Observation by Justin Bates:
This is tropical fish caught in Cross Sound, Alaska, during the month of June.
Comments from LEO Editors:
Looking at a range map for the Pacific pomfret, it appeared that the fish may inhabit the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and waters to the south. We reached out to Tom Okey for more information.
Tom Okey with Ocean Integrity Research writes:
I do think that's a Pacific Pomfret after comparing some photos, and yes I agree that the Aquamaps model indicates that they are throughout the North Pacific. See the point map too that the model is partially based on. That also indicates it's normal there. As you know, however, if it's unusual for fishermen to see them in their catch mixed with salmon (and that seems unusual to me too), then that may indicate something novel or funky about their behavior and 'meso and micro-distributions' related to physical and chemical oceanographic changes.
Comments from LEO Editors:
According to a 1993 paper titled, "Biology of the Pacific Pomfret (Brama japonica) in the North Pacific Ocean", Pacific pomfret are epipelagic fish that migrate between subtropical waters in the winter, to subarctic waters in the summer. At the time the paper was published, Pacific pomfret were frequently caught as bycatch by Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean drift gillnetters. The amount of bycatch is considered by the authors to be underestimated because of the number of pomfret that drop out of gillnets when large numbers are caught. Erica Lujan
This observation has been forwarded to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) office in Juneau for more information on recent Pacific pomfret abundance estimates.
Jason Gasper, Fishery Management Specialist with the NOAA Juneau Office, writes:
They are not uncommon in the GOA during warm years. The annual Alaska Fishery Science Center (AFSC) slope longline survey in the Gulf of Alaska catches them during warmer years, and we get reports from fisherman as well. Unfortunately I don't have #s to show you, but if someone was really motivated, my guess is the IPHC longline and AFSC surveys may provide some quantitative context.
Comments from LEO Editors:
The summer of 2019 has been characterized by unusually warm air and water temperatures. Climate scientist Rick Thoman regularly shares sea surface temperature departure maps on Twitter. Pictured below are those maps from late June, July, and August. Sea surface temperatures were especially warm for Southeast Alaska in late June, remained above normal for July, and cooled to normal temperatures in some areas during August.
Pelagic zone