Aleutian Islands Research Articles

Periodic movements of Greenland turbot Reinhardtius hippoglossoides in the eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

Understanding movement patterns of fish provides a context for making sound management decisions related to these populations; archival tags can provide this information. To better understand the depth-specific behavior of Greenland turbot Reinhardtius hippoglossoides in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region, 297 temperature and depth recorders (archival tags) were implanted in fish between 2003 and 2011; 22 tags were subsequently recovered (18 with usable data). Tagged fish were at liberty from 19 to 1859 days, traveled straight line distances from 7.8–513.3 km, experienced mean temperatures from 3.23 to 3.70 °C, and occupied mean depths ranging from 448 to 753 m. Tagged Greenland turbot occupied their maximal depths during January and February, and their shallowest depths from July to September. Six tagged fish that were at liberty more than two years exhibited annual periodicity in depths occupied. Diel vertical migration (DVM, or 24 -h periodicity) was identified for 17 of 18 tagged Greenland turbot, ranging from 4.16 %–60.12 % of an individual fish’s time-at-liberty. Activity levels (average rate of depth change and daily depth displacement) were relatively low in the summer and fall and highest in the winter. Four tagged females and no males occupied depths and temperatures consistent with the cold pool (<2 °C) on the eastern Bering Sea Shelf (<200 m). Fish at liberty for multiple years showed consistency in depths, activity, and DVM among years. Predictable movements of Greenland turbot in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands region may influence the availability and in turn catchability of this species to stock assessment surveys and should be considered by fishery managers.

Assessing oxidative stress in Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus): Associations with mercury and selenium concentrations

Selenium (Se) bioavailability is required for synthesis and function of essential Se-dependent antioxidants, including the enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Strong interactions between monomethyl mercury and Se impair the critical antioxidant role of Se. Approximately 20% of Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus, SSL) pups sampled in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska, had total Hg concentrations ([THg]) measured in hair and whole blood above thresholds of concern for adverse physiologic effects in pinnipeds. Importantly, low molar ratios of TSe:THg, in some cases < 1 in several tissues (hair, liver, pelt, muscle, spleen, intestine, heart, lungs, brain) were documented for one SSL pup with [THg] above threshold of concern, which may lead to antioxidant deficiency. Our aim with this study was to evaluate the relationship between circulating [THg], [MeHg+], [TSe] and TSe:THg molar ratio status relative to oxidative stress and antioxidants measured during general anesthesia in free-ranging SSL. We captured, anesthetized and sampled newborn SSL pups at rookeries located in the Aleutian Islands or Gulf of Alaska. Biomarkers analyzed for oxidative stress included 4-hydroxynenonal and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (4-HNE and TBARS, respectively, lipid peroxidation), protein carbonyl content (PCC, protein oxidation), and GPx activity as a key indicator for Se-dependent antioxidant defense levels. We found a negative association between TBARS and [TSe], and SSL with low [TSe] had higher concentrations of 4-HNE than those with intermediate [TSe]. These results suggest that SSL with lower [TSe] experience increased lipid peroxidation potentially associated with [THg] status.

New data and synthesis of ΔR estimates from the northern Pacific Ocean

AbstractWe present new data on regional correction factor (ΔR) conducted for Chukotka, the Commander Islands, and the western Aleutian Islands and summarize data previously published for the other parts of the region. Paired radiocarbon dates of coeval marine and terrestrial materials from the archaeological site Kaniskak were obtained in Chukotka, and one such pair was analyzed from Shemya Island (western Aleutians). Three samples of sea otter (Enhydra lutris) bones of known collection date were used for the Commander Islands. In conjunction with previously published data, the new results showed that ΔR estimates conducted for the five regions of the northern Pacific do not differ statistically. ΔR assessments combined for archaeological sites resulted in probability density curves of the same shape as that of marine organisms. Comparison of ΔR estimates made with various species of marine animals showed that sea otters and small fishes residing within coastal waters throughout their life histories are better suited for ΔR measurements than migrating seals, on the one hand, and the shells of sedentary organisms, on the other. The study provides additional support to the hypothesis that the northern Pacific is characterized by the same reservoir offset, which we estimate as 525 ± 75 yr.

