Our experience with juvenile sablefish and long term rearing of broodstock indicate that salmon grower feeds currently used by commercial sablefish farmers for grow out are not optimally formulated to support maximum growth and efficient feed conversion. However, there are no published studies examining the effects of dietary nutrient balance on productive performance and growth at any post larval life-history stage for this species, and there are currently no commercial diets specifically formulated for sablefish in the marketplace.

Feed costs and time to harvest are key factors affecting the economic viability of domestic sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) aquaculture. Use of fast growing all-female monosex stocks dramatically reduces time to harvest, but our research to date indicates that the commercial salmon feeds typically used by industry are not optimally formulated for sablefish and there is still a high degree of potential for improved growth and feed conversion.

Our experience with juvenile sablefish and long term rearing of broodstock indicate that salmon grower feeds currently used by commercial sablefish farmers for grow out are not optimally formulated to support maximum growth and efficient feed conversion. However, there are no published studies examining the effects of dietary nutrient balance on productive performance and growth at any post larval life-history stage for this species, and there are currently no commercial diets specifically formulated for sablefish in the marketplace.

Meat producing animals in agriculture are the result of ongoing genetic selection for desirable characteristics related to growth rates, feed efficiencies, product yield, and quality. Skeletal muscle is the valuable end product and is a major contributor to an animal’s mass, energy metabolism, and overall health. Considering aquaculture is relatively new to the agriculture sector, our knowledge of growth processes in other meat producing species will serve as a platform for advancing our understanding of finfish muscle growth physiology.

As the global population continues to rise, so does the demand for sustainable sources of protein. The worldwide harvest of wild fish has remained flat for three decades and is unable to meet demands. Increased supplies of seafood are going to have to come from aquaculture that is both environmentally sustainable and commercially successful. Traditional use of fishmeal as the primary source of protein in aquaculture feeds is partially being replaced by soy and corn. Fishmeal, however, is still one of the most expensive ingredients in aquaculture feeds.

Investigate olfactory imprinting techniques that will improve homing by hatchery salmon to their hatchery of origin, and thereby reduce potential risks from these fish to wild fish populations. Improvement of homing by hatchery salmon will have broad application in the Pacific Northwest and will allow managers to maximize the fishery benefit of returning hatchery fish to sport and commercial fisheries.

Water chemistry.

Over the past 15 years, high quality marine mammal tissue and fluid samples collected by subsistence hunters in the North Slope region of Alaska have been archived by the North Slope Borough (NSB). Staff from both the NSB’s Department of Wildlife Management and the NWFSC have selected a subset of the samples for analyses of petroleum-related compounds to establish baseline concentrations in top-level predators in the region.

A 2007 pilot study was initiated by the University of Alaska – Southeast in which baseline levels of contaminants, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and total mercury, were determined in whole bodies of juvenile coho salmon collected in streams in and near national park units in the Southeast Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network. Although the concentrations of POPs determined in the juvenile coho were relatively low (HTML Markup Was Removed

With increasing oil exploration and ship traffic in the U.S. Arctic, there is concern about the increased potential for an oil spill event in this region of the world. Baseline exposure levels of oil-spill related contaminants are lacking for marine mammals, particularly endangered or threatened populations (e.g., ice seals, bowhead whales).

As part of a long-term contaminant-monitoring program of fish in Puget Sound and Georgia Basin, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and NWFSC have collaborated in collection and analyses of fish and other marine biota to determine contaminant exposure and potential effects to a wide range of marine species. NWFSC staff help collect samples and conduct chemical tracer analyses of a number of marine organisms to provide information about spatial and temporal changes in contaminant and lipid levels, as well as provide information on their potential health effects.