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Now in print: the foundational years

the foundational yearsNorth Pacific Research Board: The Foundational Years tells the story of NPRB's development since 2002.

The 288-page book describes the scientific foundations of NPRB and synthesizes funded research in the areas of lower trophic levels, fish habitat, fishes and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, humans / local and traditional knowledge, and other prominent issues.

It includes detailed appendices about Board and committee members over the years, policies, how Requests for Proposals have changed over the years, and more. The book is also fully indexed by topic and by specific research project.

Download NPRB: The Foundational Years (PDF, 12MB) or browse for specific topics.

NPRB Seeks New Executive Director

Clarence Pautzke has announced his retirement for January 31, 2011. The Board is seeking exceptional candidates for the position of Executive Director. Candidates should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and a two-page summary of their philosophy on guiding collaborative research. Please refer to the job description (PDF) for full details and application requirements.

Research Highlight: Fish guts, stuffed toys ... and DNA?

Mike Canino (Project 924) wants to know what fish are eating. Diet says a lot about where fish live, how much they eat, and how they move energy through ocean ecosystems.

Diet is easy enough to figure out when there are large, whole chunks of undigested food in a fish's stomach, but highly-digested items or tiny eggs and larvae meals are next to impossible to identify conclusively.

explaining the exhibitSo Canino decided to get down to basics: create a DNA database and molecular protocols to rapidly and accurately identify fish prey items and eggs and larvae of commercially important fish species.

Kids learn a different way to identify prey species other than visually

Canino has managed to bring this concept of species identification at the genetic level to children ages 5-12 via an NSF-supported Portal to the Public program conducted at the Pacific Science Center (PSC) in Seattle, a "hands-on exhibition" setting for science outreach.

species identification exhibit for kidsThe exhibit is a fold-out box (right) with a display panel explaining that scientists study gut contents of fish to understand food webs. See larger image

A simple food web includes Shredder, a stuffed great white shark, as apex predator, and two fish species (red fish and blue fish) as prey. Another display panel shows the concept of using DNA for species ID.

gut contents of stuffed sharkFish guts!

Kids are then invited to examine Shredder's gut contents. They unzip and empty Shredder's "gut" (left) and count the red and blue fish. See larger image

The gut also includes four skeletons that can't be identified visually, so kids try to match "DNA sequences" (colored beads on a string attached to the skeleton, right) to the two known sequences of red and blue fish suspended within Plexiglas tubes on the wall of the box. See larger image

beads representing DNAThree of the four skeleton sequences match one of our two known prey species, but a fourth doesn't match either one. Kids learn that another fish species has been detected, that our simple food web has now been expanded, and that's how science moves forward.

Permanent, portable, and popular

The exhibit has been used at four "Scientist Spotlight" days at the PSC and it has been hugely successful with children and their parents. It is available as a permanent, portable exhibit for AFSC outreach activities. Additionally, it has been used in several outings to grade schools and it is a hit in those settings, as well. Canino plans to display the exhibit in future Scientist Spotlight opportunities at the PSC.