Family Gadidae 



105 , Boreogadus saida (Lepechin) 



Many authors (Jordan & Evermann, 1898; Soldatov & Lindberg, 1930; L. 

 ZerJcevich, 1934, etc.) state that saida is seldom found in the Bering Sea. This 

 is not correct. Saida is a typical representative of the high arctic circumpolar 

 fauna; its life is related to cold water and floating ice. Its distribution is 

 dependent upon these factors and in the Bering Sea it is adjusted to the northern- 

 most cold areas. The 1932 and 1933 expeditions found that saida along with a 

 number of other highly arctic forms ( Uleina olriki, Artediellus scaber beringianus ) 

 is quite commonA.' in Anadyr Gulf (excluding the warmer southern portion), the 

 Chukchi peninsula, St. Lawrence Id., Bering Strait and very commonly in the 

 Chukchi Sea where it occurs far to the north. It was taken in a trawl (KRASNO- 

 ARMEIETZ, 1933, St. 50 (48), 71° 20" N, 173° 47' W (east of Herald Island) 68 

 meters, clay, gravel and rock, temp. -1.2°, otter trawl, 6 ex. K. Panin.). 



The distribution of saida south is principally delimited by the cold portion 

 of Anadyr Gulf, but in winter, it follows floating ice a little further south. 

 Scofieldr./ on data from L. Turner notes a spawning saida under the ice off the 

 coast at St. Michael (NE of mouth of the Yukon). This also explains the occurence 

 of saida further south at Olytorsky Gulf (A. Taranetz, 1930). Absent in the Okhotsk 

 Se^T" 



Our material taken m 30 to 95 meters (the juvemles in shallower water, 

 often a high bottom temperature (5.8 to 7.8°)) indicates a preference for cold 

 waters; 8 finds at low negative temperatures, 6 at bottom temperatures about 

 zero, 5 cases at 1° and above. The DALNEVOSTOTCHNIK (1932) collection contains 

 about 100 examples ranging to 230 mm in length . Otoliths indicate the following 

 age groups. One year (31 mm); 1 plus (75-100 mm); 2 plus (144-158 mm); 3 plus 

 (190-2-- mm); 4 plus (220-230 mm). 



1/ 



Up to 45 examples in the otter trawl . 



2/ 



Fishes of Arctic Alaska, 1899, p. 506. ' 



y 



A. M. Popov (Exp. sea, SSSR, GGI, 1931, vol. 14, p. 147) records saida from 

 the Okhotsk Sea; however I examined in the Ichthyological laboratory of LGU the 

 example A. M Popov identified as Boreogadus saida (Okhotsk Sea, St. 169/54, 

 Nagaevo Bay, Aug. 16, 1930, P. Ushakov). This example is a young Theragra 

 chalcogi'amma (Pallas) . 



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