SWFSC Ichthyoplankton Ecology Program Support

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Ocean Associates Inc. (OAI) is seeking an applicant to provide Ichthyoplankton Ecology Program Support to the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, CA.  OAI is a Virginia corporation established in 2003 that provides consulting and technical services to the U.S. government, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the private sector. We specialize in scientific program and project management, strategic planning, professional and technical services, and stakeholder engagement, supporting government contracts. 

Description

The Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) Ichthyoplankton Ecology Program in the ESD is one of the foremost ichthyoplankton identification laboratories in the world. Our staff sort, identify, measure, and count the ichthyoplankton and paralarval cephalopods collected during SWFSC's research surveys, and routinely identify fish eggs and larvae and cephalopod paralarvae from the eastern, central, and tropical Pacific. Data produced in the Ichthyoplankton Laboratory are critical to SWFSC’s mission to conduct stock assessments and monitor the species and health of the California Current ecosystem. Ichthyoplankton data are used to study distribution and abundance changes of fish and cephalopod species in relation to ecosystem change, primarily in the California Current region, are key contributions to the stock assessments of Bocaccio and Cowcod rockfishes and have been used in assessments of Pacific sardine and Pacific mackerel, and can provide fishery- independent time series information for many other fish species as well as market squid and California spiny lobster.

The Ichthyoplankton Ecology Program analyzes plankton samples collected during California Cooperative Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) and other research cruises to provide data on fish eggs and larvae and cephalopod paralarvae that are used to support Integrated Ecosystem Assessment, biomass assessments, and ecological and taxonomic studies. Lobster larvae also are sorted from the plankton samples and provided to California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientists in support of state management of that species. The Ichthyoplankton Ecology Program supports SWFSC plankton and trawling research cruises as needed by providing personnel to serve as members of scientific crews aboard ship. NOAA requires contract support to assist with the various tasks performed by the Ichthyoplankton Ecology Program.

Tasks

Key tasks include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: 

• Laboratory work, including sorting all ichthyoplankton, paralarval cephalopods, and spiny lobster larvae from plankton samples, identifying target taxa and counting all sorted specimens of all taxa, measuring lengths of key taxa, recording all counts and measurements on standard data forms and delivering completed data forms for data entry. 
  1. Using a binocular dissecting microscope, remove target taxa (all fish eggs, fish larvae, cephalopod paralarvae, and lobster phyllosoma larvae) from CalCOFI, and other SWFSC Bongo, Manta and Pairovet net tow plankton samples stored at the SWFSC, following standard CalCOFI protocols. The remaining fraction of each sample will be returned to its collection for subsequent archiving at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Pelagic Invertebrates Collection. Unsorted Bongo net samples collected during other cruises shall be sorted following the priority schedule posted in the Ichthyoplankton Ecology Laboratory.
  2. Count all sorted ichthyoplankton, cephalopod, and lobster specimens, measure standard or notochord lengths of up to 100 specimens each of selected key taxa (currently Pacific sardine, northern anchovy, and Pacific hake larvae), and bottle each category separately. Categories are: 1) sardine eggs; 2) anchovy eggs; 3) all other fish eggs; 4) sardine larvae; 5) anchovy larvae; 6) hake larvae; 7) all other fish larvae; 8) juvenile fish; 9) lobster larvae; and 10) cephalopod paralarvae. Samples collected during the spring CalCOFI cruise, and as many other unprocessed samples as can be sorted in the available time following the priority schedule, will be completed by the end of each period of performance.
  3. Record all specimen counts and measurements on standard data sheets and deliver the sheets to the appropriate data entry personnel for subsequent entry into the appropriate databases.
  4. Aid, as needed, in entering the resulting data into the CalCOFI databases, and contribute as needed to analyzing these data and in preparation of scientific manus