Prince William Sound Science & Technology Institute

TO ADVANCE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND THE UNDERSTANDING AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF ECOSYSTEMS.

EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL TRUSTEE COUNCIL PROGRAMS:HERRING RESEARCH AND MONITORING PROGRAMTHIS IS AN EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL TRUSTEE COUNCIL-FUNDED PROGRAM DESIGNED TO IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO PREDICT HERRING POPULATIONS IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND. THIS IS TO BE ACHIEVED BY A MIXTURE OF MONITORING EFFORTS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION NEEDED BY THE AGE-STRUCTURE-ANALYSIS MODEL, AND RESEARCH PROJECTS THAT PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ASPECTS OF THE HERRING LIFE CYCLE THAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MODELS. THE PROGRAM ALSO ADDRESSES ASSUMPTIONS IN THE MEASUREMENT PROGRAM AND LOOKS TO INCORPORATE NEW TECHNOLOGIES. THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES INVESTIGATORS FROM PWSSC, ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME, UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SERVICE, AND UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON. THE PROGRAM WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE GULF WATCH ALASKA PROGRAM. GULF WATCH ALASKATHE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL TRUSTEE COUNCIL (EVOSTC) IS SUPPORTING A FIVE-YEAR, $12 MILLION LONG-TERM MONITORING PROGRAM IN THE GULF OF ALASKA REGION AFFECTED BY THE 1989 EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL. THE MONITORING PROGRAM, CALLED GULF WATCH ALASKA, INVOLVES MORE THAN 25 SCIENTISTS FROM MULTIPLE AGENCIES AND UNIVERSITIES AND SEEKS TO PROVIDE DATA TO IDENTIFY AND HELP UNDERSTAND THE IMPACTS OF MULTIPLE ECOSYSTEM FACTORS ON THE RECOVERY OF INJURED RESOURCES. THIS PROGRAM IS EXPECTED TO BE 20 YEARS IN LENGTH BUT IS PLANNED AND FUNDED IN FIVE-YEAR INCREMENTS. IT BUILDS A LEGACY OF RESTORATION RESEARCH AND MONITORING BY THE EVOSTC AND FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES DATING BACK TO 1989. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES SITES IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, LOWER COOK INLET, THE GULF OF ALASKA, AND THE OUTER KENAI PENINSULA COAST.

OIL SPILL RECOVERY INSTITUTE PROGRAMS:OIL SPILL RECOVERY INSTITUTE (OSRI)THIS PROGRAM FUNDS THE ADMINISTRATION AND AWARDS OF THE OIL SPILL RECOVERY INSTITUTE, A FEDERALLY ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO SUPPORT RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS DESIGNED TO RESPOND TO AND UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF OIL SPILLS IN THE ARCTIC AND SUB-ARCTIC MARINE ENVIRONMENTS. INITIATED IN 1997, FUNDING IS PROVIDED DIRECTLY FROM THE INTEREST EARNINGS ON A $35.3 MILLION PRINCIPAL ALLOCATION ADMINISTERED BY THE U.S. COAST GUARD (FROM THE NATIONAL OIL SPILL LIABILITY TRUST FUND). THE INSTITUTE IS GOVERNED BY AN ADVISORY BOARD WHICH INCLUDES REPRESENTATIVES FROM FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES, ALASKA NATIVE AND PWS COMMUNITIES, AND INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR OF ALASKA. THE ADVISORY BOARD CHAIR IS A U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE REPRESENTATIVE.PWSSC OSRI PROGRAM MANAGER THE OSRI PROGRAM MANAGER SUPPORTS OSRI BY IDENTIFYING RESEARCH NEEDS, WORKING WITH THE WORK PLAN COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP ANNUAL WORK PLANS, AND TRACK PROGRESS ON CONTRACTS. THE PROGRAM MANAGER ALSO INTERFACES WITH OTHER RESEARCH EFFORTS TO SHARE THE INFORMATION LEARNED BY OSRI.PWSSC H2O HEADWATERS TO OCEAN PROGRAM & EDUCATION PROGRAMTHE H2O HEADWATERS TO OCEAN PROGRAM IS THE UMBRELLA UNDER WHICH ALL OF OUR EDUCATION AND OUTREACH EFFORTS OCCUR. THIS PROGRAM HAS FOUR COMPONENTS THIS YEAR: (1) THE DISCOVERY ROOM, A PROGRAM WHICH SUPPLEMENTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE CLASSROOM; (2) SECONDARY SCHOOL OUTREACH, PROGRAMMING DESIGNED TO KEEP OLDER STUDENTS ENGAGED IN MARINE SCIENCE-CENTRIC ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM SOLVING AND ECOLOGICAL LITERACY. (3) OUTREACH DISCOVERY TO SUPPORT DELIVERY OF MATERIALS TO AUDIENCES OUTSIDE OF CORDOVA. (4) MINI DISCOVERY PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE YOUTH WHO ARE NOT YET SCHOOL AGE IN HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES. THIS PROGRAM IS FUNDED IN LARGE BY OSRI. OTHER FUNDING COMES FROM BRITISH PETROLEUM, CONOCOPHILLIPS, INDIVIDUAL AND SMALL BUSINESS DONATIONS, FOUNDATIONS, AND CAMP FEES. PWSSC HERDER/BURNERTHIS IS A JOINT INDUSTRY PROGRAM THAT USES FUNDING FROM OSRI, EXXONMOBIL, SHELL, BUREAU OF SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT, AND CLEAN CARIBBEAN AMERICAS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW OIL SPILL RESPONSE TECHNOLOGY. A REMOTELY OPERATED SURFACE VESSEL IS BEING DEVELOPED THAT CAN APPLY CHEMICAL HERDERS AND IGNITE HERDED SLICKS FOR IN-SITU BURNS. THE SYSTEM WILL CARRY REMOTE SENSING CAPABILITIES AND CAN BE CONTROLLED LOCALLY OR THROUGH A SATELLITE LINK.

GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS:EVOSTC NEW FACILITIES THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL TRUSTEE COUNCIL (EVOSTC) IS SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW FACILITIES FOR THE PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND SCIENCE CENTER. THE NEW FACILITIES INCLUDE WAREHOUSE AND OFFICE SPACES. OVER $17 MILLION HAS BEEN PLEDGED TO COVER COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEW CAMPUS. THE FUNDS ARE BEING ADMINISTERED BY THE ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, COMMUNITY, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AOOS - ALASKA OCEAN OBSERVING SYSTEMTHIS PROJECT, FUNDED BY NOAA VIA THE ALASKA OCEAN OBSERVING SYSTEM, CONTINUES IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND (PWS) OBSERVING SYSTEM (PWSOS). THE PWSOS COLLECTS OCEAN, ATMOSPHERIC AND BIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR USE BY STAKEHOLDERS. PWSOS SUPPORTED TRACKING OF MARINE ORGANISMS USING THE OFFSHORE TRACKING NETWORK, SALINITY MEASUREMENTS AT THE CORDOVA TIDE STATION, AND THE MAINTENANCE OF THE SNOTEL METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS. ADF&G HATCHERYWILD SALMON AND MANUSCRIPTTHIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY ADF&G WITH PARTICIPATION FROM PROCESSORS AND PRIVATE NON-PROFIT HATCHERY CORPORATIONS. THIS WAS THE FINAL FULL FIELD SEASON. THE STUDY WAS DESIGNED BY A SCIENCE PANEL ORGANIZED BY ADF&G CONSISTING OF EXPERTS ON SALMON BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, GENETICS, HATCHERY ISSUES AND EXPERIMENTAL STATISTICS. THE CURRENT RESEARCH FOCUSES ON PINK SALMON STREAM SAMPLING IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND. AS AN OFFSHOOT OF THE PREVIOUS RESEARCH, SEPARATE FUNDING WAS PROVIDED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC MANUSCRIPTS DESCRIBING SOME FINDINGS FROM THE PROGRAM. INBRE UAF - SALMON THIS PROJECT IS A SUBCONTRACT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA TO SUPPORT SALMON RESEARCH FUNDING FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTHS IDEA NETWORK OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH EXCELLENCE PROGRAM. PWSSC IS TO PROVIDE A MODEL TO FORECAST ESTIMATES OF COPPER RIVER SOCKEYE SALMON ENERGY CONTENT UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS. NRL - MOORING THE NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY CONTRACTED WITH PWSSC TO ASSIST IN DEPLOYMENT, SERVICING, AND RECOVERY OF A PAIR OF MOORINGS NEAR THE MOUTH OF COOK INLET. THE MOORINGS MONITORED PARTICLES IN THE UPPER OCEAN TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING SYSTEMS. NREL - HYDROKINETICSTHE NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY HAS CONTRACTED FOR A REPORT THAT EXAMINES POTENTIAL ROUTING FOR A MEDIUM-VOLTAGE, DIRECT-CURRENT CABLE TO CONNECT CORDOVA, TATITLEK, AND VALDEZ. ADDITIONALLY, THE MARINE HYDROKINETIC POTENTIAL IS BEING EXAMINED ALONG THE CABLE ROUTE TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF ADDING HYDROKINETIC GENERATION FACILITIES AS A NEW RENEWABLE POWER SOURCE FOR COMMUNITIES IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND. SK IMAGE AND ID SYSTEMSFUNDING FROM NOAA THROUGH THE SALTONSTALL-KENNEDY PROGRAM WAS RECEIVED TO TEST THE ABILITY TO DETECT AND ENUMERATE SALMON WITHIN AN INDEX STREAM. THE PROJECT WORKED WITH ADF&G TO SET A CAMERA SYSTEM ON A RIVER WITH A WEIR AND OBSERVERS. AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE CAMERA IMAGES WERE THEN COMPARED TO THE OBSERVATIONS TO EXAMINE THE ABILITY TO AUTOMATE A PROCESS THAT CURRENTLY REQUIRES PERSONNEL IN REMOTE AREAS. AKSSF SOCKEYE SALMONTHE ALASKA SUSTAINABLE SALMON FUND PROVIDED SUPPORT TO RADIO TAG SOCKEYE SALMON TRAVELING UP THE COPPER RIVER. THE FISH WERE MEASURED AND WEIGHED PRIOR TO TAGGING TO DETERMINE THEIR FITNESS. RADIO TOWERS ALLOWED THE FISH TO BE DETECTED AS THEY MOVED UPSTREAM. THE FISH WERE ALSO SEARCHED FOR ON THE SPAWNING GROUNDS. THIS PROVIDED THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO DETERMINE HOW FITNESS DETERMINED SURVIVAL DURING MIGRATION AND SUCCESS AT THE SPAWNING GROUNDS. NPRB OUTREACH THE NORTH PACIFIC RESEARCH BOARD IS FUNDING A PWSSC PROJECT TO HOLD A STAKEHOLDER ROUNDTABLE TO GET COMMUNITY INPUT ON THE SOCKEYE SALMON PROJECT AND TO GET INPUT ON RESEARCH NEEDS RELATED TO COPPER RIVER SALMON. NPRB SOCKEYE SALMON THE NORTH PACIFIC RESEARCH BOARD IS FUNDING A PWSSC PROJECT TO TAG COPPER RIVER SALMON TO EXAMINE HOW CHANGES IN BODY SIZE AFFECT MIGRATION AND SPAWNING SUCCESS. THE INTENT IS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF RECENT REDUCED SOCKEYE SALMON SIZE AT AGE ON THEIR REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS. NPRB PACIFIC HERRING ICTHYOPHONUS THE NORTH PACIFIC RESEARCH BOARD IS FUNDING A PWSSC PROJECT TO EXAMINE PACIFIC HERRING HEARTS FOR ICTHYOPHONUS. THIS DISEASE IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD, PARTICULARLY THE LEVEL AT WHICH IT CAUSES MORTALITY AND HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR POPULATION LEVEL EFFECTS. THE PROJECT IS EXAMINING HEARTS COLLECTED OVER THE PAST 13 YEARS TO DETERMINE THE HISTORIC DISEASE INTENSITY AND RELATE IT TO INCREASED MORTALITY. NPRB SHELLFISH TOXINS THE NORTH PACIFIC RESEARCH BOARD IS FUNDING A PWSSC PROJECT TO COLLECT SHELLFISH AND SEAWATER SAMPLES TO DETERMINE THE PRESENCE OF PARALYTIC SHELLFISH POISON FORMING ORGANISMS. THE STUDY IS INVESTIGATING THE TRANSFER OF TOXINS FROM ALEXANDRIUM CELLS TO ZOOPLANKTON, SHELLFISH, FORAGE FISH, AND COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT PREDATORY FISHES IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND KACHEMAK BAY. OWN CRUDE OIL TOXICITY STATE OF CALIFORNIA FUNDING WAS PROVIDED THROUGH THE OILED WILDLIFE NETWORK TO SUPPORT RESEARCH ON OIL TOXICITY TO EMBRYONIC HERRING. THE FUNDING SUPPORTS ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTED DURING EARLIER EXPERIMENTS WHERE HERRING EGGS WERE EXPOSED TO OIL AND THE LETHAL AND SUBLETHAL EFFECTS WERE EVALUATED. NPRB TUFTED PUFFINS TO TAG TUFTED PUFFINS WITH GEOLOCATOR TAGS TO DETERMINE WHERE THE BIRDS SPEND THEIR TIME IN THE WINTER. IN ADDITION TO THE TAGS, SAMPLES ARE BEING COLLECTED TO CONDUCT STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS TO EXAMINE IF THE PUFFINS CHANGE TROPHIC LEVEL DURING THE WINTER. OTHER GOVERNMENT GRANTS / CONTRACTS MISCELLANEOUS PWSSC PROJECTS NOTED IN THE AUDIT SCHEDULES. THESE INCLUDE CARES ACT FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE RASMUSON FOUNDATION, CORDOVA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND THE CITY OF CORDOVA AND FUNDS FROM JEFFERSON COUNTY TO EXAMINE RAZOR CLAM SAMPLES.