Seasonal Phenology of Zooplankton Composition in the Southeastern Bering Sea, 2008-2010

Lisa B Eisner1, Alexei I Pinchuk2, Colleen Harpold3, Elizabeth C Siddon4 and Kathy Mier1, (1)NOAA - Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, United States, (2)University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK, United States, (3)NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, United States, (4)NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Juneau, AK, United States
Abstract:
The availability of large crustacean zooplankton prey is critical to the condition and survival of forage fish (e.g., age-0 Walleye Pollock), sea birds, and marine mammals in the eastern Bering Sea. Zooplankton community composition and abundances of large lipid-rich copepods (e.g., Calanus spp.) have been evaluated for single seasons, but few studies have investigated seasonal variations in this region. Here, we investigate seasonal changes in taxa (community structure), stage composition (where appropriate), and diversity from spring through late summer/early fall over three consecutive colder than average years. Zooplankton taxonomic samples were collected with oblique bongo tows over the water column during spring (April-May), mid-summer (June-July) and late summer/early fall (August-September) across the southeastern Bering Sea shelf in 2008-2010. Zooplankton abundances were evaluated by oceanographic region, season and year, and related to water mass characteristics (temperature and salinity) and other environmental drivers. Finally, zooplankton phenology was compared to changes in forage fish composition to determine potential overlap of fish predators and zooplankton prey.
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