AFSC/RACE: NPRB Project# 0926: Assessing the condition of walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma, larvae in the eastern Bering Sea with muscle-based flow cytometry cell cycle analysis

Walleye pollock are an important component of the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem due to their vast numbers and biomass and are of great commercial importance. Their recruitment in the
eastern Bering Sea is not well understood but it is largely determined during the first year, so the larval stage may play a significant role. Starvation may contribute to the high and
variable mortality that occurs during the larval stage so it is important to monitor and quantify it. This metadata describes data from laboratory and field studies conducted from 2009 to 2012
for NPRB project 926. The project completed the development of an assay using flow cytometric cell cycle analysis to assess the physiological condition of walleye pollock larvae, and applied
it to field collected specimens. The use of RNA to improve the accuracy of the assay was also investigated, as well as the relationship between flow cytometric measurements and growth. Results
showed that the overall classification accuracy of the assay (healthy or unhealthy) ranged between 75 and 83% depending on the type of cross-validation testing. A nuclear RNA variable (the
ratio of the number of S phase nuclei to the number of high nuclear RNA content G1 phase nuclei) improved overall classification accuracy by 11% compared to a model without it. Unhealthy
walleye pollock larvae were present in the southeastern Bering Sea in 2009, and this was most likely the result of cold environmental conditions affecting prey availability and larval feeding.
In 2010, no unhealthy larvae were detected. This may be the result of less spatial coverage and smaller collections of larvae than in 2009, given that the environmental conditions were similar
between years. These datasets were archived as part of the North Pacific Research Board legacy project recovery effort undertaken by Axiom Data Science and NPRB in 2025. The goal of the recovery effort was to assess the NPRB-funded data projects from 2002 to 2014 and archive final data packages that were ready for publication to increase long-term accessibility and discoverability. Data packages were archived as is given limited funding and resources.

黄线狭鳕（Walleye pollock）凭借庞大的种群数量与生物量，成为白令海东部生态系统的重要组成部分，同时兼具极高的商业价值。目前学界对白令海东部黄线狭鳕的种群补充机制尚不明晰，但该过程主要发生在幼鱼第一年生命周期中，因此幼体阶段可能发挥着关键作用。饥饿可能是导致黄线狭鳕幼体阶段高死亡率且波动幅度大的重要因素，因此对其进行监测与量化至关重要。本元数据（metadata）记录了2009年至2012年间针对北太平洋研究委员会（North Pacific Research Board, NPRB）926号项目开展的实验室与野外研究数据。该项目成功开发出一种基于流式细胞术细胞周期分析（flow cytometric cell cycle analysis）的检测方法，用于评估黄线狭鳕幼体的生理状态，并将该方法应用于野外采集的标本中。研究团队同时探索了利用RNA提升该检测方法准确性的可行性，以及流式细胞术测量结果与幼体生长之间的关联。研究结果显示，该检测方法对黄线狭鳕幼体健康或不健康状态的整体分类准确率介于75%至83%之间，具体数值取决于交叉验证（cross-validation）测试的类型。核RNA变量（即S期（S phase）细胞核数量与高核RNA含量G1期（G1 phase）细胞核数量的比值）可使该检测方法的整体分类准确率相较于未引入该变量的模型提升11%。2009年，白令海东南部海域曾检出不健康的黄线狭鳕幼体，这一现象大概率是由于低温环境影响了猎物可获得性与幼体摄食状况所致。2010年未检出不健康的幼体。考虑到两年间环境条件相近，这一结果可能是由于2010年的采样空间覆盖范围与幼体采集量均少于2009年。2025年，公理数据科学（Axiom Data Science）与北太平洋研究委员会联合开展了北太平洋研究委员会遗留项目归档恢复工作，本数据集正是该工作的归档内容之一。本次归档恢复工作的目标是对2002年至2014年间由北太平洋研究委员会资助的数据项目进行评估，并将已具备发表条件的最终数据包进行归档，以提升数据的长期可访问性与可发现性。由于资金与资源有限，所有数据包均按原始状态完成归档。