1. Puget Sound Groundfish (Contributed by Wayne Palsson (425) 379-2313)

Revision of 1995 Status of Stock document. In 1996, the first edition of a comprehensive stock assessment for Puget Sound Bottomfish was released. Several significant errors were published in this version which led several of the authors to publish a revised edition. This new report, "1995 Status of Puget Sound Bottomfish Stocks (Revised)", was released in December of 1997 as Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Report No. MRD97-03. As with the original edition, the report finds that the majority of Puget Sound bottomfish stocks are in below average or worse condition.

Video-Acoustic Technique Development. With continued support from Sport Fish Restoration Act Funds, the Lingcod and Rockfish Management Project continued to develop and corroborate the results from the Video-Acoustic Technique. Project staff have developed a quantitative video camera system to assess fish densities on nearshore rocky reefs. The video survey is complemented with an acoustic survey to assess pelagic reef fish abundance. During the 1997 field season, VAT surveys were conducted in several marine protected areas in the San Juan Islands. The objectives of these surveys were to estimate fish abundance in a small area with high precision, evaluate a cluster sampling design, and compare results with simultaneous scuba surveys conducted in the same areas. Video tapes are still being processed from these activities. Project members are also developing maps of nearshore rocky reefs and fishes and evaluating the reef fish and microhabitats.

During 1997, staff acquired a low-light television camera which will be used in 1998 to survey reef fishes in deep habitats. In late 1997, a parallel laser package was added to the camera system. The lasers should provide length observations and a more rigorous measurement of visibility.

No-Take Refuges for Reef Fish Management. Work continued during 1997 to evaluate the potential of no-take refuges as fisheries management tool. The work, which began in 1992, has compared the size, density, and reproductive response of rockfishes, lingcod, and other rocky reef fishes in no-fishing areas to comparable habitats in fished zones. A third year of intensive field work has shown that a small no-take refuge established 27 years ago has large modal sizes of rockfishes and lingcod that are virtually absent on any of the fished sites. This long-term refuge also has many times the densities of large rockfishes that are typically caught in recreational fisheries. Combined, the density and size responses contribute an estimated 55 times more eggs per area than the average fished site. Studies in more recently created refuges in the San Juan Archipelago has revealed a two fold increase in rockfish density but no differences in rockfish size after seven years of no fishing. There are, however, larger and more lingcod in the refuges than at the fished sites, and the number of nests is also greater.

These observations of no-take refuges have revealed the impact fishing has had on rocky reef fishes in Puget Sound. This has been one of the first no-take refuge studies in a northern temperate reef system. The results have been presented at an international workshop on the design and monitoring of marine refuges held in Vancouver, B.C. in March 1997 and at a workshop on Marine Harvest Refugia for West Coast rockfish held in Monterey in September 1997. Proceedings from the rockfish workshop are soon to be published and will contain a summary of the Puget Sound monitoring activities.

The results from the rocky reef refuge studies in Puget Sound have also been useful in a planning effort in Washington State for a comprehensive policy and plan for a system of marine protected areas. A marine protected area policy is under consideration by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission and a wider system is being considered by a multi-agency task force. It is likely a system will be adopted as a precautionary approach to resource management.

Recreational Fisheries Management. A new Sport Fish Restoration Aid Project was implemented in Puget Sound in October 1997. This five year project will build on the Lingcod and Rockfish Management Project and develop comprehensive stock assessment and management activities for rockfish, lingcod, and other bottomfish caught in recreational fisheries. Project goals include developing absolute or relative indices of abundance for all of the primary groundfishes managed by WDFW and developing a corresponding management plan for these species. Objectives include estimating reef fish abundance in nearshore and deep habitats, developing a no-take refuge system for reef fishes, collecting biological and fishery information for groundfish, and improving or developing stock assessments on all recreationally harvested groundfish. This information will be integrated into comprehensive conservation and use plans for each species and fishery.

Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistical Survey. In 1996, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission selected WDFW as a contractor for the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistical Survey (MRFSS). The MRFSS is a federal catch estimation system for marine anglers conducted in most coastal states. Although WDFW has had its own recreational catch estimation system, the implementation of the MRFSS has come at a time when major fishery closures for salmon have prevented the WDFW system from estimating the catch of groundfish during key months in important fishery areas. Although MRFSS estimates do not provide precise sub-regional estimates, they will provide a basis for comparing WDFW estimates, be more timely, result in biological and species composition information, and estimate catch and effort for all modes of fishing. Many of these statistics have not been available through the WDFW system.

