Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (FOCI)

• SEBCC Proposals report - Allen Macklin: Twenty-four proposals were submitted. They've been mailed out to reviewers and should be back by mid June. The proposals where categorized into five groups: (1) Monitoring ($1.2 million); (2) lower trophic processes ($1.1 million); (3) upper trophic processes ($980K); (4) Retrospective synthesis ($340K); (5) Indices synthesis ($410K).

• Oshoro Maru - Ric Brodeur: Ric reported that during the Oshoro Maru's Seattle inport there will be a 1-day symposium on Ecosystem Dynamics of the North Pacific Ocean. The symposium will be held on the NOAA campus and will consist of 20-30 minute presentations. If you would like to give a presentation please contact Ric (206 526-4318).

• Art Kendall and Phyllis Stabeno summarized the spring field season in the Bering Sea. It was very stormy this year which impeded some planned sampling aboard the Miller Freeman. Not much is known about pollock egg or larval distribution since there was no grid work planned for this year. The bloom hasn't started or is in its earliest stages (as of May 14). The water is relatively warm compared to the last few years. All of the moorings came back in February and April, and only one instrument out of fifty failed. The Bering Slope Current has been interrupted by a large clockwise eddy that has lasted 3 to 4 weeks. Planned aircraft ocean color experiments over the slope and shelf had to be cancelled due to the aircraft's maintenance schedule. Net sampling during the first Wecoma cruise this year was not accomplished due to problems with the SeaCat and the winch. Currently the Wecoma is doing CTD work,and net work has begun using wireout/depth estimates.

• Mike Canino reported on his cruise in Shelikof Strait. The Miller Freeman occupied a bongo grid starting near the Semidi Islands and extending up to Line 8. Overall larval abundance seemed lower than in past years. SeaCAT data was contoured at 40m and a mesoscale feature was seen in an area of high larval abundance. The first priority El Nino sampling near Line 8 and at the mouth of the sea valley was completed. Then a 48 x 28-km (6 x 5 station) grid was created over the mesoscale feature and patch. Twenty-one of the thirty stations were sampled (some stations more than once) using CTDs, Tuckers, Bongos and MOCNESS. Midway through the grid, a storm passed and sampling was stopped for five hours. The mixed layer depth doubled during that 5-hour period. The patch that was found near the mesoscale feature was never refound. Four satellite-tracked drifters were release during the cruise, two in the mesoscale feature.

• Upcoming field work in Shelikof Strait will consist of Kevin Bailey's late larval grid work and Matt Wilson's early juvenile cruise in mid June aboard the Wecoma. In the Bering Sea there will be a short September cruise to recover moorings and some work done on Japanese vessels.

• Michele Bullock has been working very hard to find vessels to complete the fall and early spring work in the Bering Sea since the Miller Freeman will be in for renovations. There doesn't appear to be any single vessel that can accomodate mooring, acoustic and trawl operations. Possible vessels are the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier (for moorings), the Russian vessel Professor Kaganovsky (for net work) or the USCG vessel Polar Star. Negotiating a reasonable price for each vessel has been the main road block. FOCI sincerely appreciates Michele's efforts.

U.S. Dept. of Commerce / NOAA / OAR / ERL / PMEL