About the project

Through a 2020 catalyst project, staff from the Kachemak Bay Reserve expanded research collaborations and completed proof of concept activities to catalyze future research on the mechanisms of paralytic shellfish toxin transfer from forage fish to upper trophic populations– an increasing concern after statewide seabird die-offs and marine mammal strandings.

About this resource

These data encompass the nearshore fish surveys conducted by the Kachemak Bay Reserve during summer months in 2021. The primary purpose of the data collection was to assess nearshore fish community structure tied to local site and environmental information, and secondarily to collect forage fish specimen for aquaculture activities. Data collection was conducted for multiple projects within Kachemak Bay Reserve’s nearshore fish program. Most of the data were collected using non-selective beach seine methods, but some collection was done by hand. The overall data structure replicates a standard format used by the Nearshore Fish Atlas Database curated by the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center. The dataset description provides more detail about this data resource.

Data access

This dataset is available via the Alaska Fisheries Nearshore Fish Atlas Database maintained by NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center. To find the project data, select 'Guo - KBNERR' under the POC tab and then navigate the map to find specific datasets of interest. You can also access the data by clicking the "Request data" button to the top right.