BOEM Beaufort Sea, Alaska, Fish and Invertebrate Haul and Catch, with Oceanography, 2008

The Minerals Management Service (MMS), Alaska OCS Region funded a pilot survey in 2008 of the offshore marine fishes of the Beaufort Sea. This was the first offshore marine fish survey to have taken place since an opportunistic survey in 1977 (Frost and Lowry 1983). The overarching goal of the survey presented here is to generate a baseline against which to assess the effects of offshore development on marine fish and to provide information for designing mitigation measures.
This pilot survey provided recommendations for future monitoring methods in addition to baseline data against which to compare future anthropogenic and climate impacts. Demersal fish and benthic invertebrates were assessed using standardized bottom trawl gear and methods. Pelagic fish abundance was assessed using hydroacoustics and midwater net tows. The distribution of zooplankton was sampled with small-meshed bongo nets and physical oceanographic data were collected with conductivity-temperature-depth instruments.