Correlating environmental and biogenic factors with abundance and distribution of Pacific ocean perch (Sebastes alutus) in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska

In the Aleutian Islands, patterns of distribution and abundance of Pacific ocean perch (Sebastes alutus) are influenced by oceanographic processes and biogenic structures. We used generalized additive modeling (GAM) to examine relationships between these predictors and patterns of settled juvenile and adult distribution and abundance from bottom trawl surveys conducted from 1997 through 2010. Depth, temperature, and location had the greatest influence, and biogenic structures co-occurring with this species improved predictions. Model results confirmed previously reported depth- and temperature-dependent patterns of Pacific ocean perch and revealed the elevated presence and abundance of this fish in proximity to Aleutian passes. Adults were more common and abundant in deeper (similar to 225 m) water than were juveniles (similar to 150 m), and the probability of encountering either life stage increased in the presence of fan- and ball-shaped sponges over moderate slopes and decreased with increasing tidal velocities. The GAMs accounted for one-quarter of the deviance for juvenile presence-absence (24.9%) and conditional abundance (25.0%) and accounted for 38.7% and 42.5% of the deviance for the same adult response variables. Although depth, temperature, and location were the dominant predictor variables of both juvenile presence and abundance, our results indicate that biogenic structures that provide vertical structure in otherwise low-relief, trawlable habitats may represent refugia for Pacific ocean perch juveniles and adults.