Commercial Groundfish Management. Commercial fisheries for groundfish have been declining in recent years owing to declining stocks, area closures, or changes in management emphasis. Trawl fisheries still operate in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca, in the San Juan Archipelago, and in the southern Strait of Georgia. Set line (long line) and set net fisheries operate throughout Puget Sound and these fisheries target spiny dogfish. Finally, drag seine fisheries harvest surfperch in central and southern Puget Sound.

The evaluation of stock status conducted in 1996 and 1997 found Pacific cod stocks to be in critical or depressed conditions in Puget Sound. Accordingly, staff recommended restrictions for the trawl fishery that would minimize cod catches. After consultation with the industry in late 1997 and early 1998, quotas were established for two trawl fishery areas. The ensuing fishery observations found that either discarding of cod at sea was occurring or cod populations were even more limited than expected. The trawl fishery was closed but a court challenge later resulted in reopening the fishery. The legal challenge and management process are still being resolved.

Transboundary Trawl Survey. WDFW has conducted trawl surveys in the U.S. portion of the Strait of Georgia and in other regions of Puget Sound. The Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca are shared between Washington and British Columbia, and previous work on spiny dogfish and Pacific cod has attested to the potential for transboundary movement to affect fisheries and population structure. With supplemental funding from the U.S. EPA and the Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team, WDFW conducted a transboundary trawl survey of the southern Strait of Georgia in May and June 1997. The objectives were to estimate the numerical and biomass abundance of groundfish and macro-invertebrates, describe the depth and geographic distributions of key species, relate catches from each country to the populations, describe the likelihood of transboundary effects, and provide a baseline of environmental information to scientists and managers in both countries.

The survey was conducted aboard a chartered 17 m fishing vessel equipped with a 400 mesh Eastern trawl with a 3 cm mesh cod-end liner. The stratified systematic design of the survey provided estimates by country and for five depth strata. Forty stations were occupied in the Washington Strait of Georgia and 69 stations were occupied in the B.C. Strait of Georgia and Gulf Islands south of a line between Vancouver B.C. and Nanoose Bay. The preliminary results found that an estimated 166.5 million fishes live in the southern Strait of Georgia accounting for a biomass of 36,500 mt. Total fish distribution accounted for a 30%/70% ratio of fish between Washington and B.C., roughly corresponding to the distribution of surveyed habitat between the two countries. Not all individual species corresponded to this ratio and the depth and spatial distribution patterns have significant transboundary implications. Shallow water species such as rock sole, sand sole, and starry flounder are limited to the rim of the basin and transboundary movements as adults are probably limited by the deep water trough in the middle of the basin. Fisheries in each respective country are probably operating on their own adult aggregations. Other species such as Pacific cod, Pacific hake, Dover sole, English sole, and spiny dogfish commonly occur in deep waters and are more likely to make transboundary movements exposing themselves to fisheries on each side of the border.

The preliminary results were distributed to American and Canadian sponsors and persons of interest in November 1997. The results are being finalized in a contract report and which will be published as a WDFW report. Copies of the survey data and selected population estimates can be obtained from Wayne Palsson.

Transboundary fisheries and environmental issues have been a concern to the governments of B.C. and Washington so much so that the governor and premier signed an Environmental Cooperation Agreement in 1992. This agreement established a Marine Sciences Panel and many subcommittees to examine various resources problems. WDFW groundfish staff met with DFO counterparts in February 1997 to discuss transboundary assessment and management issues. They identified that the existing TSC process might provide a means for more regular and meaningful exchange and resolution of fisheries management issues.

Puget Sound Groundfish Management Plan. The management of groundfish in Puget Sound has suffered because there has not been a comprehensive plan to unite fishery monitoring, stock assessment, and management activities. A draft Puget Sound Groundfish Management Plan was developed in 1997 to provide a framework for these activities under the adopted Fish and Wildlife Commission policy for Puget Sound groundfish that calls for a conservative management approach. The draft plan identifies how this precautionary approach and ecosystem management will be implemented for groundfish and calls for conservation plans for each principal groundfish species. Once conservation plans are developed, comprehensive use plans will be implemented to assure that fisheries, non-consumptive activities, and ecosystem functions will be maintained. The plan will be considered for adoption in June 1998 after public input.