«Событие на Алеутских островах, открывшееся в 1828 году» – документы Иркутской духовной консистории из архива купцов Басниных

«Событие на Алеутских островах, открывшееся в 1828 году» – документы Иркутской духовной консистории из архива купцов Басниных

Competition-driven growth of Atka mackerel in the Aleutian Islands ecosystem revealed by an otolith biochronology

Fish otolith increment biochronologies can reveal factors contributing to growth. These annually resolved, multi-decadal biochronologies have been used to identify temporal and spatial patterns in growth variability. Here, we used a linear mixed modeling approach to determine the relative importance of intrinsic factors (e.g., sex, age) and extrinsic factors (e.g., temperature, abundance of con-specifics and competitors) to growth of Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius), a commercially important groundfish dominant in the Aleutian Islands ecosystem. A yearly alternating pattern of wide and narrow increments was observed, and was negatively correlated with abundance of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), suggesting possible competition over shared food resources such as large copepods (which were positively correlated with the otolith biochronology). There was no detectable effect of temperature on otolith growth, which could be a result of relative stability in water temperatures at the study site. We also contrast the otolith biochronology with a body condition index to examine the relationship between otolith and somatic growth. This represents the first otolith biochronology developed in the Aleutian Islands and provides insight into potential species interactions and their impacts on growth within this highly dynamic and productive ecosystem.

Methyl mercury (MeHg) in vitro exposure alters mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine expression in Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) pups

Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus, SSLs) are managed as two distinct population segments within U.S. waters: the endangered western distinct population segment and the recently delisted eastern distinct population segment. Recent studies reported concentrations of mercury in several tissues collected from young SSLs in the Aleutian Islands that were at or above concentrations found to negatively impact health in other fish-eating mammals. However, there are limited studies which have investigated the range of mercury concentrations that may negatively influence the SSL immune system. This study assessed relationships between methyl mercury (MeHg+) concentrations and two immune functions, lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine expression. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and cryopreserved from pups on three rookeries within the western distinct population segment: Chiswell Island, Ulak, and Agattu Islands. Lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine expression were assessed in vitro using thawed PBMCs with exposure to MeHg+ (unexposed control, 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 μg/ml). Lymphocyte proliferation was measured without and with stimulation with a T cell mitogen (ConA) and B cell mitogen (LPS) and the concentration of cytokines was measured in the cell culture supernatant (with and without ConA or LPS). Spontaneous lymphocyte proliferation was significantly increased at 0.01 and 0.1 μg/ml. T lymphocyte proliferation was significantly increased at 0.001 μg/ml and 0.1 μg/ml, while B lymphocyte proliferation was decreased at 0.1 μg/ml. Cytokine concentrations for INFγ, IL-10, IL-6, and TNFα were reduced at 0.1 μg/ml upon either T or B cell mitogen stimulation, with the exception for IL-10, where 0.1 μg/ml reduced IL-10 concentration compared to unstimulated cells. These data suggest immune functions were affected by MeHg+ exposure requiring in vivo follow up investigations. The observed modulation of immune functions is of concern as any toxicant-induced modulation may adversely affect the health of individuals, particularly younger animals undergoing periods of critical development.

Regional Dependence of Atmospheric Responses to Oceanic Eddies in the North Pacific Ocean

Based on sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) from satellite altimeter and microwave radiometer datasets, this study investigates atmospheric responses to oceanic eddies in four subdomains of the North Pacific Ocean with strongest eddy activity: Kuroshio Extension (KE), Subtropical Front (SF), California Coastal Current (CC) and Aleutian Islands (AI). Analyses show that anticyclonic eddies cause sea surface temperature, surface wind speed and precipitation rate to increase in all four subdomains, and vice versa. Through a further examination of the regional dependence of atmospheric responses to oceanic eddies, it is found that the strongest and the weakest surface wind speed responses (in winter and summer) are observed in the KE and AI region, respectively. For precipitation rate, seasonal variation of the atmospheric responses to oceanic eddies is strongest in winter and weakest in summer in the KE, CC and AI regions, but stronger in summer in the SF area. The reasons for such regional dependence and seasonality are the differences in the strength of SST anomalies, the vertical kinetic energy flux and atmospheric instability in the four subdomains.

STATE OF STOCKS AND MODERN FISHERY OF ATKA MACKEREL PLEUROGRAMMUS MONOPTERYGIUS (PALLAS, 1810) IN THE OLYUTORSKY-NAVARINSKY AREA OF THE BERING SEA

Atka mackerel Pleurogrammus monopterygius is one of the mass species of fam. Hexagrammidae that inhabits the boreal and subarctic waters of the North Pacific and forms two large populations in its western and eastern parts. Reproductive range of the eastern, Aleutian population extends from the Gulf of Alaska, along Aleutian Islands to Commander Islands, with the main spawning grounds at the Aleutians and in the southeastern Bering Sea. From these areas, the fish at early stages of ontogenesis spread widely in system of the Bering Sea currents to the western-southwestern Bering Sea, where the atka mackerel aggregations are formed on the external shelf at prominent capes, as Cape Olyutorsky. Dynamics of the atka mackerel stock in the Olyutorsky-Navarinsky area in 1994–2019 is presented on the base of bottom trawl surveys, fishery statistics, and open NOAA data. After the period of low stock in the middle 1990s, the atka mackerel abundance increased sharply to the maximum in 2006–2008, when the spawning stock in this area was about 9.5 . 103 t and the commercial stock about 14.0 . 103t. Since that time, trend to decreasing is observed, with the spawning stock 3.6 . 103t and the commercial stock 5.6 . 103t in 2013, and recent stabilization at the low level with slight decline continuing. A possible reason of the sharp increase in 2000s could be the intensive transport of the atka mackerel juveniles from the main spawning grounds at Aleutian Islands to the area at Cape Olyutorsky. The catches of atka mackerel in the Olyutorsky-Navarinsky area in 1994–2018 corresponded well with its stock dynamics.

Acantorna-a new genus of Hymedesmiidae (Porifera, Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida) from the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska with description of Acantorna tahoma n. sp.

A sponge collected along the Aleutian Islands of Alaska revealed an unusual combination of characters including ectosomal acantho - tornotes never before observed. Assignment to Poecilosclerida is without any doubt due to the presence of chelae but assignment to family is more problematic because 1) there is no family of Poecilosclerida (or any other demosponge) with ectosomal acantho-tornotes, and 2) the combination of occurring spicules and their arrangement does not conform completely to any Poecilosclerid family. Thus family assignment is only possible by amending the concept of an existing poecilosclerid family and allow for spined as well as smooth tornotes and a confusedly plumose choanosomal arrangement of megascleres. We suggest assignment to Hymedesmiidae as this requires relatively slight changes compared to other Poecilosclerid families. We suggest the erection of Acantorna n. gen. to accommodate Acantorna tahoma n. sp. The new genus and species differ from all other Hymedesmiid genera in the possession of the characters necessary for the suggested amendment. Additional differences to each Hymedesmiid genus are added.

Marine deforestation leads to widespread loss of ecosystem function.

Trophic interactions can result in changes to the abundance and distribution of habitat-forming species that dramatically reduce ecosystem functioning. In the coastal zone of the Aleutian Archipelago, overgrazing by herbivorous sea urchins that began in the 1990s resulted in widespread deforestation of the region's kelp forests, which led to lower macroalgal abundances and higher benthic irradiances. We examined how this deforestation impacted ecosystem function by comparing patterns of net ecosystem production (NEP), gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Re), and the range between GPP and Re in remnant kelp forests, urchin barrens, and habitats that were in transition between the two habitat types at nine islands that spanned more than 1000 kilometers of the archipelago. Our results show that deforestation, on average, resulted in a 24% reduction in GPP, a 26% reduction in Re, and a 24% reduction in the range between GPP and Re. Further, the transition habitats were intermediate to the kelp forests and urchin barrens for these metrics. These opposing metabolic processes remained in balance; however, which resulted in little-to-no changes to NEP. These effects of deforestation on ecosystem productivity, however, were highly variable between years and among the study islands. In light of the worldwide declines in kelp forests observed in recent decades, our findings suggest that marine deforestation profoundly affects how coastal ecosystems function.

