Publications
USGS research activities relevant to Alaska have yielded more than 9400 historical publications. This page features some of the most recent newsworthy research findings.
Filter Total Items: 2892
Memorial to a Black Turnstone: An examplar of breeding and wintering site fidelity
Most of us who have banded long-distance migrants are aware, through recaptures of individuals, of the high degree of site fidelity exhibited by many bird species. It is not uncommon for a bander to have a marked bird remain in the vicinity of its banding site throughout a season and then to recapture or sight the bird there during the following season, or occasionally for several successive seaso
Authors
Robert E. Gill, Colleen M. Handel, Leonard A. Shelton
Yellow birds stand out in a crowd
Highly visible auxiliary markers, such as neck collars, nasal saddles, patagial tags, and leg streamers, are used regularly and effectively with banding in studying migration and distribution of large birds (e.g. waterfowl, birds of prey, wading birds). Simply stated, a large bird can accommodate a marker that is large enough to be seen readily by an observer but still small enough not to alter be
Authors
Colleen M. Handel, Robert E. Gill
Populations and habitat use of marine birds in the Semidi Islands, Alaska
About one-quarter of the resident seabirds in the Gulf of Alaska breed on the Semidi Islands. In terms of biomass, the proportion is closer to one-third. The most abundant birds are Common and Thick-billed Murres, with a combined population exceeding 1 million birds. Hundreds of thousands of Horned Puffins breed in burrows on two islands. Other species numbering more than 100,000 individuals inclu
Authors
Scott A. Hatch, Martha A. Hatch
Retention of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus infectivity in fish tissue homogenates and fluids stored at three temperatures
Pools of brain, kidney, spleen, liver and gut tissues from several rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, and whole sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), fry were homogenized with a known amount of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). Virus was also added to ovarian fluids and sera pooled from several rainbow trout. The plaque assay was used to determine the retention of IH
Authors
J. Burke, D. Mulcahy
Detection of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in river water and demonstration of waterborne transmission
In a study of the possible role of waterborne infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus in transmission of the disease among spawning sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), both infection rates and virus titres were higher in fish held at high density in a side channel than in fish in the adjacent river. Virus was never isolated from river water, but was found in water from the side channel
Authors
Daniel M. Mulcahy, Ronald J. Pascho, C.K. Jenes
The fledging of common and thick-billed murres on Middleton Island, Alaska
Three species of alcids, Common and Thick-billed murres (Uria aalge and U. lomvia) and the Razorbill (Alca torda), have post-hatching developmental patterns intermediate to precocial and semi-precocial modes (Sealy 1973). The young leave their cliff nest sites at about one quarter of adult weight and complete their growth at sea. At departure, an event here loosely referred to as "fledging," neith
Authors
Scott A. Hatch
Seabirds between Alaska and Hawaii
Seabirds were observed between Alaska and Hawaii along 158°W longitude from 24 October to 6 November 1976. Their distributions and abundances corresponded remarkably well to oceanographic regions. Indices of seabird density dropped in a series of plateaus from 44 birds/km2 in the Alaska Current System to less than 1 bird/km2 in subtropic waters. Northern distribution records were found for six spe
Authors
Patrick J. Gould
Titre distribution patterns of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus in ovarian fluids of hatchery and feral salmon populations
Infectious haematopoietic mecrosis virus (IHNV) is enzootic in virtually all populations of sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), and in populations of chinook salmon, O. tshawytscha (Walbaum), of the Sacramento River drainage in California. This disease is an obstacle in hatcheries using brood stocks from these populations. However, naturally spawning sockeye salmon are highly successful
Authors
D. Mulcahy, R.J. Pascho, C.K. Jenes
Effect of loading density of sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), eggs in incubation boxes on mortality caused by infectious haematopoietic necrosis
Infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN) can cause massive mortalities of sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), cultured in hatcheries. One method of enhancing sockeye salmon populations is to use a streamside egg incubation box from which the fry are automatically released into the stream as they emerge from the gravel. In this system, however, IHN epizootics occur as the fry emerge and c
Authors
D. Mulcahy, K. Bauersfeld
Nest sites and eggs of Kittlitz's and Marbled murrelets
Fourteen known and three probable nests of Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) and eight known and one probable nest of Marbled Murrelet (B. marmoratus) have been reported. Nests of Kittlitz's Murrelet tend to be at higher elevations and farther inland than those of Marbled Murrelet. Kittlitz's nests have much less vegetative cover than Marbled nests. Nests of both species are general
Authors
Robert H. Day, Karen L. Oakley, D.R. Barnard
Recent trends in the west Greenland salmon fishery, and implications for Thick-billed Murres
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a high net-mortality of seabirds, particularly Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia), was associated with the west Greenland salmon fishery. Since 1972, the domestic fishery has been controlled by quotas and fishery opening dates and non-Greenlandic offshore drift-net fishery was phased out in 1975. These restrictions probably resulted in a substantial decrease in mu
Authors
John F. Piatt, David G. Reddin
Net-mortality of Common Murres and Atlantic Puffins in Newfoundland, 1951-81
Band recoveries (N = 315) over 26 years (1951-77) and three surveys of seabird bycatch in inshore fishing nets (1972, 1980-81) indicate that there has been a substantial net-mortality of Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica) and Common Murres (Uria aalge) in Newfoundland coastal waters for the past 2 decades. Offshore (e.g. Grand Banks) gill-netting is limited, but some data suggest that murre net
Authors
John F. Piatt, David N. Nettleship, William Threlfall