Alaska Forage Fish Database (AFFD)

The Alaska Forage Fish Database (AFFD) is a consolidation of survey data from multiple agencies that were sampled via fishing gear and predator diets. The spatial coverage includes the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, Chukchi Sea, and Beaufort Sea. Fish species within the database include Pacific sand lance, Pacific capelin, Pacific herring, juvenile walleye pollock and Pacific cod, myctophid, squid, and euphausiid. The data package is comprised of six tables: (1) catch_table includes counts, weight, and individual morphological characteristics (length, sex, age) of the sampled species; (2) event_table includes sampling time, location, and methods; (3) gear_table includes specifics about of the gear used for sampling when applicable; (4-5) two tables with taxonomic designations for forage species or predator species; and (6) a reference table that provides summary information about each contributed dataset.