AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
AFSC/RACE/GAP/McConnaughey: Fishpac Projects-2009-USBL

The broad scope of the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) mandate requires an efficient process for describing and mapping the habitat needs of federally managed species.  For example, research indicates surficial sediments affect the distribution and abundance of many groundfish species, yet traditional sampling with grabs and cores is impractical over areas as large as the Bering Sea shelf.  Acoustic tools are suitable for large-scale surveying and show great promise as a substitute for direct-sampling methods, but they have not been proven useful for EFH purposes.

Tags: acoustic sediment classification, afsc/race/gap/mcconnaughey: fishpac projects-2009, alaska fisheries science center, bering sea, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, grain size analysis, habitat mapping, multibeam echosounder, national marine fisheries service, noaa, side scan sonar, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/NMML: Bowhead Whale Aerial Abundance Survey off Barrow, Alaska, Spring 2011

Aerial photographic surveys for bowhead whales were conducted near Point Barrow, Alaska, from 19 April to 6 June in 2011. Approximately 4,594 photographs containing 6,801 bowhead whale images were obtained (not accounting for resightings). The 2011 field season was very successful: we flew 36 out of 49 available days and conducted 49 flights in that time; we were grounded due to weather on 13 days. The longest period of time that we were grounded due to weather (low ceilings/fog) was three days. This occurred after the migration had slowed down, during a time when few whales passed the ice perches according to the ice-based visual survey. The 2011 migration was steady with several peaks (30 April, 4-5 May, 12 May), and then the migration rate slowed down considerably after 14 May. The photographs taken in 2011 are a significant contribution to the bowhead whale photographic catalogue. They will be used to calculate a population estimate that may be used for comparison with the 2011 ice-based estimate and will provide better precision in estimates of bowhead whale life-history parameters.

Tags: aerial, alaska fisheries science center, beaufort sea, cetacean assessment and ecology program, chukchi sea, distribution, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, noaa, photo-identification, spring, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/GAP/McConnaughey: Fishpac Projects-2006-GIS

The broad scope of the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) mandate requires an efficient process for describing and mapping the habitat needs of federally managed species.  For example, research indicates surficial sediments affect the distribution and abundance of many groundfish species, yet traditional sampling with grabs and cores is impractical over areas as large as the Bering Sea shelf.  Acoustic tools are suitable for large-scale surveying and show great promise as a substitute for direct-sampling methods, but they have not been proven useful for EFH purposes.

Tags: acoustic sediment classification, afsc/race/gap/mcconnaughey: fishpac projects-2006, alaska fisheries science center, bering sea, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, grain size analysis, habitat mapping, multibeam echosounder, national marine fisheries service, noaa, side scan sonar, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/NMML: Southeast Alaska Cetacean Vessel Surveys, 1991 - 2012

In 1991, NMML initiated cetacean studies with vessel coverage throughout inland waters of Southeast Alaska.  Between 1991 and 1993, line-transect methodology was used to: 1) obtain population estimates of both harbor porpoise and Dalls porpoise, 2) establish a baseline for detecting trends in porpoise abundance, and 3) define porpoise distributional patterns and seasonality. Three line-transect surveys were carried out each year spanning spring, summer, and fall.  To update abundance and trends for both harbor porpoise and Dalls porpoise, NMML once again initiated line-transect surveys in 2006 (spring and summer), 2007 (spring, summer and fall), 2010 (summer and fall), 2011 (summer and fall), and 2012 (summer) using methods comparable to those used in the early 1990s.

Tags: abundance, alaska fisheries science center, cetacean assessment and ecology program, distribution, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, fall, line-transect survey, national marine fisheries service, noaa, seaonal occurrence, southeast alaska, spring, summer, trends, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/MACE: Results of 2020 acoustic saildrone survey Eastern Bering Sea SD1049_2020-01

Eastern Bering Sea shelf walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) midwater abundance and distribution were assessed using 3 Saildrone autonomous vehicles due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Tags: acoustics, afsc/race/mace: pollock acoustic-trawl survey biennial bering sea, alaska, alaska fisheries science center, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, noaa, pollock, saildrone, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/NMML/CCEP: Characterizing and quantifying California sea lion and Pacific harbor seal use of offshore oil and gas platforms in California, 2013-2015

California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) use offshore oil and gas platforms as resting and foraging areas.  Both species are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972).  The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is required to collect information from platforms being used by California sea lions and harbor seals (or other pinniped species) with the goal of meeting environmental review and permitting requirements associated with the eventual decommissioning of offshore platforms. Decommissioning requirements are under the jurisdiction of BOEMs sister agency, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). However, BOEM provides environmental studies and environmental review support for BSEE actions. To accomplish this goal, BOEM entered an inter-agency agreement with the National Marine Mammal Laboratories' California Current Ecosystem Program (CCEP; AFSC/NOAA) in 2012. Specifically, BOEM funded CCEP to conduct a study (from January 2012 to January 2015) to characterize and quantify California sea lion and Pacific harbor seal use of the platforms, including; abundance, seasonal use patterns, and age and sex class composition of animals on the platforms. Inter- (i.e. spatial) and intra- (i.e. temporal) platform comparisons were examined.

Tags: abundance, alaska fisheries science center, california, california current, california current ecosystems program, california sea lion, distribution, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, interagency agreement, national marine fisheries service, noaa, oil/gas platforms, outer continental shelf, pacific harbor seal, pinnipeds, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Northern fur seal pup weights, Pribilof Islands, Alaska, 1957-present

This database contains northern fur seal pup mass and length data by date, island, rookery and sex on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, collected between 1957-2016. Mass has been used as an index of condition and can be on indicator of the health of the individual, the population and of the ecosystem.

Tags: alaska ecosystems program, alaska fisheries science center, bering sea, condition, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, noaa, pribilof islands, pup length, pup mass, st. george island, st. paul island, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/SAP/Urban:  Snow Crab Handling  Mortality

Fish and invertebrates that are unintentionally captured during commercial fishing operations and then released back into the ocean suffer mortality at unknown rates, introducing uncertainty into the fishery management process. Attempts have been made to quantify discard mortality rates using reflex action mortality predictors or RAMP which use the presence or absence of a suite of reflexes to predict discard mortality. This method was applied to snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio, during the 2010-2012 fisheries in the Bering Sea. Discard mortality in the fishery is currently assumed to be 50% in stock assessment models, but that rate is not based on empirical data and is widely recognized to be in need of refinement. Over 19,000 crab were evaluated using the RAMP method. The estimated discard mortality rate was 4.5% (SD = 0.812), significantly below the rate used in stock assessment models. Predicted discard mortality rates from the 2010-2012 study were strongly correlated with the air temperature at the St. Paul Island airport in the Pribilof Islands. Using this relationship the discard mortality rate from 1991-2011was estimated at 4.2% (SD = 1.08).

Tags: alaska, alaska fisheries science center, bering sea, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, mortality, national marine fisheries service, noaa, shellfish assessment program, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Bering Sea Helicopter Surveys for Ice-Associated Seals (2007-08)

In the spring of 2007 and 2008, researchers from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center conducted aerial surveys for ribbon, bearded, and spotted seals in the US sector of the Bering Sea. The surveys were conducted from helicopters based aboard the US Coast Guard icebreakers Healy and Polar Sea. Line transect surveys were conducted between approximately 09:00 and 16:00 (local solar time), which corresponds to the timing of peak seal haul-out probability. By local solar time, we mean that for each 15Â° of latitude west of 0 degrees longitude, one hour was subtracted; thus, we used UTC minus 11 h for Bering Sea observations which puts the sun overhead at approximately noon at these coordinates. Each flight had two to three observers and was flown at a target altitude of 118m (400 ft) at speeds of 80â95 knots. Only seals hauled out on ice were observed and recorded. The distance from each seal to the helicopterâs track line was calculated using a sighting bar mounted on each observerâs window. In all, 2214 seals were observed during approximately 73 h of survey effort covering 11819 km of survey line on 63 flights. Because ice conditions decayed markedly toward the end of the 2007 surveys, our analysis used only the first 27 flights. The number of ringed seal sightings was low, possibly due to a combination of a preponderance of survey effort away from near-shore areas favored by ringed seals and a greater tendency for ringed seals to be disturbed into the water by the helicopter, and therefore to be missed by observers.

Tags: 2007-2008 bering sea ice seal surveys, abundance, alaska, alaska fisheries science center, bearded seal, bering sea, distribution, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, line-transect survey, national marine fisheries service, noaa, ribbon seal, ringed seal, spotted seal, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/GAP/McConnaughey: South Arctic Reconnaissance-2012-SVP

A custom designed Klein 7180 towed sonar was deployed from the NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER to determine its value of acoustic backscatter as a habitat defining character. A Sonardyne Fusion USBL system was used to estimate underwater positioning of the towfish using an omnidirectional Wideband submini beacon operating in external trigger mode. Navigation data were logged in QINSy and exported into a text file. The towfish positions were then smoothed in Matlab using a custom script that implemented a weighted Hamming filter, using a window of 11 data points. These points represent the smoothed USBL navigation data for the Klein 7180 towfish during the Arctic reconnaissance transit from Dutch Harbor to Kotzebue. These smoothed towfish navigation data, however, will NOT ultimately be reinserted back into the sonar files for mosaicking and analysis. Rather, another navigation smoothing routine will be used for the final product.