2. Marine Protected Area Activities and Stressed Resources in Puget Sound. (Contributed by Mary Lou Mills (360)-902-2834)

Draft Interagency Strategy for Puget Sound. A draft strategy for marine protected areas (MPAs) in Puget Sound was created by the Washington interagency MPA work group of the Puget Sound-Georgia Basin International Task Force. This draft was circulated for public comment in January 1998. Comments have been received and the draft strategy is under revision currently.

Draft WDFW Marine Protected Area Policy. A draft policy for marine protected areas was presented to the WDFW Commission on March 21, 1998. The draft policy covers all types of marine protected areas and includes objectives and principles. Adoption of the policy will be considered by the Commission at their June meeting. Marine protected areas are referenced in two policies already adopted by the WDFW Commission (Wild Salmonid Policy and Forage Fish Policy).

WDFW MPAs Created. The department created the first conservation areas under WDFW regulations. Harvest of all organisms is closed in these areas (including classified and unclassified resources). Several areas were adopted in January 1998 under recreational regulations. The areas closed for harvest in January were Octopus Hole (Hood Canal), Orchard Rocks (Rich Passage), an enlarged version of Edmonds Underwater Park (increased in size to match the area the City of Edmonds has under lease) and two beaches in Des Moines. Parallel commercial closures of these areas were presented to the Commission in March and will be considered for adoption in June.

Strategy for Recovery of Stressed Resources in Puget Sound. Jim West reviewed the stressed resources in Puget Sound and developed recommendations for actions to better assess the declines and to reverse them or to react appropriately. The report was published in January of 1997. In January 1998, an interagency work group augmented and refined the list of actions included in the original report. The list of actions and the general strategy developed by the interagency group was circulated for public comment in January 1998 and is currently under revision.

3. Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program (PSAMP) (Contributed by Sandie O'Neill (360) 902-2843)

PSAMP is a multi-agency effort to monitor the health of Puget Sound. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife participates by monitoring contaminant level in Puget Sound fishes. To date, we have monitored contaminant levels in English sole, Pacific cod, demersal rockfish, Pacific herring, and chinook and coho salmon at various locations in Puget Sound. In 1997 we completed a more in-depth focus study in the Duwamish River and Elliott Bay for English sole and quillback rockfish to examine the distribution of contaminants and the effects of contaminants on reproductive competence. The analyses for this study are ongoing. Starting in May, 1998, a similar focus study will be completed for Sinclair Inlet, an area heavily contaminated with PCBs and heavy metals.

Three papers on our results from 1989 through 1995 were presented at the Research in Puget Sound Conference (March 1998) in Seattle, Washington.

4. Forage Fish. (Contributed by Greg Bargmann (360) 902-2835)

Management plan. The Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted a forage fish management plan in January, 1998. The plan covers herring, smelt, anchovy and sardine. The plan recognizes the forage value of these fish and reduces harvest levels when necessary.

Sardine and mackerel. A coastwide project on development of a management plan for sardine and mackerel continued under the auspices of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. In Washington, approximately 840 mackerel were sampled for age and length composition. In addition, stomach contents were examined. Few fish remains were found in the mackerel stomachs. The sampled fish, most of which were caught offshore in July and August, were feeding heavily on invertebrates. Data gathered in 1996 and 1997 do not support the supposition that mackerel consumed a large number of juvenile salmon. Interest is growing in establishing a commercial fishery for sardine and mackerel Washington. The agency is currently evaluating the potential of such a fishery along the Washington coast. The gear utilized would be seine. A major concern is potential bycatch in any such fishery. We are proposing 100% observer coverage for any such fishery.

Herring. A review of herring stock status was completed in 1997. The results show nine healthy herring stocks, four stocks in depressed or critical status and five stocks with unknown status. The major concern is with the Discovery Bay and Cherry Point stocks.

Columbia River smelt. In recent years, eulachon or Columbia River smelt has been in sharp decline. This matches similar declines in the Fraser River and other systems. The cause of this decline is unknown.

1. Coastal Groundfish Management. (Contributed by Brian Culver (360) 249-4628)

Council Activities. The agency contributes technical support for coastal groundfish management issues via participation on the Groundfish Management Team (GMT), and the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC). The agency is also represented on the Scientific and Statistical Committee and Groundfish Plan Team of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). A summary of PFMC GMT activities in 1997 is described in the PFMC Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) document.

