2019 Prince William Sound Forage Fish Observations

This project provided funding for aerial surveys of juvenile forage fish in Prince William Sound (PWS) in June 2019. The project identifies areas where various species of forage fish congregate,? including the species Pacific herring, Pacific sand lance, capelin, and candlefish. The aerial surveys allow for identifying juvenile forage fish schools that are in water too shallow for a survey vessel. The project builds upon previous aerial forage fish surveys conducted in PWS in the late 1990?s through 2016 and is planned to continue until 2022. The primary objectives of the work is to map and count forage fish schools in PWS to allow prioritization of their protection during a spill response, and improve a population model of PWS herring ? which can be used by fisheries managers.