Tags: afsc/race/gap/mcconnaughey: south arctic reconnaissance-2012, alaska fisheries science center, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, navigation, noaa, side scan sonar, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/GAP/McConnaughey: Fishpac Projects-2006-Seaboss-Photos

The broad scope of the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) mandate requires an efficient process for describing and mapping the habitat needs of federally managed species.  For example, research indicates surficial sediments affect the distribution and abundance of many groundfish species, yet traditional sampling with grabs and cores is impractical over areas as large as the Bering Sea shelf.  Acoustic tools are suitable for large-scale surveying and show great promise as a substitute for direct-sampling methods, but they have not been proven useful for EFH purposes.

Tags: acoustic sediment classification, afsc/race/gap/mcconnaughey: fishpac projects-2006-seaboss, alaska fisheries science center, bering sea, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, grain size analysis, habitat mapping, multibeam echosounder, national marine fisheries service, noaa, side scan sonar, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Sound recordings and echolocation logs from Tuxedni Bay and Chinitna Bay, Cook Inlet, Alaska, September 2021 to September 2022

Sound recordings were made in Tuxedni Bay and Chinitna Bays, Cook Inlet, Alaska. These recordings (files.wav) were made from ST-600HF sound recorders (Ocean Instruments NZ) programmed to sample on a duty cycle of 5 minutes on and 10 minutes off with a sampling rate of 48 kHz. Echolocation logs (files.FP1) from F-POD echolocation loggers (Chelonia Ltd.) sampled the frequency range of 40 to 160 kHz on a continuous basis from May to September and on a duty cycle of 1 minute every 2 minutes from October to April.  Species recorded include harbor porpoise, beluga whales, killer whales, and humpback whales.

Tags: alaska, alaska fisheries science center, beluga whale, cetacean assessment and ecology program, cook inlet, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, echolocation logs, harbor porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, national marine fisheries service, noaa, sound recordings, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC NPRB Conrath Conners Octopus Studies 2009-2011 Kodiak Alaska Life History and Habitat Pot Gear

Data collected during 2010-2011 field studies of giant Pacific octopus Enteroctopus dofleini for NPRB. 
       Includes data on habitat pot gear study: fishing locations, pot types, deployment and retrieval dates, and catch 
       in pots (octopus and bycatch).  Also includes specimen data (sex. weight, mantle length, gonad maturity, gonad weights, GSI) 
       from octopus in life history study.  Life history specimens come from pot gear fishing and donations from commercial fishermen.

Tags: abundance, age, alaska, alaska fisheries science center, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, fecundity, gear development, gulf of alaska, habitat pots, kodiak, life history, longline, maturation, national marine fisheries service, noaa, pot, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/GAP/McConnaughey: QTC View Study- 1997- GIS

In early 1996, Quester Tangent Corporation (QTC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Alaska Fisheries Science Center (in Seattle) formed a strategic alliance to apply QTC seabed classification technology to the problem of groundfish habitat descriptions. The Bering Sea supports about 300 fish species, many of which are demersal species. This stock supports sizeable fisheries, as indicated by landings at the Bering Sea port of Dutch Harbor in excess of 579 million pounds in 1996 and 678 million pounds in 1999 (the highest in the U.S.). By comparison, in 1981 the landing at Dutch Harbor was 73 million pounds. This rapid increase in catch highlights the need for effective management to ensure sustainability.  After connecting the QTC VIEW full waveform acquisition system (ISAH-S) to the Simrad EK-500 scientific echosounder on the NOAA ship Miller Freeman, over 9,000 miles of track line data were collected in the eastern Bering Sea between June and August 1999. The raw data consist of digital echo traces of the full water column and seabed substrate. They were collected at two frequencies, 38 kHz and 120 kHz. Based on an average rate of one ping recorded per second, approximately four million individual echoes at each frequency were obtained.
The data within this raster set represent the results of processing channel 38_12, which incorporated the 38 kHz frequency data, using a reference depth of 90 meters and stacks of 50 echoes to create a single classified data point through the PCA analysis.  A rasterized grid was created from each Q value and then grid stacked to allow RGB representation of each data point in continous Q- space as opposed to categorical class.

