AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
AFSC/NMML: Beluga whale aerial survey in Cook Inlet, Alaska, 1993-2022

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has conducted aerial counts of Cook Inlet beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from 1993 to 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2022.  Nearly all counts were conducted during the month of June.  The routine nature of these counts and the consistency in research protocol lend themselves to inter-annual trend analyses.  Beginning in 2005, an aerial survey was added during the month of August to document calving groups within the upper Inlet (north of East and West Foreland).  Research protocol has been based on paired observers on the shoreward side of the aircraft and a single observer and computer operator on the offshore side independently searching for marine mammals.  Data on environmental conditions, time, location, species, and inclinometer angle were collected for each sighting. The counting protocol included multiple passes near each beluga group while simultaneously collecting video footage.  The counting system and observer performance has been tested through paired, independent observational effort. Information about the Cook Inlet beluga whale projects conducted at NOAA can be found here:  https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale#science.

Tags: abundance, aerial, alaska, alaska fisheries science center, cetacean assessment and ecology program, cook inlet, distribution, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, noaa, photo, summer, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Alaska juvenile Steller Sea Lion Telemetry Dataset from the Eastern Aleutian Islands, 2000-2002

To better understand potential mechanisms underlying continued population declines of Steller sea lions in Alaska, we captured and deployed satellite-linked transmitters on 30 juvenile (ages 5-21 months) Steller sea lions during 2000-2003 to better understand habitat use, movements, and foraging behavior among the among the eastern Aleutian Islands.

Tags: alaska ecosystems program, alaska fisheries science center, bering sea, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, eumetopias jubatus, gulf of alaska, national marine fisheries service, noaa, otariidae, steller sea lion, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Ribbon Seal Distribution

This dataset contains GIS layers that depict the known spatial distributions (i.e., ranges) and reported breeding areas of ribbon seals (Histriophoca fasciata). It was produced as part of a U.S. Endangered Species Act status review, which included delineating the species in question and assessing its risk of extinction within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Its boundaries are based on previously published range maps and/or descriptions of the species' distribution in published or unpublished accounts. All boundaries should be considered approximate

Tags: alaska, alaska fisheries science center, arctic ocean, beaufort sea, bering sea, chukchi sea, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, gulf of alaska, ice seal distribution, national marine fisheries service, noaa, ribbon seal, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/REFM: Seabird Necropsy dataset of North Pacific

The seabird necropsy dataset contains information on seabird specimens that were collected under salvage and scientific collection permits primarily by NMFS-certified fisheries observers deployed by the Pacific Islands Regional Office Observer Program to shallow and deep set pelagic longline fisheries operating in North Pacific waters and fisheries observers deployed by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Observer Program to groundfish demersal longline, pot, and trawl fisheries in waters off Alaska.  The database includes Magnuson-Act protected data on the precise date and location where the specimen was collected and publicly available information on the results of the necropsy work.  This includes a suite of data including age class, sex, morphometrics, plumage characteristics, body condition, tissue samples, and plastics ingestion.  Food habits are completed as a parallel program.

Tags: age class, alaska, alaska fisheries science center, bycatch, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, necropsy, noaa, north pacific, samples, sex, trophic interactions, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/GAP/McConnaughey: Fishpac Projects-2008-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-2008, 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/RACE/GAP/McConnaughey: Fishpac Projects-2012-Reson 8160

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-2012, 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: Bristol Bay Beluga hearing sensitivity, August 2012 and 2014

Hearing sensitivity data was collected on beluga whales in Bristol Bay with auditory evoked potential (AEP) methods for the frequencies 4, 8, 11.2, 16, 22.5, 32, 45, 54, 80, 100, 128, 150 kHz in 7 belugas in 2012 and 9 in 2014.

Tags: alaska fisheries science center, auditory evoked potential, bristol bay, cetacean assessment and ecology program, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, hearing, national marine fisheries service, noaa, summer, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/REFM: Beaufort Sea Marine Fish Survey, Beaufort Sea, Alaska, August 2008, Fisheries Interaction Team

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Status of Stocks and Multispecies Assessment (SSMA) Programs Fishery Interaction Team (FIT) conducted a fish survey in the marine offshore waters of the Beaufort Sea during the month of August, 2008. The Mineral Management Service (MMS) provided funding for the survey.  The results of the survey provided estimates of abundance, species composition and biological information of marine fish and invertebrates, oceanographic properties and information on the macro- and micro- zooplankton communities.

Tags: acoustic, alaska, alaska fisheries science center, arctic, beaufort sea, bongo net, ctd, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, fish abundance, fish abundance surveys, invertebrate abundance, national marine fisheries service, noaa, standardized bottom trawl, summer, survey, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Alaska Harbor Seal Stocks

This data layer represents the 12 uniquely identified stocks of harbor seals found in Alaskan waters. Stocks were identified by NMFS and their co-management partners, the Alaska Native Harbor Seal Commission, in 2010 based largely on genetic structure. Given the genetic samples were not obtained continuously throughout the range, a total evidence approach was used to consider additional factors such as population trends, observed harbor seal movements, and traditional Alaska Native use areas in the final designation of stock boundaries. The 12 stocks of harbor seals currently identified in Alaska are 1) the Aleutian Islands, 2) the Pribilof Islands, 3) Bristol Bay, 4) North Kodiak Island, 5) South Kodiak Island, 6) Prince William Sound, 7) Cook Inlet/Shelikof Strait, 8) Glacier Bay/Icy Strait, 9) Lynn Canal/Stephens Passage, 10) Sitka/Chatham Strait, 11) Dixon/Cape Decision and 12) Clarence Strait.

Tags: alaska, alaska fisheries science center, alaska harbor seal surveys and abundance, coastal, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, harbor seal, national marine fisheries service, noaa, statewide abundance, stock, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Results of 2017 Chukchi Sea Acoustic/Trawl Survey

We conducted acoustic-trawl (AT) surveys of the US continental shelf region of the Chukchi Sea during ice-free periods (1 August to 27 September) with a focus on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), a key species in Arctic ecosystems. These surveys indicate that midwater fishes are dominated by age-0 Arctic cod, with large numbers of age-0 walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) found in the region for the first time. Age-0 Arctic cod abundances were significantly larger than observed in previous surveys. Age-0 Arctic cod were distributed north of 68 Â°N with the highest densities in the northeastern Chukchi Sea, and age-0 pollock were found throughout the region north of 66 Â°N. Additional key pelagic species included capelin (Mallotus villosus), saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis), and Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). These three species were primarily found in coastal areas between 66.5-72 Â°N. As had been previously observed, sizeable populations of age-0 Arctic cod were observed in the northern Chukchi Sea, which suggests that this area is an important nursery ground. The increase in age-0 pollock abundance suggests that environmental conditions now enable species from the south to colonize the Chukchi Sea, at least on a seasonal basis.

Tags: acoustic trawl surveys, afsc/race/mace: chukchi sea acoustic/trawl survey, alaska fisheries science center, arctic cod (boreogadus saida), arctic zone, capelin (mallotus villosus), chukchi sea, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, midwater trawl, national marine fisheries service, noaa, northern bering sea, pacific cod (gadus macrocephalus), pacific herring (clupea pallasii), pelagic fish, saffron cod (eleginus gracilis), u.s. department of commerce, walleye pollock (gadus chalcogrammus)
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/SAP: Small Mesh Survey Data

This database contains information about shrimp surveys conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands dating back to 1953. The main tables used for analysis are the shrimp.catch, shrimp.length, shrimp.cruise, and shrimp.haul tables. Join columns provide linkages between the tables.The shrimp.catch table contains catch weights and counts by haul. Not all catch weights have associated counts and in the earlier years of the time series the catch of all species was not recorded so care must be taken that a non-recorded catch is not interpretated as a zero catch. The shrimp.length table contains the length measurements of the shrimp and other taxa taken during the smallmesh survey.The Shrimp.cruise table contains information on each of the individual surveys called cruises included in the smallmesh database from the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and Aleutian Islands. The definition of a cruise has not been consistent over the years. Generally, a cruise is conducted by a single vessel in a single geographic area. For certain cruises however, multiple vessels participated in hauls ranging from the Bering Sea to the Gulf of Alaska. The records from some cruises contain as few as one haul while several consist of over 500 hauls. The Shrimp.haul table contains the basic information gathered for each haul including location, date and time, and gear information. Some of the hauls in the data set are from surveys not necessarily targeting shrimp, mainly the hauls in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.

Tags: abundance, alaska, alaska fisheries science center, aleutian islands, bering sea, bottom trawl, bristol bay, cook inlet, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, fall, growth, gulf of alaska, juvenile, national marine fisheries service, noaa, norton sound, shelikof strait, shellfish assessment program, shumagin islands, summer, u.s. department of commerce, winter
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
NPRB711 Quantification of unobserved injury and mortality of Bering Sea crabs due to encounters with trawls on the seafloor

The potential for unobserved mortality of crabs encountering bottom trawls, but not captured, has long been a concern in the management of Bering Sea fisheries. We evaluated how many such crabs die, including snow, Tanner and red king crabs, and demonstrated changes to trawl gear that substantially improved crab survival.

Tags: afsc/race/mace: reducing trawl impacts to benthic habitat and invertebrates, alaska fisheries science center, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, noaa, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Steller sea lion satellite telemetry data used to determine at-sea distribution in the western-central Aleutian Islands, 2000-2013

This dataset was used for an analysis of the at-sea distribution of Steller sea lions in the western-central Aleutian Islands, Alaska. This analysis was prepared to support the 2014 Section 7 Biological Opinion evaluating effects of commercial groundfish fisheries on Steller sea lion populations. In this study we combined all telemetry deployments during 2000-2013 in the central and western Aleutian Islands, including recent deployments on adult females, and  conducted a spatial analysis to identify patterns of use relative to sea lion critical habitat and bathymetry in an area of intense fisheries management measures intended to reduce potential competition. The analytical approach modeled travel paths using the continuous-time correlated random walk model (CTCRW; Johnson et al. 2008, Ecology 89:1208-1215.). The CTCRW model output was used to show habitat use by individual to indicate intra-animal variation, then aggregated in a by age-class, season, criticalhabitat zone (<3 nmi, 3-10 nmi, 10-20 nmi, >20 nmi), or occurrence inside/outside of the 200 m isobath contour as possible factors. Some of the deployments included in this analysis have also been used in previous published studies (Call et al., 2007; Fadely et al., 2005; Lander et al., 2011a; Lander et al. 2011b; Lander et al., 2010; Lander et al., 2009; Loughlin et al., 2003; Pitcher et al., 2005; Rehberg and Burns, 2008).

Tags: alaska ecosystems program, alaska fisheries science center, aleutian islands, at-sea distribution, autumn, bering sea, biological opinion, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, endangered species act, eumetopias jubatus, groundfish fisheries, marine mammal, national marine fisheries service, noaa, north pacific ocean, otariid, pinniped, satellite telemetry, spring, steller sea lion, summer, u.s. department of commerce, winter
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/NMML: North Pacific Right Whale Photo-ID Catalog

The eastern population of the North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) is the most endangered stock of whales in the world, with recent abundance estimates indicating a population size of approximately 30 animals. Photo-identification of the naturally occurring callosity patterns on the chin, rostrum, lips and post blowhole, and the lip and fluke trailing edge crenulations together represent a nonintrusive technique for obtaining information on their life history parameters, distribution and movements, stock structure, health assessment, and population size.   As part of a study funded by the Minerals Management Service and North Pacific Research Board, a North Pacific right whale photo-identification catalog has been established using sighting data recorded since the late 1970s by various dedicated surveys and opportunistic sighting platforms. Date, time, position, photographer, picture quality and notes are documented for each of the approximately 1,780 photographs in the catalog.  Within the catalog, there are 18 individual animals with both a high-quality left and right side oblique photograph or a high-quality aerial photograph of the head and dorsal surface; this should be considered the conservative minimum number of individuals catalogued.  There are nine other animals with a high quality left or right oblique photograph, but not both.  There are eight additional animals with the full suite of required photographs, but the images are of poor quality and cannot be reliably matched.  Seven individuals were seen between years (over a period of 11 years), and one of those whales was seen in five separate years within that same period.  Data from this catalog have been used to calculate the first abundance estimates for the population.  Additionally, the first known match between high and low latitudes (the Bering Sea and Hawaii) was discovered in the catalog.  Tracking the within- and between-year sighting histories of photo-identified individuals over decades broadens our knowledge of how these animals use their habitat, and can significantly assist the conservation and management of the species.

Tags: alaska fisheries science center, bering sea, cetacean assessment and ecology program, distribution, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, noaa, north pacific ocean, photo-identification, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/ABL: Adult Pink Salmon Predation in Prince William Sound and Southeast Alaska, 2009-2011

The project objectives were to assess potential salmon predation impact on juvenile salmon and herring by: (1) comparing diets of adult pink salmon during their homing migrations using samples taken from surface trawls in SEAK straits and purse seines in SEAK and PWS; (2) contrasting predation incidence of these abundant pink salmon with the less abundant, more piscivorous adult coho and immature (age-1+) Chinook salmon in SEAK straits; and (3) examining potential climate mechanisms that could influence predator-prey match-mismatch by altering life history patterns of growth, migration
timing, or stock-specific characteristics.

Tags: alaska, alaska fisheries science center, auke bay laboratories, climate effects, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, match-mismatch, national marine fisheries service, noaa, pacific herring, pacific salmon, predation impact, trophic interactions, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/GAP/McConnaughey:  Dabob Bay USBL planned survey line

The trials were conducted in Dabob Bay, Washington, in May 1998. The main objective of these trials was to determine an accurate and reliable system to track a fishing trawl. Three USBL vendors were invited and agreed to participate in the trials. Nautronix Ltd. (Nautronix) provided their ATS II system, Simrad Subsea A/S (Simrad) provided their ITI system, and Ocean Research Equipment, Inc. (ORE) submitted their Trackpoint II Plus system. A local ORE distributor, MECCO, Inc. (MECCO), provided and operated the Trackpoint II Plus system. The U.S. Navy?s fixed, underwater tracking range in Dabob Bay, operated by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division ? Keyport, Washington, was also used in these trials. The range was used to provide simultaneous sub-sea positioning of the fishing trawl and to serve as a benchmark for system evaluations. The U.S. Navy also provided surface navigation support for the fishing vessel during these trials. The vessel selected by AFSC to conduct these trawls was the F/V Vesteraalen. It is 124 feet long, has a beam of 32 feet, and a draft of 18 feet. The F/V VESTERAALEN has a single, fixed-pitch propeller with a nozzle. By design, the vessel is like most in-shore trawlers and has, in fact, operated in Alaska in the past. The tests were conducted using NMFS otter trawls, typically used in Alaskan waters. A trial schedule was developed that would provide each vendor with three days to mobilize and test their systems. Each vendor?s equipment was attached to the fishing trawl, along with the U.S. Navy tracking gear. Both the U.S. Navy and the USBL vendor collected simultaneous trawl position data as determined by their respective equipment, with the trawl being dragged on the bottom along a predetermined track. The main objective of these trials was to assess the accuracy of each vendor?s equipment. This was accomplished using a statistical comparison between each vendor?s data and the U.S. Navy?s data that were observed simultaneously. This report details the results of these trials and summarizes the comparison results. It also contains details of the equipment and the methodologies used to collect and analyze the data. As a result of the data analysis, conclusions were drawn and recommendations have been included in this report.

Tags: afsc/race/gap/mcconnaughey:usbl proof of concept-1998-other, alaska fisheries science center, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, national marine fisheries service, navigation, noaa, puget sound, u.s. department of commerce, usbl underwater positioning, washington
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
AFSC/RACE/GAP/Nichol: Archival tag depth and temperature data from snow crab

Seasonal migration of commercial-size (=102 mm carapace width [CW]), morphometrically mature (MM) snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio) from the eastern Bering Sea was examined in relation to the summer distribution of mature females to identify spatiotemporal overlap of males and females and determine the likelihood of mating associations for specific reproductive stages. Depth variation associated with this migration was examined to determine whether seasonal migrations contribute to previously recognized spatial differences in distributions of commercial-size males caught in the winter fishery and in the National Marine Fisheries Service summer bottom trawl survey. Depth data from 33 data storage tags attached to commercial-size MM males during 2010 and 2011 indicated that most males moved inshore during springâa movement that would allow them to mate with multiparous females but not with pubescent-primiparous females. Smaller tagged males (100â102 mm CW) underwent more extensive inshore migrations, and several of them traveled more than 100 km in one direction.  Both tagging and distribution data indicated that most commercial-size MM males remained predominantly on the outer shelf throughout the year (despite some inshore movements during spring) and, therefore, these males did not contribute greatly to the spatial differences observed between winter and summer.

Tags: alaska fisheries science center, doc/noaa/nmfs/afsc, groundfish assessment program, national marine fisheries service, noaa, ora-30625: method dispatch on null self argument is disallowed, u.s. department of commerce
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce