Distribution, size, and interannual, seasonal and diel food habits of northern Gulf of Alaska juvenile pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha

We hypothesize that juvenile pink salmon in the northern GOA consumed distinct and varied prey from the suite of zooplankton available during summer months, July-September. These prey were not necessarily the planktonic species with the greatest biomass or highest abundance on the shelf. Pink salmon fed on prey that were highly visible during daylight hours in the neuston and upper 10 m of the water column. Further work will integrate food habits with fish condition and growth data, zooplankton abundance, and water temperature to develop foraging and bioenergetics models. These models will enable us to assess the habitat quality and growth conditions for juvenile pink salmon and contribute to the goal of understanding how pink salmon and, therefore, tertiary production are affected by changes in ocean conditions.