Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Ecology Catalog

218 Pages·2016·7.22 MB·English

Prepared in cooperation with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
Environmental Studies Program (OCS Study, BOEM 2016-048)
Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Ecology Catalog
Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5038
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Cover: Photographs of various fish studied for this report. Background photograph
shows Arctic icebergs and ice floes. Photograph from iStock™, dated March 23, 2011.
Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Ecology Catalog
By Lyman K. Thorsteinson and Milton S. Love, editors
Prepared in cooperation with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,
Environmental Studies Program (OCS Study, BOEM 2016-048)
Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5038
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior
SALLY JEWELL, Secretary
U.S. Geological Survey
Suzette M. Kimball, Director
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2016
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Disclaimer: This Scientific Investigations Report has been technically reviewed and approved for publication by the
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Suggested citation:
Thorsteinson, L.K., and Love, M.S., eds., 2016, Alaska Arctic marine fish ecology catalog: U.S. Geological Survey
Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5038 (OCS Study, BOEM 2016-048), 768 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/
sir20165038.
Chapter within report:
Love, M.S., Elder, Nancy, Mecklenburg, C.W., Thorsteinson, L.K., and Mecklenburg, T.A., 2016, Alaska Arctic marine
fish species accounts, in Thorsteinson, L.K., and Love, M.S., eds., Alaska Arctic marine fish ecology catalog: U.S.
Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5038 (OCS Study, BOEM 2016-048) p. 41–48, http://dx.doi.
org/10.3133/sir20165038.

ISSN 2328-0328 (online)
iii
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Environmental Studies Program, Alaska OCS Region, through Interagency
Agreement Number M09PG00005 with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). We appreciate the
program planning advice and project reviews by fishery specialists in the Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management and all expert technical reviews provided during the USGS-managed peer
review process. We extend special appeciation to the USGS Tacoma Publishing Service Center
for their editorial, production, and publication assistance.
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Contents
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................iii
Chapter 1. Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Ecology Catalog—Chukchi and Beaufort Seas
By Lyman K. Thorsteinson ......................................................................................................1
Chapter 2. Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Inventory
By Lyman K. Thorsteinson ....................................................................................................23
Chapter 3. Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Species Accounts
By Milton S. Love, Nancy Elder, Catherine W. Mecklenburg,
Lyman K. Thorsteinson, and T. Anthony Mecklenburg ....................................................41
Pacific and Arctic Lampreys .......................................................................................49
Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) ....................................................49
Arctic Lamprey (Lethenteron camtschaticum) ...............................................55
Spotted Spiny Dogfish to Bering Cisco .....................................................................60
Spotted Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi) .......................................................60
Arctic Skate (Amblyraja hyperborea) ...............................................................66
Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) ........................................................................70
Pond Smelt (Hypomesus olidus) ........................................................................78
Pacific Capelin (Mallotus catervarius) .............................................................83
Arctic Smelt (Osmerus dentex) ........................................................................91
Arctic Cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) ...............................................................98
Bering Cisco (Coregonus laurettae) ...............................................................107
Broad Whitefish to Dolly Varden ..............................................................................112
Broad Whitefish (Coregonus nasus) .............................................................112
Humpback Whitefish (Coregonus pidschian) ..............................................121
Least Cisco (Coregonus sardinella) ................................................................128
Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) .....................................................136
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) ..............................................................142
Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) ..........................................................148
Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) ......................................................153
Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) ...........................................158
Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) .....................................................................163
Inconnu and Glacier Lanternfish ..............................................................................172
Inconnu (Stenodus leucichthys) ....................................................................172
Glacier Lanternfish (Benthosema glaciale) ...................................................179
Ice Cod to Pacific Cod ................................................................................................183
Ice Cod (Arctogadus glacialis) .......................................................................183
Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida) .......................................................................189
Saffron Cod (Eleginus gracilis) .......................................................................201
Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) ....................................................209
Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) .............................................................218
Threespine Stickleback to Antlered Sculpin ..........................................................226
Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) .....................................226
Ninespine Stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) ...............................................233
Whitespotted Greenling (Hexagrammos stelleri) ........................................239
Okhotsk Hookear Sculpin (Artediellus ochotensis) ....................................245
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Contents—Continued
Chapter 3. Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Species Accounts—Continued
Threespine Stickleback to Antlered Sculpin—Continued
Hamecon (Artediellus scaber) ........................................................................249
Antlered Sculpin (Enophrys diceraus) ..........................................................254
Arctic Staghorn Sculpin to Ribbed Sculpin ............................................................259
Arctic Staghorn Sculpin (Gymnocanthus tricuspis) ...................................259
Butterfly Sculpin (Hemilepidotus papilio) ......................................................265
Twohorn Sculpin (Icelus bicornis) ..................................................................270
Spatulate Sculpin (Icelus spatula) .................................................................274
Belligerent Sculpin (Megalocottus platycephalus) .....................................279
Brightbelly Sculpin (Microcottus sellaris) .....................................................283
Plain Sculpin (Myoxocephalus jaok) .............................................................287
Great Sculpin (Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus) .............................292
Fourhorn Sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) .......................................298
Arctic Sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpioides) ...............................................305
Shorthorn Sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) ............................................310
Hairhead Sculpin (Trichocottus brashnikovi) ...............................................316
Bigeye Sculpin (Triglops nybelini) ..................................................................320
Ribbed Sculpin (Triglops pingelii) ...................................................................324
Crested Sculpin to Leatherfin Lumpsucker ............................................................330
Crested Sculpin (Blepsias bilobus) .................................................................330
Eyeshade Sculpin (Nautichthys pribilovius) .................................................335
Polar Sculpin (Cottunculus microps) .............................................................339
Smoothcheek Sculpin (Eurymen gyrinus) .....................................................343
Alligatorfish (Aspidophoroides monopterygius) ...........................................347
Arctic Alligatorfish (Aspidophoroides olrikii) ...............................................353
Fourhorn Poacher (Hypsagonus quadricornis) ...........................................358
Atlantic Poacher (Leptagonus decagonus) ..................................................363
Bering Poacher (Occella dodecaedron) .......................................................368
Tubenose Poacher (Pallasina barbata) .........................................................373
Veteran Poacher (Podothecus veternus) .....................................................378
Pimpled Lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus andriashevi) ...................................383
Leatherfin Lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus derjugini) .....................................387
Sea Tadpole to Polar Eelpout ....................................................................................391
Sea Tadpole (Careproctus reinhardti) ...........................................................391
Nebulous Snailfish (Liparis bathyarcticus) ..................................................396
Gelatinous Seasnail (Liparis fabricii) .............................................................400
Variegated Snailfish (Liparis gibbus) .............................................................405
Kelp Snailfish (Liparis tunicatus) ....................................................................410
Black Seasnail (Paraliparis bathybius) .........................................................415
Halfbarred Pout (Gymnelus hemifasciatus) .................................................420
Fish Doctor (Gymnelus viridis) ........................................................................424
Adolf’s Eelpout (Lycodes adolfi) .....................................................................429
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Contents—Continued
Chapter 3. Alaska Arctic Marine Fish Species Accounts—Continued
Sea Tadpole to Polar Eelpout—Continued
Doubleline Eelpout (Lycodes eudipleurostictus) .........................................433
Glacial Eelpout (Lycodes frigidus) .................................................................437
Shulupaoluk (Lycodes jugoricus) ...................................................................441
White Sea Eelpout (Lycodes marisalbi) ........................................................445
Saddled Eelpout (Lycodes mucosus) ............................................................449
Wattled Eelpout (Lycodes palearis) ................................................................453
Polar Eelpout (Lycodes polaris) ......................................................................458
Marbled Eelpout to Banded Gunnel ........................................................................463
Marbled Eelpout (Lycodes raridens) ..............................................................463
Arctic Eelpout (Lycodes reticulatus) ..............................................................467
Threespot Eelpout (Lycodes rossi) ................................................................471
Archer Eelpout (Lycodes sagittarius) .............................................................475
Longear Eelpout (Lycodes seminudus) .........................................................479
Scalebelly Eelpout (Lycodes squamiventer) ................................................483
Estuarine Eelpout (Lycodes turneri) ..............................................................487
Blackline Prickleback (Acantholumpenus mackayi) ..................................491
Stout Eelblenny (Anisarchus medius) ...........................................................497
Bearded Warbonnet (Chirolophis snyderi) ...................................................502
Fourline Snakeblenny (Eumesogrammus praecisus) .................................506
Daubed Shanny (Leptoclinus maculatus) .....................................................510
Slender Eelblenny (Lumpenus fabricii) .........................................................515
Snake Prickleback (Lumpenus sagitta) .........................................................520
Arctic Shanny (Stichaeus punctatus) ...........................................................525
Banded Gunnel (Pholis fasciata) ....................................................................530
Northern Wolffish to Greenland Halibut .................................................................534
Northern Wolffish (Anarhichas denticulatus) ..............................................534
Bering Wolffish (Anarhichas orientalis) ........................................................538
Prowfish (Zaprora silenus) ..............................................................................543
Arctic Sand Lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) ..............................................548
Bering Flounder (Hippoglossoides robustus) ...............................................556
Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) ....................................................561
Yellowfin Sole (Limanda aspera) ....................................................................569
Longhead Dab (Limanda proboscidea) .........................................................577
Sakhalin Sole (Limanda sakhalinensis) .........................................................582
Arctic Flounder (Liopsetta glacialis) ..............................................................586
Starry Flounder (Platichthys stellatus) ..........................................................592
Alaska Plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus) ......................................600
Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) ....................................607
Chapter 4. Synthesis of Arctic Alaska Marine Fish Ecology
By Lyman K. Thorsteinson and Milton S. Love ...............................................................617
viii
Contents—Continued
Chapter 5. Arctic Climate Change—A Tale of Two Cods
By Deborah A. Reusser, Melanie L. Frazier, Rebecca A. Loiselle, Henry Lee II,
and Lyman K. Thorsteinson ................................................................................................659
Chapter 6. Conservation of Arctic Alaska’s Marine Fish Resources
By Lyman K. Thorsteinson ..................................................................................................679
Chapter 7. Glossary of Ecological Terms ...........................................................................................691
Chapter 8. References Cited ................................................................................................................699
Appendixes ................................................................................................................................................739
Appendix A. Ongoing and Recently Completed Fishery Studies Funded by Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management in Arctic Outer Continental Shelf
Lease Areas ........................................................................................................739
Appendix B. Age-At-Size and Length-Weight Relationships for Arctic
Marine Fishes .....................................................................................................741
Appendix C. Models Evaluated for Simulating Effects of Climate Change on the
Distributions and Abundances of Arctic Cod and Saffron Cod in the
Eastern Bering Sea ............................................................................................763