Biological herring samples from seine, gillnet and trawl fisheries Measurement Details "Approximately 400 samples of 100 fish each collected each season. Measurements of length (mm), weight (grams), sex, maturity (Hjort), age, gonad length (mm) and weight (grams)." Nearshore waters off British Columbia coast [ A TCODE project ]

We validated a fecal glucocorticoid assay for Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and estimated stress hormone concentrations from fecal samples collected from sea lions in different regions of Alaska. Validation was undertaken with an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) challenge. Feces were collected from captive Steller sea lions (two males and two females) for two days prior to injection with ACTH, and for four or more days post-injection. Feces were freeze-dried, extracted with a methanol vortex method, and assayed for glucocorticoids. Fecal samples were also collected in the wild from three separate groups of animals during summer: mature females, mature males and immature animals. In addition, we collected sea lion feces in winter (Dec-Mar) and summer (May-Sep) from two regions of Alaska: Southeast Alaska (where sea lions increased) and the Gulf of Alaska (where sea lions declined). Diets (determined from the hard parts removed from the scats) and stress hormone concentrations were compared by season and region to test whether there was a relationship between diet and stress. The amount of prey required to meet daily needs was calculated for each haulout and rookery by applying a bioenergetics model to the composition of prey species identified from scats. The captive study showed that fecal glucocorticoid concentrations can be reliably measured in Steller sea lion feces. From the summer field study, we found that bulls had higher summer concentrations of stress hormones on average than mature females, which were in turn higher than those of immature sea lions. In general, mean consumption of prey (all sites combined) was higher in winter than in summer, as were mean stress hormone concentrations. Similarly, consumption was higher in Southeast Alaska than in the Gulf of Alaska, as too were stress hormone concentrations. The lower levels of stress hormones detected in the Gulf of Alaska and the relatively high energy content of their diets in 2000 is inconsistent with the nutritional stress hypothesis and the continued population decline of Steller sea lions. Such a finding adds credence to the view that killer whale predation may now be preventing population recovery. [ An NPMR project ] [ Reference: Hunt, K.E., A.W. Trites, and S.K. Wasser. 2004. Validation of a fecal glucocorticoid assay for Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). Physiology and Behavior 80: 595-601. ]

Included (but are not limited to): (1) Salmon abundance, catch and escapement studies (2) annual smolt studies (3) tagging studies (4) annual federal aid reports (5) special short-term or interim reports on equipment or methodologies, stock identification, management, life history, etc and (6) some annual U.S./ Canada reports.

Included (but are not limited to): (1) Salmon abundance, catch and escapement studies (2) annual smolt studies (3) tagging studies (4) annual federal aid reports (5) special short-term or interim reports on equipment or methodologies, stock identification, management, life history, etc and (6) some annual U.S./ Canada reports.

Included (but are not limited to): (1) Salmon abundance, catch and escapement studies (2) annual smolt studies (3) tagging studies (4) annual federal aid reports (5) special short-term or interim reports on equipment or methodologies, stock identification, management, life history, etc and (6) some annual U.S./ Canada reports.

Included (but are not limited to): (1) Salmon abundance, catch and escapement studies (2) annual smolt studies (3) tagging studies (4) annual federal aid reports (5) special short-term or interim reports on equipment or methodologies, stock identification, management, life history, etc and (6) some annual U.S./ Canada reports.

Included (but are not limited to): (1) Salmon abundance, catch and escapement studies (2) annual smolt studies (3) tagging studies (4) annual federal aid reports (5) special short-term or interim reports on equipment or methodologies, stock identification, management, life history, etc and (6) some annual U.S./ Canada reports.

Included (but are not limited to): (1) Salmon abundance, catch and escapement studies (2) annual smolt studies (3) tagging studies (4) annual federal aid reports (5) special short-term or interim reports on equipment or methodologies, stock identification, management, life history, etc and (6) some annual U.S./ Canada reports.

Included (but are not limited to): (1) Salmon abundance, catch and escapement studies (2) annual smolt studies (3) tagging studies (4) annual federal aid reports (5) special short-term or interim reports on equipment or methodologies, stock identification, management, life history, etc and (6) some annual U.S./ Canada reports.

Included (but are not limited to): (1) Salmon abundance, catch and escapement studies (2) annual smolt studies (3) tagging studies (4) annual federal aid reports (5) special short-term or interim reports on equipment or methodologies, stock identification, management, life history, etc and (6) some annual U.S./ Canada reports.