Publications

Ringed seals (Phoca hispida Schreber, 1775 = Pusa hispida (Schreber, 1775)) and bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777)) represent the majority of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) annual diet. However, remains of lower trophic level bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus L., 1758) are available in the southern Beaufort Sea and their dietary contribution to polar bears has been

We coupled intensive population monitoring with collection of blood samples from 383 nesting Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollisima v-nigrum) at two locations in Alaska (USA) from 2002 to 2004. We investigated annual, geographic, and within-season variation in blood concentrations of lead and selenium; compared exposure patterns with sympatrically nesting spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri)

A bioenergetic model was used to predict the potential effects of feeding cessation caused by catch-and-release capture and a reduction in feeding efficiency from hooking injuries on rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), growth in southwest Alaska, USA. Simulations indicated that a 1-day feeding cessation for a rainbow trout captured one to two times during summer months resulted in deviat

Migration and reproductive strategies in waterbirds are tightly linked, with timing of arrival and onset of nesting having important consequences for reproductive success. Whether migratory waterbirds are capital or income breeders is predicated by their spring migration schedule, how long they are on breeding areas before nesting, and how adapted they are to exploiting early spring foods at north

Changing ocean conditions and subsequent shifts in forage fish communities have been linked to numerical declines of some piscivorous marine birds and mammals in the North Pacific. However, limited information about fish communities is available for some regions, including nearshore waters of the eastern Bering Sea, where many piscivores reside. We determined proximate composition and energetic va

We compared body size and mass of the whole body, organs, adipose tissue, and muscles of adult Pacific Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans (Lawrence, 1846)) collected concurrently in Alaska and Baja California during the fall, winter, and spring of 2002–2003. Head and tarsal lengths of males were similar between sites and slightly larger for females in Alaska than in Baja California. Brant appe

We examined the relationship between attributes of nest sites used by Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) in the Copper River Delta, Alaska, and patterns in nest and female survival. We aimed to determine whether nest site attributes related to nest and female survival differed and whether nest site attributes related to nest survival changed within and among years. Nest site attributes that we exami

The team creeps silently across a well-tended lawn, eyes drawn to a small wooden box perched several meters up a lone birch tree. The first biologist is armed with a broom in one hand and a bug net in the other. Her partner wields a lunchbox-sized plastic case and a tree-climbing ladder that looks like an oversized radio antenna. A neighbor peers out her window from across the street to watch the

Currently, Pacific halibut are managed as one population extending from California to the Bering Sea. However, we hypothesize that a spawning subpopulation of Pacific halibut exists in the Bering Sea. In this study, we examined the seasonal migration and depth-specific behavior of Pacific halibut in the Bering Sea, which serve as indicators of possible population structure. We tagged 12 adult hali

No abstract available.

Harvests of Yukon and Kuskokwim Chinook salmon declined significantly during 1998- 2002 in response to fewer returning salmon. Factors affecting the decline in Chinook salmon abundance are largely unknown. Growth of salmon in freshwater and the ocean is generally thought to influence salmon survival, therefore we examined historical Chinook salmon catch trends and developed growth indices of age-1

No abstract available.