State Waters. In 1995 WDFW initiated a closure to commercial groundfish harvest with hook-and-line and pot gear in coastal state waters (inside three miles) as well as a prohibition to roller gear on trawls. These measures were specifically designed for the protection of nearshore rockfish while allowing for the continued opportunity to prosecute the summer flatfish trawl fishery for flatfish species such as starry flounder and sand sole on non-rocky bottom.

2. Yellowtail Rockfish Stock Assessment (Contributed by Jack Tagart (360) 902-2855)

Since variances were available for key parameters, we computed a measure of the uncertainty in projected yellowtail rockfish yield estimates based on the uncertainty in estimating the fishing mortality rate (e.g., F_40%, and F_20% values) and the uncertainty in current stock size. These profiles facilitated evaluation of the risk associated with different management policies.

All models evaluated indicate that the yellowtail rockfish stock biomass continues to decline. The estimated 1998 coast-wide spawning stock size varies among models, and is between 30-87% of the long-term expected value under F_40% harvest rate (assuming average recruitment). Estimated mean annual yield over the next three years ranges from 1,850 to 4,687 mt dependent on the selected model. Average catch between 1992 and 1996 was 7600 mt. The 5-year mean catch in the whiting and shrimp trawl fishery had been 2200 mt. For some model configurations, there is evidence that density dependent mortality in recruitment has affected recent recruitment levels. For example, recent average recruitment (1990-94) is about 70% of the long-term (1967-1997) mean while the recent average female spawner biomass is about 40% of the long-term mean.

3. Biometric Support for Yellowtail Rockfish Assessment. (Contributed by Annette Hoffmann (360) 902-2535)

Motivation. Of the many sources of uncertainty in groundfish stock assessment modeling, one not commonly addressed is biased data. Incorporating biased data into an estimation effort invariably biases the resulting parameter estimators. Often the degree of bias is not or cannot be known and therefore is ignored. In catch at age abundance estimation models, an independent index of abundance is often used as auxiliary information to improve the precision of the parameter estimators. However, biases in that index result in biased estimates of abundance. This issue is particularly important when a biased but precise index is chosen instead of an unbiased but imprecise index.

Objective. In the 1997 yellowtail rockfish stock assessment there were three sources of abundance index data. The first was the NMFS triennial trawl survey, the second was fishery logbook effort, and the third was yellowtail bycatch in the whiting fishery. Because of the volume of data, the fishery logbook effort index was expected to be the most precise but also the most biased because of the nature of the fishery. To help provide some guidelines for choosing between indices based on fishery logbook effort data and the NMFS triennial trawl survey, I conducted a simulation study to compare the potential impacts on the catch at age parameter estimators of a model incorporating an unbiased but imprecise index against a model incorporating a biased but precise index.

Findings. To make the comparison fair, I generated biased index data and imprecise index data where the bias squared in the biased index was equal to the variance of the imprecise index so that the overall mean squared error was constant. Bias was a non-constant proportionality factor between the index and actual abundance.

When the unbiased but imprecise index of abundance was incorporated in the model, the precision of the parameter estimators improved and their bias was unaffected. When the biased but precise index was incorporated the parameter estimators were also biased. "Fixing" the bias problem by modeling year specific proportionality factors rendered the biased index data ineffectual. From the simulation results, I concluded that an index of abundance where the proportionality constant could be assumed constant would be the most scientifically credible choice.

4. Black Rockfish (Contributed by Farron Wallace (360) 249-4628)

Stock identification. Washington tagging data suggest that Cape Flattery and Cape Falcon may represent area bounds for a coastal Washington-Northern Oregon black rockfish stock. To corroborate these results, a Genetic Stock Identification study of coastal black rockfish populations was conducted from 1995-1997 (report in progress). Horizontal starch-gel electrophoresis was used to examine 10 black rockfish collections from northern California, Oregon, Washington and southern British Columbia. Significant heterogeneity occurred among Oregon collections, while less heterogeneity was found among Washington collections. Dendrogram and multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis of genetic distances revealed three major geographical groupings. The groups include samples from 1) north of Cape Falcon, 2) south of Cape Falcon off the Oregon coast, and 3) a single collection from northern California (Port Albion). The study concluded that there is an apparent large-scale geographical clustering of coastal black rockfish populations and there does not appear to be any geographical pattern to clustering of populations within each group. It is interesting to note that although no black rockfish tags were ever recovered from southern British Columbia during the 15 year tagging study, fish collected just 20 km north from Barclay Sound, B.C. were genetically similar to the coastal Washington collections. Although this may indicate continuation of a single black rockfish stock extending north from Cape Falcon, it is possible that the Strait of Juan de Fuca provides an effective physical boundary which few if any adult black rockfish are willing to cross. Gene flow is likely influenced by nearshore and oceanic drift during the three to four month planktonic stage. Survival during the early life stages is strongly influenced by oceanic processes and recruitment may be dependent upon the health of black rockfish populations both north and south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is apparent from this study that the large scale geographical clustering of coastal black rockfish stocks does not adhere to political boundaries. Groundfish managers need to have not only an understanding of the genetic population structure but of the underlying biological and physical processes that drive population abundance to set sustainable harvest rates for each of the identifiable management units.

