FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 86, NO. 3 



fish to depths >200 m. The timing of this movement 

 corresponds to the year that the RPN significantly 

 increased. 



The pattern of length compositions from 1983 to 

 1985 parallels those due to the strong 1977 year 

 class and suggests that the 1980 year class is also 

 strong (Fig. 5). The shoulder at 49-51 cm FL in 

 1983, not present in 1982, indicates the first year 

 that the 1980 year class was available to the survey 

 gear. This shoulder is due to distinct modes at 47-51 

 cm FL in the Chirikof, Yakutat, and Southeastern 

 areas. The rightward movement of the mode in suc- 

 ceeding years illustrates the increase in fish length 

 for the 1980 year class. The mode at 53 cm FL in 

 1984 is similar to the modes at 50-57 cm FL found 

 in the Gulf of Alaska for depths 101-200 m during 

 a trawl survey conducted in 1984 by the Northwest 

 and Alaska Fisheries Center (Brown 1986) and is 

 further evidence for a strong 1980 year class. The 

 rightward movement of the mode slowed in 1985, 

 presumably due to movement of larger fish to depths 

 >200 m, and again corresponds to the year of a 

 significant increase in RPN. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



Thanks to Evan Haynes and Leslie Williams for 

 thoroughly editing the manuscript, Jerry Fella for 

 statistical advice, and Takashi Sasaki for courteously 

 providing cooperative survey data. 



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