Tags: acoustic sediment classification, afsc/race/gap/mcconnaughey: qtc view study- 1997, alaska fisheries science center, bering sea, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, habitat mapping, national marine fisheries service, noaa, quester tangent, side scan sonar, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/ABL: Taku chum salmon project diet and energy database

This study is a cooperative effort between Douglas Island Pink & Chum (DIPAC), the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (UAF, SFOS), the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Auke Bay Lab (ABL), and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G) to determine the potential for interactions between DIPAC hatchery chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) fry and wild chum salmon fry in Taku Inlet, Southeast Alaska. We analyzed patterns in spatial and temporal distribution, size, and condition of juvenile chum salmon collected in the littoral and neritic waters of Taku Inlet in 2004 and 2005. Energy density and diet of wild and hatchery chum salmon fry in Taku Inlet were analyzed and compared to data obtained later in the season for chum salmon stocks caught in Icy Strait. The greatest potential for wild/hatchery interactions was in the outer inlet, directly following early hatchery releases (May 9-11). Peak outmigration for wild chum salmon fry coincided with early hatchery releases; in contrast, most wild chum salmon fry had already emigrated from the estuary by the time of late hatchery fry release (May 22  June 1). In both years, hatchery fry were rare in the inner inlet, but comprised over 95% of the catch in the outer estuary during the peak of outmigration. Hatchery chum salmon were significantly larger than wild fry in both beach and neritic samples. Wild and early hatchery chum salmon were smaller in the littoral than the neritic habitat, indicating that both groups moved from shallow to deeper water with ontogeny. In spite of large differences in abundance, no negative correlation between abundance of hatchery fish and condition of wild fish was identified. Both wild and early hatchery chum salmon fry showed apparent growth through the season, while late hatchery fry appeared to leave the estuary soon after release. Regardless of origin, most chum salmon juveniles emigrated from the study area in late May and early June, indicating a high probability for mixed-stock schools. Hatchery chum salmon juveniles were initially larger and had greater
energy content than wild fish; however, energetic values converged by mid-June in Taku Inlet. In Icy Strait, energetic condition of wild and hatchery chum salmon juveniles was also similar. Multivariate analysis of 54 prey measures indicated that diets of the two groups were distinctly different throughout the season in all Taku Inlet locations and converged in Icy Strait.

Tags: abundance, alaska, alaska fisheries science center, auke bay laboratories, chum salmon, condition, diet, distribution, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, early marine growth, energy density, estuary, hatchery/wild interaction, juveniles, national marine fisheries service, noaa, oncorhynchus keta, southeast alaska, taku inlet, taku river, transboundary river, trophic interactions, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/GAP/McConnaughey: Trawlex BACI-2001-2002 -Nav

The Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering (RACE) Division of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) conducted a survey in the eastern Bering Sea (EBS) to evaluate short-term impacts of bottom trawls on soft-bottom benthic habitats and to describe the recovery process.  This was a multi-year project which follows earlier studies of long-term bottom trawling impacts in the same general region.  The study area was within the Crab and Halibut Protection Zone 1 in Bristol Bay (management area 512; approximately latitude 58 degrees north and longitude 160 degrees west.  In general, at-sea work was divided into three phases: (1) integrated biological and geological sampling before experimental trawling, (2) experimental trawling and (3) integrated biological and geological sampling after experimental trawling.  Survey activities were conducted aboard the 47.2 meter (155 ft) chartered vessel Ocean Explorer.  This was a commercial fishing vessel modified to support the research activities.  Activity during phase 1 consisted of side scan assessments of seafloor morphology with an interferometric Klein 5410 side scan sonar towfish during night wheel watches, and epifauna trawls and collection of infauna and sediment grabs during daylight hours.  All samples from a particular gear were collected in succession, so as to minimize time spent installing and configuring gear during phases (1) and (3).  Assessment activities after the impact phase were a repeat of activities prior to experimental trawling.

Tags: acoustic sediment classification, afsc/race/gap/mcconnaughey: trawlex baci-2001-2002, alaska fisheries science center, baci design, bering sea, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, noaa, side scan sonar, trawl impact, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/REFM: Alaska groundfish AGEDATA database,1982 to present

The AFSC AGEDATA database is a collection of historic and ongoing fish ageing efforts by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Age and Growth Program from 1982 to present.  The database contains over 900,000 observations of biological and collection data from survey and observer fish specimen collections spanning from 1976 to 2015.  Primarily the species aged are comprised of commercially important species of Alaska and the west coast such as walleye pollock, Pacific cod, rockfish, sablefish, and flatfish, although smaller numbers of other species are included as well such as skates, sculpins, and forage fish species.  Specimen data includes fish age estimates, fish length, sex, weight, collection coordinates, date of collection, fish ageing methodologies, age reader information, and ageing structure descriptions.

Tags: age, alaska, alaska fisheries science center, aleutian islands, bering sea, bristol bay, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, fall, fishery-dependent, growth, gulf of alaska, juvenile, life history, migration, national marine fisheries service, noaa, otolith, photo, prince william sound, shelikof strait, shumagin islands, spring, summer, tracked asset, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce