AFSC/REFM: Inshore research surveys in the eastern and central Gulf of Alaska, 2010-2013, conducted by the middle trophic level component of the GOA Integrated Ecosystem Research Project

This dataset contains the results of a series of inshore research surveys that took place during 2010-2013 as part of the Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (GOAIERP), a multidisciplinary study of the GOA ecosystem funded by the North Pacific Research Board. The project is comprised of four groups of investigators, organized as upper, middle, and lower trophic levels plus a modeling group. Investigators from the middle trophic level component conducted the research covered by this dataset. The study area consists of two main spatial regions (eastern: the outer coast of Southeast Alaska, western: the east side of Kodiak Island and the southern coast of the Kenai Peninsula). Within each main region the surveys covered 5-6 inshore bays or systems of bays (east: Whale Bay, St. Lazaria Island, Salisbury Sound, Islas Bay, Graves Harbor, Torch Bay; west: Kiliuda Bay, Izhut Bay, Barren Islands, Port Dick, Aialik Bay).

At each of the inshore sites a number of research activities were conducted: 1) acoustic transects using 38- and 120-kHz split-beam transducers were conducted throughout the site to a depth of 20m; 2) sporadic nearshore acoustics were conducted from a skiff between depths of 5-20 m; 3) 10 m and 15 m beach seines were deployed along the shoreline; 4) a 50 m purse seine was deployed in depths from 3-7 m; 5) a 3-m beam trawl was deployed sporadically; 6) a 6 m X 3 m single-warp otter trawl was sporadically used for surface tows; 7) acoustic backscatter was groundtruthed using the otter trawl, jigging, and an underwater video camera; 8) oceanography stations were conducted using a Seabird 19+ CTD, a vertical zooplankton tow using a 1 m ring net, and collection of chlorophyll and nutrients samples at depths of 1 and 20 m at each station. Fish samples were taken for analyses of diet, nutritional condition, and energy content.

In 2010, pilot studies were conducted in the eastern region during July and in the western region during October. These studies did not employ all of the gears listed above, and little oceanography work was performed. In 2011, full 15-day seasonal surveys were conducted in each region (east: April, July, September; west: May, August, October). No fieldwork was conducted during 2012. In 2013 the full seasonal surveys once again took place, however due to the shutdown of the federal government the fall east survey was curtailed and the fall west survey was delayed until early November.