Abundance and distribution of fish eggs and larvae in the Bering Sea during the summers of 2006–2008

During the summers of 2006-2008, six research cruises were conducted on the chartered commercial fishing vessel F/V Arcturus in the Eastern Bering Sea. Each cruise had several stations where ichthyoplankton samples were collected using a 60 cm Bongo net. Out of 41 taxa collected on the six cruises, this study focuses on the 3 dominant taxa; Theragra chalcogramma (Walleye Pollock), Hippoglossoides elassodon (Flathead Sole), and Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus (Alaska Plaice). The abundance and distributions of these fish eggs and larvae, were plotted on maps using ARC GIS, and comparisons of means of same species of different years, and different species of same years were made using ANOVA. The highest concentrations of larvae were found in the 2008 cruise 2AR08 at depths between 50-100 meters. The highest concentrations of eggs were found in the 2008 cruise 1AR08 at 50 meters. Eggs and larvae of Alaska Plaice, and Flathead Sole were absent in the 2008 cruise 3AR08. That could perhaps be attributed to climate change, physical, temporal, or other environmental factors. Overall, the most abundant taxa for larvae was Walleye Pollock, and for eggs Alaska Plaice.