| Summary: | Although steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss is an iconic species found throughout the North Pacific rim, little is known about this species’ oceanic ecology. Understanding the marine distribution of steelhead in the North Pacific Ocean is important for understanding the potential interactions between human activities and this fish species. Oil and gas exploration and development may eventually occur in offshore areas throughout the North Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Arc, and the Bering Sea. If steelhead occupy these areas, these individuals may be directly exposed to habitat disturbance as a result of these human activities. Given the generally low abundance of this species and the potential for interactions with human activities, understanding the marine migration patterns and behavior of steelhead is important to understand potential impacts on this species. To provide insights into migratory routes and habitat occupied by steelhead in the North Pacific Ocean, we attached pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) to steelhead kelts (n = 16 in 2018; n = 12 in 2019, and n = 35 in 2020) from a prominent Alaskan population, the Situk River. While externally attached to a fish, the tags measured and recorded temperature, depth, and ambient light intensity data every two minutes. On pre-programmed dates, the tags released from the fish, floated to the surface of the ocean, and transmitted archived data to overhead Argos satellites. Movement, habitat occupancy, behavior, geolocation, and mortality of steelhead were described by examining end locations, migration routes, depth occupancy, and temperature occupancy of tagged fish. This dataset was generated as part of the Coastal Marine Institute, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Cooperative agreement M20AC00008, with contributions from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Seitz AC, Courtney MB, Boustany A, Miller EA, Van Houtan KS, Catterson M, Pawluk J. 2021. Ocean migration and behavior of steelhead kelts in Alaska OCS oil and gas lease areas, examined with satellite telemetry. Fairbanks, AK: Coastal Marine Institute. Coastal Marine Institute Final Report for BOEM BOEM Cooperative Agreement M20AC10005.2014-663.
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