A new species of Careproctus (Cottoidei: Liparidae) from the Sea of Okhotsk and a redescription of the blacktip snailfish Careproctus zachirus

A new snailfish, Careproctus shigemii, is described on the basis of three specimens collected in the southern Sea of Okhotsk, off Hokkaido, Japan. The new species has previously been confused with Careproctus zachirus Kido 1985, known from the Aleutian Islands, eastern Bering Sea, the Pacific Ocean off southeastern Kamchatka and the northern Kuril Islands, and the southern Sea of Okhotsk off Hokkaido, Japan, because of their similar appearance, including a noticeably elongate pectoral fin extending beyond the anal-fin origin, the gill slit entirely above the pectoral fin, no opercular flap projection, one suprabranchial pore, and trilobed teeth. However, C. shigemii is clearly differentiated from C. zachirus in having dorsal and anal fins margined with black (vs. white margined dorsal and anal fins with a black submarginal band), and a black caudal fin (vs. pale pink caudal fin), when fresh. Careproctus shigemii differs additionally from C. zachirus in having the cephalic pore pattern 2-6-6-1 (vs. 2-6-7-1), 30–35 pyloric caeca (vs. 20–31), and a shorter pectoral fin lower lobe, 8.2–9.9% SL (vs. longer lobe, 15.9–25.6% SL). A large sequence divergence between C. shigemii and C. zachirus (0.028 in uncorrected p-distance) in the DNA barcoding region (COI) also supports the validity of each species. A redescription of C. zachirus is also provided on the basis of the holotype, paratypes and non-type specimens.

Russian Historical and Сultural Heritage on the Aleutian Islands in the Context of the History of Russian America

Russian Historical and Сultural Heritage on the Aleutian Islands in the Context of the History of Russian America

A new testate amoebae species Centropyxis cavitastoma sp. nov. on deposits of volcanic dust from the Aleutian Islands

A new testate amoebae species Centropyxis cavitastoma sp. nov. on deposits of volcanic dust from the Aleutian Islands

К ПРЕДСТОЯЩЕМУ 300-ЛЕТИЮ РОССИЙСКОЙ ГРАВИМЕТРИИ

In early May 1728 Louis de l'Isle de la Croyère, the extraordinary academician of the Academy of Sciences and Arts in St. Petersburg, carried out in Arkhangelsk one of the first in the world and the first in the Russian Empire measurement of gravity. In 1733–1741 he participated in the «Great Northern Expedition», led by Vitus Bering. While sailing on the ship «St. Pavel» under the command of A.I. Chirikov to the shores of America and after they discovered the Aleutian Islands, he died of scurvy and was buried on the site of the present city Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. May 2028 marks the 300th anniversary of Russian gravimetry, and it's time to start preparing for the celebration of this event.

Новые документы по истории и наследию Русской Америки в фондах Государственного архива Костромской области

Presenting new documents to the scholarly society is important for studying the history and heritage of Russian America. The authors pay special attention to the fonds of regional archives, as their unique documents expand our knowledge of already known subjects and elaborate the historical and cultural heritage of Russian America. The State Archive of the Kostroma Region stores papers of local ethnographers, who meticulously collected materials on the history and heritage of the Russian colonial past. These documents have rarely being studied and remain unknown to researchers. The purpose of the article is to study the fonds of the State Archive of the Kostroma Region in order to identify new documents on the history of the Russian colonization of Alaska, as well as documents on the historical and cultural heritage of Russia in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The object of the research is document collection deposited in the State Archive of the Kostroma Region. The collection consists of hundreds of documents related to the history of the development of the Far East and Russian America and can provide a basis for preparing scholarly articles on a wide range of issues, such as the history of Russo-Chinese and Russo-Japanese relations, the interaction of the Russians and indigenous peoples of Siberia and Alaska, the transfer of Alaska to the USA, the financial and economic development of the Russian -American company and its joint-stock. Documents from N. N. Selifontov personal provenance fond shed light on the interactions of the Russian-American company with various government agencies during the sale of Alaska to the United States. Of particular value are N. N. Selifontov’s marginalia touching upon certain events in the history of Russian America, as well as his hand-written papers containing his personal opinion on the interaction of the Irkutsk governor-general with the royal court. The corpus of documents from Grigorov collection is vital for studying the early Russian exploration of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska and for preserving the memory of exploration of Alaska in various Russia towns.

