Endangered Species Act (with attachment: 50 CFR17 

 (Rev. 8/77), p. 1-16. 

 1978. The Endangered Species Act — The green 

 loggerhead, and olive ( Pacific) ridley sea turtles. T-1, p. 1-3. 



G. L. MCLELLAN 



Department of Radiology 

 University of Texas Medical Branch 

 Galveston, TX 77550 



Southeast Fisheries Center Galveston Laboratory 

 National Marine Fisheries Service, NCAA 

 Galveston, TX 77550 



J. K. LEONG 



SUMMER FOOD OF PACIFIC COD, 



GADUS MACROCEPHALUS, IN COASTAL 



WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA 



The Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus Tilesius, is 

 ecologically important in the Gulf of Alaska and 

 may be more extensively utilized in future com- 

 mercial fishing efforts. Although Pacific cod is one 

 of the most abundant demersal fish in shallower 

 (<200 m depth) waters of the Gulf of Alaska (Al- 

 verson et al. 1964; Ronholt et al.^), it has not been 

 extensively fished. The total harvest of Pacific cod 

 from the Gulf of Alaska (mostly by foreign fishing 

 fleets) is estimated to be a "small fraction of the 

 maximum sustained yield" and "substantially 

 higher catches" could be supported (North Pacific 

 Fishery Management Council^). Because of the 

 recent establishment of the 200-mi United States 

 Fishery Conservation Zone and a concurrent 

 interest in bottomfishing, a domestic fishing in- 

 dustry may develop that could also exploit Pacific 

 cod. 



Little research has been done on the Pacific cod 

 in Alaskan waters, especially concerning its foods. 

 Most of the studies on Pacific cod have been con- 

 ducted by Soviet investigators in the northwestern 

 Pacific Ocean (summarized by Moiseev 1953). 

 Jewett (1978) investigated the diet of Pacific cod 

 near Kodiak Island, Alaska. In this note, I report 



■Ronholt, L. L.,H, H.Shippen, and E.S.Brown. 1978. De- 

 mersal fish and shellfish resources of the Gulf of Alaska from 

 Cape Spencer to Unimak Pass 1948-1976 (a historical re- 

 view). Processed rep., 955 p. Northwest and Alaska Fisheries 

 Center, Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., NOAA, 2725 Montlake Blvd. E., 

 Seattle, WA 98112. 



'^North Pacific Fishery Management Council. 1978. 

 Fishery management plan for the Gulf of Alaska groundfish 

 fishery during 1978. Unpubl. rep., 220 p. North Pacific Man- 

 agement Council, PO. Box 3136DT, Anchorage, AK 99510. 



the foods of Pacific cod in a different region of 

 Alaska, southeastern Alaska. 



Methods 



Pacific cod were sampled during a cruise con- 

 ducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 primarily to assess cod resources and evaluate dif- 

 ferent types of fishing gear used. During a 17-d 

 period in July 1977, 520 Pacific cod stomachs were 

 collected in two regions of southeastern Alaska 

 coastal waters: 17 sites in the Gulf of Alaska be- 

 tween Cape Spencer and Yakutat Bay (outside 

 waters, Figure 1) and 34 sites in protected waters 

 between northern Lynn Canal and Frederick 

 Sound (inside waters, Figure 2). Each site was 

 sampled once. 



Pacific cod were caught with traps (360 fish) and 

 gill nets (160 fish) in water 38-176 mdeep (Table 1). 

 Most fish were caught in waters <90 m deep. 

 Traps, 0.8x0.8x2.4 m rectangular structures 

 with tunnel openings, were baited with chopped 

 frozen Pacific herring, Clupea harengus pallasi, 

 and set on the bottom. Gill nets, 180 m long, made 

 of 15 cm or 17.5 cm diagonal-stretched-mesh 

 monofilament, were set on the bottom or 0.6 m 

 above the bottom. Both gear were set during day- 

 light hours, fished overnight, and retrieved the 



FIGURE 1. — Locations where Pacific cod were sampled in outside 

 waters, southeastern Alaska, July 1977. 



968 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 78. NO. 4, 1981. 



