from the Northwest Explorer by Wyatt Fournier
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| We do encounter other epipelagic predators, such as this North Pacific daggertooth. Although this species has been documented up to 146cm, the larger of the two we caught was only 56.2cm. |
The catches in our surface trawls this month have been significantly lower than in the cruises in July in the southeast, and in August in the western Gulf of Alaska. Overall, we’ve seen a decline in the number of Pacific salmon we have been intercepting. Previously, all five species of salmon at all maturity levels represented a majority of our catches. As we enter the fall season, juvenile salmon have moved north from this region and the few adults that remain will be spawning soon. Juvenile and adult coho salmon still occur frequently in our catches, while pink salmon catches have decreased considerably.
Last night, the aurora borealis danced across the night sky in spectacular shades of green. Many of the science and boat crew had not ever witnessed this Alaskan treat, and we all took it as a sign of a safe trip to come.
http://www.nprb.org/assets/images/uploads/blog/Daggertooth_R.jpg
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