Recent density decline in wild-collected subarctic crustose coralline algae reveals climate change signature

Abstract Warming surface ocean temperatures combined with the continued diffusion of atmospheric CO2 into seawater have been shown to have detrimental impacts on calcareous marine organisms in tropical and temperate localities. However, greater oceanic CO2 uptake in higher latitudes may present a higher oceanic acidification risk to carbonate organisms residing in Arctic and subarctic habitats. This is especially true for crustose coralline algae that build their skeletons using high-Mg calcite, which is among the least stable and most soluble of the carbonate minerals. Here we present a century-long annually resolved growth, density, and calcification rate record from the crustose coralline alga Clathromorphum nereostratum, a dominant calcifier in Pacific Arctic and subarctic benthic communities. Specimens were collected from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska (USA), a region that has undergone a long-term decline of 0.08 ± 0.01 pH units since the late 19th century. Growth and calcification rates remain relatively stable throughout the record, but skeletal densities have declined substantially since A.D. 1983. Strong correlations to warming sea-surface temperatures indicate that temperature stress may play a significant role in influencing the ability of corallines to calcify. Decreasing algal skeletal density may offset the benefits of continued growth and calcification due to a weakening in structural integrity, which could have detrimental consequences for the diverse reef-like communities associated with algal structures in mid-to-high latitudes.

Geodynamic nature of magmatic sources of North-West Pacific: an interpretation data on isotope composition of Sr and Nd in rocks dredged at Stalemate ridge, Ingenstrem depression, and Shirshov Rise

First data on isotope composition of Sr and Nd in rocks dredged at different areas belong to lithosphere of the NW Pacific are present. All samples examined were obtained from NW termination of Stalemate Ridge (NW Pacific) and Central part of Shirshov Rise (Western Bering Sea). Results of conducted study allow sure enough to judge on geodynamic affinity of the central segment of Shirshov Rise. Mafic-ultramafic rocks dredged here originated due evolution of magmatic melt formed by partial melting of source parental for MORB belongs to mantle wedge perhaps. Thus, this interpretation means that Shirshov Rise is remnant Back-Arc Spreading Center. Data on petrology and isotope chemistry of rocks from Stalemate magmatic assemblage demonstrate geochemical heterogeneity of their possible magmatic sources. The presented data allow to assume participation in magmatism of this region of NW Pacific source that responsible for formation of most older volcanic seamounts from NW Termination of Hawaiian-Emperor volcanic chain. There is petrographic similarity between rock assemblage recovered at NW Stalemate and plutonic rocks composed of xenoliths from volcanic effusions of Aleutian Island Arc exists. Considering the scarcity of existing information about the structure of the lithosphere in the NW Pacific it is possible to assume with caution the participation in the construction of the oceanic slope of the Aleutian Trench and the adjacent segment of the Stelmate Ridge fragments of Aleutian Arc basement.

A commentary on "The cannibalistic impulses in parents" by George Devereux

In this paper Devereux, a Hungarian ethno-psychoanalyst, naturalised French, reports some of his studies made among various populations among which he worked. These included Hawaiians, Indigenous American Indians, and some ethnic groups of the Aleutian Islands, Canada, and countries in Africa. It shows how among mothers and fathers there exists a diffuse cannibalistic instinct to which the baby may respond with a counter cannibalistic position. These impulses assume a universality and can be considered the unconscious universal origin of aggressiveness towards the other. Cannibalistic impulses represent a primitive matrix of parental aggressiveness, in which other causes of aggressiveness towards newborns and children may fit: jealousy, envy, perversions, and oedipal elements. Forensic psychotherapy may benefit from this knowledge indicating the psychic levels and capacities of the patients and evaluating the strength of these impulses in their psychopathology which may correlate to their inner time and their search for narcissistic power.

MEAN CLIMATIC PARAMETERS OF THE UPPER MIXED LAYER IN THE BERING SEA (LOWER BOUNDARY, TEMPERATURE, SALINITY) AND THEIR ANNUAL VARIABILITY

All available deep-water oceanographic data obtained in the Bering Sea in 1929–2019 are analyzed (101,425 oceanographic stations). Lower boundary of the upper mixed layer is determined from the vertical temperature profiles using the criterion of temperature deflection from SST (10 % for June-October and 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5 o С for November-May). The mixed layer is rather thin in June-September, its thickness is 10–20 m over the major part of the sea, and 30–40 m at the straits between central Aleutian Islands. In DecemberMarch, the mixed layer depth increases to 120–160 m in the northern deep-water sea and up to 180–200 m at the straits between central and eastern Aleutian Islands, though it is thinner in plumes of warm waters entering from the Pacific. At the continental shelf, the mixed layer can be traced to the depth of 20–40 m in the eastern Bering Sea and 60–80 m at Kamchatka in December-January and to 60–80 m in the eastern Bering Sea and 80–100 m at Kamchatka in February-March. The mixed layer temperature distribution is distinguished by two completely different seasonal patterns. The winter distribution pattern with the highest temperature in the areas adjacent to the Aleutian Straits is typical for November-June. The summer pattern with high temperature in the Karaginsky Bay, Bristol Bay, and Norton Sound and lower temperature near the Aleutian Straits is typical for July-October. On the contrary, the salinity distribution pattern is stable, with the highest salinity at the central and eastern Aleutian Straits and lower salinity in the coastal zone as the Anadyr Bay and Norton Sound influenced by the river runoff.

Higher Aggregation of Key Prey Species Associated with Diet and Abundance of the Steller Sea Lion Eumetopias jubatus across the Aleutian Islands

AbstractThe Aleutian Islands ecosystem is a highly dynamic marine environment that supports commercially important fish species, such as Atka Mackerel Pleurogrammus monopterygius and Northern Rockfish Sebastes polyspinis, and several large marine mammals, including the Steller sea lion (SSL) Eumetopias jubatus. To protect SSL foraging behavior and prey, trawl exclusion zones (TEZs) were established around SSL rookeries and haulouts across the Aleutian Islands and are closed to bottom trawling. The Atka Mackerel fishery is concentrated at small, local patches (~37.04 km [~20 nautical miles]) across the Aleutian Islands, often near and adjacent to TEZs. Food web models and fishery stock assessments predict sufficient prey for both the fishery and foraging SSLs at the level of large management areas (each area is ~463 km [~250 nautical miles] longitudinally), but little is known about local fish distribution (~37.04 km) in proximity to SSL rookeries and haulouts. We used CPUE to examine the spatial distribution of two SSL prey species (Atka Mackerel and Northern Rockfish) and marine invertebrates (as a proxy for habitat quality) at large (across the Aleutian Islands) and small (~37.04‐km) scales. Although Atka Mackerel abundance estimates were similar across the Aleutian Islands, the density of Atka Mackerel differed. In the eastern Aleutian Islands, where SSL population trends have stabilized, Atka Mackerel aggregations were dense. In contrast, in the far western Aleutian Islands, where SSL populations are still in decline, Atka Mackerel distributions were diffuse and Northern Rockfish exhibited a greater density. Results indicated no significant difference in CPUE between areas open to fishing and closed areas (i.e., TEZs) at all study sites for Atka Mackerel and at all but one study site for Northern Rockfish, whereas invertebrate densities were significantly higher inside of TEZs at all study sites. We discuss how fish distributions across the Aleutian Islands may impact the success and behavior of foraging SSLs.