No image for Sabrina Garcia

Sabrina Garcia

She/her

Ph.D. Student

Fisheries


Anchorage, 91视频
sgarcia19@alaska.edu

 
Education

University of Miami
B.S. Marine Biology
2008

Simon Fraser University
Masters of Resource Management
2013

 

Thesis

Reducing Chinook salmon bycatch in the walleye pollock fishery in the Bering Sea

 

Advisor

 

Specialties

  • Early life of history of juvenile salmon
  • Salmon shark migration in the North Pacific

 

Research Overview

Current mitigation measures aimed at reducing the bycatch of Chinook salmon in the walleye pollock fishery in the Bering Sea rely on closures of areas with high Chinook salmon catch. However, these areas with high bycatch can only be identified after fishing has occurred. If Chinook salmon distribution in the Bering Sea could be predicted, pollock fishermen could avoid areas with high Chinook salmon abundance before fishing in these areas, thereby reducing bycatch. To accomplish this, I propose to merge multiple data sources to create a Species Distribution Model (SDM) for Chinook salmon in the Bering Sea. The SDM will combine observations of Chinook salmon occurrence with environmental variables to understand their movements and predict their distribution in the Bering Sea throughout the year. Once built, the SDM can then be used to determine overlap with the pollock fishery and will be used to explore whether there are consistent combinations of environmental conditions and pollock fishing practices where Chinook salmon bycatch is likely to be high and can therefore be avoided by pollock fishermen.

 

Affiliations

  • Fishery Biologist, 91视频 Dept. of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries