer."It just didn't seem like the right thing to do," explained Scott Kelley, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's regional supervisor for commercial fisheries, of the department's rejection of their plea."This species is harvested in other jurisdictions (British Columbia, Oregon and Washington) and may already be fully exploited," Kelley said. Sure enough, while Southeast Alaska seiners pulled up salmon nets holding 30 to 50 pounds of sardines, the Washington state sardine seine fishery was getting off to a lousy start.
Sept 25, 2005
Elizabeth Bluemink, Juneau Empire
Sitka (Alaska):
An array of exotic fish and other unusual marine critters flooded the waters of Southeast Alaska this summer.
Seiners and troll fishermen reported sardines, anchovies, jumbo squid, sharks, barracuda and large concentrations of brilliantly hued open-ocean fish such as pomfret and opah.The sightings are linked to warm ocean temperatures and winds blowing offshore waters toward the coast, scientists said.
The warm waters are not related to the El Niño cycle that has brought tropical currents carrying exotic species to Southeast Alaska in past years, scientists said."It looks like it may be associated with a long-term warming trend," said Bruce Wing, a Juneau-based oceanographer.
The ocean temperature in the Inside Passage and along the outer coastline in the Gulf of Alaska ranged two to three degrees - sometimes even higher - above average this summer, Wing said.As the lab's curator and taxonomist, Wing is collecting specimens of what he calls the "strange and wonderfuls" at the National Marine Fisheries Service's Auke Bay Laboratory.Wing said he has received more reports of "strange and wonderfuls" this summer than he has in the past, and he has started to pay careful attention.
"People are always asking us what we expect with climate change, and how it will affect our fisheries. It is only by keeping track of this - keeping records - that we can really find out what is happening," Wing said.
The reaction from Southeast Alaska fishermen to their catches this summer has been a mixture of fascination, worry and opportunism."Anyone who says there's no such thing as global warming needs to think again," said Paula Terrel, a Juneau troll fisherman who had trouble getting salmon on the line at times this summer because unusual numbers of sharks were biting at her bait.Terrel said it wasn't unusual for her and her husband to catch 20 or 30 pomfret per day. "That was amazing to us. They are wonderful fish. And they are delicious," she added.
"There's definitely an incidence of fish we haven't seen before," said Scott McAllister, a Juneau purse seiner. "But over the years, there's always something different."One of the most unique sightings in Southeast Alaska was large schools of sardines off Dall Island and in Chatham Strait and Cross Sound, among other locations.
The species is not native to Alaska, but its historical range extends as far north as British Columbia. Some Alaska seine fishermen beseeched state biologists unsuccessfully for a sardine fishery this summer."It just didn't seem like the right thing to do," explained Scott Kelley, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's regional supervisor for commercial fisheries, of the department's rejection of their plea."This species is harvested in other jurisdictions (British Columbia, Oregon and Washington) and may already be fully exploited," Kelley said. Sure enough, while Southeast Alaska seiners pulled up salmon nets holding 30 to 50 pounds of sardines, the Washington state sardine seine fishery was getting off to a lousy start.
Sept 25, 2005
Elizabeth Bluemink, Juneau Empire
