Where do the fish come from, and where do they go? Seasonal observations of pelagic fishes from echosounder moorings in the Chukchi sea

Abstract

Recent summer surveys of the Chukchi Sea determined that pelagic fishes were dominated by large numbers of age-0 Arctic cod and walleye pollock, while adult fishes are comparatively scarce. Modeling based on regional currents indicates that these age-0 fishes are likely advected to the north in fall; however, the source and fate of these fishes remains unclear as this region is seasonally ice-covered. To determine the movement and variability of this age-0 gadid population, bottom-moored multifrequency echosounders were deployed at three locations in the northeastern Chukchi Sea from 2017-2019. These observations indicate that the abundance and composition of the pelagic community on the Chukchi Sea shelf is highly variable over seasonal time scales. Fish abundance was very low in winter, increased in May, and reached peak abundance in late summer. Target strength and diel vertical migration of fishes increased in summer, indicating that this is a key period for growth. Age-0 gadids were displaced to the northeast, consistent with the dominant advection on the shelf. Fish speeds and headings were strongly correlated with local currents, providing evidence that these small age-0 fishes are primarily being passively transported and behavior plays a limited role in population distribution.