We conducted 22 research surveys and placed 355 observers on commercial fishing vessels and in 12 processing plants. Our science provides the basis for sustainable fisheries management, protecting and recovering marine mammal populations, and maintaining productive marine ecosystems in Alaska. We also share our expertise with our NOAA colleagues on the West Coast to collect a variety of information to study some species that migrate and spend part of the year in waters from Washington to California. We gather information for the protection and recovery of whales, porpoises, seals, and sea lions that use Alaska waters as a summer feeding ground or year-round habitat. This is especially important as we experience novel climate conditions due to climate change and extreme events, such as marine heatwaves. Having data collected and analyzed over many years provides an understanding of species relationships and how Alaska ecosystems functioned in the past. We also study the places where species breed, feed and rear their young. We also collect and analyze a variety of information on marine food webs-who eats what and how ocean conditions, like temperature, currents, and pH, affect growth and survival of plankton, fish and crabs. To help predict future population abundance and trends, we study young fish and crabs as they develop and survive from eggs to adults. Specifically, our job is to monitor the abundance and trends (whether populations are increasing or declining) of federally managed harvestable seafood caught by commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries. We also collect a variety of information on Alaska human communities that look to the ocean for their food, livelihoods, recreation, cultural enrichment, and spiritual well being. We study marine life and marine ecosystems from the seafloor to the ocean surface. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center is composed of six divisions overseen by the Science Director’s Office, which lead and carry out mission-essential research, operations, and administrative activities.
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