Shrnutí

Popis

Knowing the identities and sources of prey items is fundamental to understanding trophic relationships. Stock assessments frequently cite predator-prey/food habits studies as an area of needed research. We examined the feeding habits of pelagic juvenile rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) collected off Oregon and Washington during 2000, 2002, and 2006. The predominant species collected in all years were darkblotched (S. crameri), canary (S. pinniger), yellowtail (S. flavidus), and widow (S. entomelas) rockfishes. Canary, widow and darkblotched have all been declared overfished by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), though widow and darkblotched are now classified as rebuilding. The work was done by 2 FTEs and 1 temp hire (FTE), and involved collecting juvenile rockfish from Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) cruises, and analyzing their stable isotopes and gut contents. Comprehensively, these results add to our understanding of some of the important environmental factors that affect young-of-the-year rockfish during their pelagic phase. A manuscript for peer-reviewed publication is currently in internal review. Management audience is stock assessors and the Council. Project was one-time and stands alone. Percent weight and percent wet weight from select species of rockfish collected off Oregon and Washington.