Pilot Hydroacoustic assessment project. Hydroacoustic sampling off the Washington coast was employed to assess coastal black rockfish during the period 1988-91. The equipment was configured for homogeneous species and size applications and provided limited success when used on mixed size and species assemblages. A variety of sampling gear was used to identify targets including gill nets, trammel nets, hook-and-line gear, video and midwater trawl. Frequent turbidity made video sampling unreliable and other gear types caught few fish. Our inability to identify acoustic targets limited the usefulness of this survey which was concluded in 1991.

Hydroacoustic technology has been used successfully in a number of other applications and because of relatively low cost and simple logistics is an attractive alternative to other methods. During 1997 WDFW completed a feasibility study to determine if black rockfish abundance can be assessed with hydroacoustic technology to a level of accuracy required to formulate a resource utilization plan. The acoustic equipment employed upgraded processing and plotting systems to quantify biomass by fish size category and bottom type. Fish sizes within bottom type areas of interest can be identified, separated, and quantified. Environmental conditions in the nearshore habitat make it an especially difficult place to physically sample the nekton. Based on past experiences we decided to use trawl gear and nets designed for shallow water. Entering this study we realized the challenge of sampling, but felt that with an experienced trawl vessel and proper trawl gear, sampling would be possible. Seventeen tows were attempted in three days of sampling and only a few tows captured black rockfish. Many tows were aborted due to gear fouling, snagging on the bottom and damage to the net. Our sampling techniques proved unsuccessful in nearshore rocky areas where the majority of black rockfish are found. Target validation for rockfish species in the nearshore environment remains elusive and until effective sampling methodology is devised, the utility of hydroacoustic techniques in nearshore areas will remain limited.

Tagging study. In 1998, WDFW began a multi-year mark-recapture survey which will be implemented from Westport, the principal location of recreational landings of black rockfish in Washington. If successful in the Westport area, the study may be expanded to include the entire Washington coast in subsequent segments. The survey design involves five annual releases, and seven years of tag-recovery monitoring in the sport fishery. From April through May, the WDFW research vessel Corliss will be used as the tagging platform to capture, measure, tag and release black rockfish. In the first year of the study, 3,000-5,000 black rockfish will be captured by hook and line from previously identified nearshore pinnacles that are distributed throughout the area fished by the Westport charter fishing fleet. Costs permitting, a larger number of fish will be released in subsequent years. Each fish will be tagged with two coded wire tags (CWT). Double tagging of fish, and holding experiments will be conducted to validate assumptions about tag shedding and tag related mortality. The tags will be placed in the opercular musculature: one on each side of the fishes head. The tags will be batch marked to allow for identification of the release-year group upon subsequent recapture. Charter boat landings of black rockfish will be sampled for tags by passing fish carcasses through a CWT tube detector stationed at Westport. Cooperation of the charter boat industry will be enlisted to ensure that a high proportion of the total number of fish landed (including those filleted at sea) are sampled for tags.

Mark-recapture data will be used to produce estimates of abundance, survival, and mortality for black rockfish in the Westport coastal area. Population parameter estimates will be incorporated into a black rockfish age structured model. The multi-sample single recapture (MSSR) experimental design described by Jagielo (1991) will be employed to estimate fishing mortality (F), exploitation rate (U), and abundance (N), where the exploitation process is used to sample the tagged population. An analysis of previous black rockfish tagging data from Westport suggests that recovery rates on the order of 0.012 occurred via a voluntary tag recovery experimental design. Using this value as an estimate of the recovery rate for a full census of the landed catch for tags, we would expect the recovery rate to be 0.009 if our sampling rate is 0.75 of the landed catch, and 0.004 if the sampling rate is as low as 0.30. Using these values to bracket sampling rates, assuming annual survival of 0.67, and using release numbers of 3000 vs. 5000 fish per year, estimates of the coefficient of variation (CV) for F, U, and N were computed (Table 1). This analysis shows the importance of tagging as many fish as possible each year, and conducting an accurate and thorough sampling of as large a proportion of the catch as possible for tags. The survival rate parameter CV could be on the order of 0.20 under these assumptions with a 5000 fish release and a sampling rate of 0.75.

Coastal black rockfish volunteer Charter Logbook Program. In collaboration with the sport charter boat industry, WDFW developed a new logbook to collect site specific catch and effort information during directed coastal sport bottomfish trips. This is a volunteer program that is endorsed by the Washington Charter Boat Association and we are hopeful that many vessels will participate.

5. Coastal Lingcod. (Contributed by Tom Jagielo (360) 902-2837)

PFMC Stock Assessment. An age-structured lingcod stock assessment was produced for the PFMC in 1997, covering the INPFC Columbia and Vancouver areas through PMFC area 3C-N (Jagielo et al. 1997). The assessment incorporated data from three fisheries and two surveys that each sample a unique aspect of the lingcod population, which is stratified bathymetrically by size and sex. Bi-national landings from the assessment area were 3,544 mt in 1975, peaked at 6,868 mt in 1985, and were 2,052 mt in 1996. Assessment results indicate a heavily exploited stock. Landings exceeded the F35% exploitation rate (0.14) in 13 of the past 15 years. Landings reached or exceeded the F20% (overfishing) exploitation rate (0.25) in 1985, and for each of the most recent 7 years (1991-1997). The average exploitation rate for 1991-1997 was 0.30.

Ongoing Cape Flattery Survey and New Coded-Wire-Tag (CWT) Study. The annual February-March survey with bottom troll gear at Cape Flattery was conducted for the 12th year in 1998. In 1998, we resumed tag releases for a mark-recapture survey of the nearshore area at Cape Flattery. Previous mark-recapture estimates of survival and abundance at Cape Flattery (1986-1992) have proven useful for the PFMC stock assessment, particularly as an aid to estimate recruitment. The new mark-recapture survey uses coded wire tags (CWT) as internal marks, and involves direct sampling of the sport catch at Neah Bay with an R8-tube CWT detection system. The new survey design involves a much more labor-intensive recapture sampling effort, but eliminates the need for estimates or assumptions about tag reporting rates. The direct catch sub-sampling approach also has the potential to yield estimates of abundance with greater precision than the voluntary tag return sampling design, as estimates of the total sport catch and its variance are not required.

6. Undersea (In-Situ) Research. (Contributed by Tom Jagielo (360) 902-2837)

A joint WDFW-NMFS project, funded by the National Undersea Research Center (NURC) began in early 1998. The project is designed as a pilot study to determine sample size requirements for estimating differences in rockfish and lingcod abundance between trawlable and un-trawlable habitat. The ultimate purpose of this work is to evaluate the "habitat" bias of trawl survey estimates of abundance. The pilot study involves development of a side-scan sonar "mosaic" map of an area approximately 30 miles offshore of Cape Flattery, which is known to have a mix of both habitat types. The mosaic map will be used to allocate submersible dive effort equally between the two habitat types. Approximately 5 days of submersible dive time in the Delta (Delta Oceanographics) will be conducted in early July, 1998.

1. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (Contributed by Dale Gombert (360) 902-2836)

The Marine Resources Division (MRD) at WDFW has four main purposes for using Geographic Information Systems (GIS); they are: 1) to maintain spatial databases on where species occur, 2) to calculate areas based on certain attributes or combinations of attributes of those areas, 3) to proof data by displaying locations, and 4) to create maps that depict the raw or derived data. Most applications require large amounts of preparatory work and baseline data. This work usually starts out specifically for one project but almost always becomes useful for other projects.

The software used are ARC/INFO, both the PC and workstation versions, the

PC version of ARC/View, and MapInfo. The available base maps include several agencies' shorelines, roads, railroads, ferry routes, topology, counties, towns, PLSS boundaries,

Pacific near-shore bottom types, and species occurrences. Bathymetry is incomplete in the Strait of Georgia, northern Puget Sound, and eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca; what we have comes from the USGS1:100k hypsography DLGs, and some is digitized from NOAA and Canadian charts.

A list of available GIS coverages used by the WDFW MRD may be obtained on request from Dale Gombert (gombedwg@dfw.wa.gov or (360) 902-2836).

D. Recent WDFW Reports and Publications