Krill support more than 70 species of commercially and recreationally important fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. In particular, krill are critical food for salmon at certain life stages. Yet despite their ecological importance, there are no studies that regularly estimate krill biomass in California.
This project will use acoustic methods—well established on an international level—to estimate krill biomass from multiple krill species in California which support economically important fish populations.
This information will be provided to fisheries managers to help inform fisheries management plans. The results will also be an important contribution to the California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (CCIEA) report on “forage,” presented annually to the Pacific Fisheries Management Council.