reported over the shelf during April and over the outer shelf in 

 May. 



To take advantage of the Atka mackerel's breeding habits, 

 the commercial fishery for this species is centered near the 

 Aleutian Islands (most abundant near Atka Island area) and 

 near the Shumagin Islands and Kodiak Island. Commercial 

 catches by Soviet vessels were reported at about 21,000 t in 

 1977 and the catch quota for the Aleutian area was set at 

 24,000 1 in 1979 (Bakkala et al. 1979). The commercial catch of 

 Atka mackerel in the Gulf of Alaska averaged 20,600 tons per 

 year in 1974-78 (Alton 1981). 



Atka mackerel and Pacific saury are the most commonly 

 found fish prey of humpback and sei whales in the eastern 

 North Pacific Ocean. The former is considered one of the 

 favorite foods of humpback whales in waters off the western 

 Aleutians and south of Amchitka Island (Nemoto 1957). 

 Based on U.S. pelagic fur seal studies, it appears that fur seals 

 collected in the Aleutian Islands passes during the summer 

 months (June through October) prey principally on Atka 

 mackerel. 



Oceanic squids. — Oceanic squids constitute some of the 

 principal forage foods of fur seals not only in the eastern Ber- 



ing Sea but throughout their range wherever seals are taken 

 seaward of the continental shelf over deep water (Table 2). The 

 one exception is the market squid, Loligo opalescens, which is 

 found principally on the shelf. In the eastern Bering Sea, only 

 squids of the family Gonatidae have been identified in stom- 

 achs of fur seals. Although only gonatid squids have been 

 found in stomachs of fur seals, eight other families of squids, 

 which include 14 to 15 additional species, have been identified 

 from stomachs of sperm whales taken in the Bering Sea- Aleu- 

 tian Island areas (Okutani and Nemoto 1964; Kodolov 1970). 



Squids of the family Gonatidae are found in the subarctic 

 waters of the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea and include 

 about 12 species representing three genera: Gonatus, Berry- 

 teuthis, and Gonatopsis (Young 1972; Okutani 1973; Naito et 

 al. 1977; Anderson 1978; Bublitz 1981). In the Bering Sea, 

 squids representing each genera have been identified in fur seal 

 stomachs. These are Gonatus spp., Berryteuthis magister, and 

 Gonatopsis borealis (Figs. 32, 33, 34). The latter two species 

 have been among the principal forage species of fur seals col- 

 lected during June to October 1958-74 in the Bering Sea (Fig. 

 7). 



Berryteuthis magister was also among the principal forage 

 species of fur seals in the western Alaska area (Fig. 8). Al- 



Bering Sea 



Figure 32. — Locations were 151 northern fur seals were collected whose stomachs contained Gonatus sp., 1958-74. 



_1 l_ 



Pribilof Is. 



Bering Sea 





«*w* 



Figure 33. — Locations where 377 northern fur seals were collected whose stomachs contained Berryteuthis 



magister, 1958-74. 



26 



