PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE
PO Box 705, Cordova, AK 995740705 www.pwssc.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: To advance community resilience and the understanding and sustainable use of ecosystems. Establishment of the Center followed the Exxon Valdez oil spill, although planning of this institution preceded that event. The underlying philosophy of the Center is to serve as a model for long-term ecosystem management.

To advance community resilience and the understanding and sustainable use of ecosystems.

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Programs:Herring Research and Monitoring ProgramThis is an Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council-funded program designed to improve our ability to predict herring populations in Prince William Sound. This is to be achieved by a mixture of monitoring efforts to provide information needed by the age-structure-analysis model, and research projects that provide a better understanding of aspects of the herring life cycle that are necessary for the development of new models. The program also addresses assumptions in the measurement program and looks to incorporate new technologies. This program includes investigators from PWSSC, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, United States Geological Survey, and University of Washington. The program works closely with the Gulf Watch Alaska program.Gulf Watch AlaskaThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council (EVOSTC) is supporting a five-year, $12 million long-term monitoring program in the Gulf of Alaska region affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The monitoring program, called Gulf Watch Alaska, involves more than 25 scientists from multiple agencies and universities and seeks to provide data to identify and help understand the impacts of multiple ecosystem factors on the recovery of injured resources. This program is expected to be 20 years in length, but is planned and funded in five-year increments. It builds a legacy of restoration research and monitoring by the EVOSTC and federal and state agencies dating back to 1989. The program includes sites in Prince William Sound, lower Cook Inlet, the Gulf of Alaska, and the outer Kenai Peninsula coast.

Government Programs:AOOS - Alaska Ocean Observing SystemThis project, funded by NOAA via the Alaska Ocean Observing System, continues implementation of the Prince William Sound (PWS) Observing System (PWSOS). The PWSOS collects ocean, atmospheric and biological observations for use by stakeholders. PWSOS supported tracking of marine organisms using the Ocean Tracking Network, salinity measurements at the Cordova Tide station, and the maintenance of the Snotel meteorological stations. ADF&G HatcheryWild Salmon and ManuscriptThis project is funded by ADF&G with participation from processors and private non-profit hatchery corporations. This was the final full field season. The study was designed by a science panel organized by ADF&G consisting of experts on salmon biology and management, genetics, hatchery issues and experimental statistics. The current research focuses on Pink salmon stream sampling in Prince William Sound. As an offshoot of the previous research, separate funding was provided for the development of scientific manuscripts describing some findings from the program.Saltonstall-Kennedy SonarThe NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy program provided funding to purchase and deploy a sonar system for identifying salmon migrating in the Copper River. The purpose of the effort is to provide earlier in-season salmon entry numbers to the fisheries managers. This project is providing new hardware and is linked with the Copper River Prince William Sound Marketing Association project looking at salmon imaging described in the Other Programs section. NPRB HF ObservationThe North Pacific Research Board is funding a PWSSC project for a series of upgrades to an existing profiling mooring that is deployed in central PWS. Upgrades include new communications hardware, new controller electronics, and a custom built in situ plankton camera system.NPRB Sockeye Body SizeThe North Pacific Research Board is funding a PWSSC project to tag Copper River salmon to examine how changes in body size affect migration and spawning success. The intent is to better understand the potential impacts of recent reduced Sockeye salmon size at age on their reproductive success. NPRB Herring IcthyophonusThe North Pacific Research Board is funding a PWSSC project to examine Pacific herring hearts for Icthyophonus. This disease is poorly understood, particularly the level at which it causes mortality and has the potential for population level effects. The project is examining hearts collected over the past 13 years to determine the historic disease intensity and relate it to increased mortality.NPRB Shellfish ToxinsThe North Pacific Research Board is funding a PWSSC project to collect shellfish and seawater samples to determine the presence of paralytic shellfish poison forming organisms. The study is investigating the transfer of toxins from Alexandrium cells to zooplankton, shellfish, forage fish, and commercially important predatory fishes in Prince William Sound and Kachemak Bay. NPRB Tufted PuffinThe North Pacific Research Board is funding a PWSSC project to tag Tufted puffins with geolocator tags to determine where the birds spend their time in the winter. In addition to the tags, samples are being collected to conduct stable isotope analysis to examine if the puffins change trophic level during the winter. USFS Gull EggThe U. S. Forest Service provided funding to research the potential impact of subsistence gathering of gull eggs. By examining the disturbance caused by the collection of gull eggs it is easier to assess the impact of humans on the hatch success of the local gull population.Tufts Avian FluTufts University is providing funding from a joint proposal to the North Pacific Research Board to assess the Glaucous winged gull and its interactions and movement among salmon canning facilities. This interaction deserves greater attention because of the potential for gulls to aid the spread of pathogens between urban and marine ecosystems, confounding disease control efforts. The proposed study will test whether the congregation of GWGU at Cordova promotes amplification and reassortment of IAV (Influenza A Virus).

Oil Spill Recovery Institute Programs:Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI)This program funds the administration and awards of the Oil Spill Recovery Institute, a federally established program to support research, education, and demonstration projects designed to respond to and understand the effects of oil spills in the Arctic and sub-Arctic marine environments. Initiated in 1997, funding is provided directly from the interest earnings on a $35.3 million principal allocation administered by the U.S. Coast Guard (from the National Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund). The Institute is governed by an Advisory Board which includes representatives from Federal and State agencies, Alaska Native and PWS community, and industry representatives appointed by the Governor of Alaska. The Advisory Board Chair is a U.S. Department of Commerce representative.PWSSC H2O Headwaters to Ocean Program & Education ProgramThe H2O Headwaters to Ocean Program is the umbrella under which all of our education and outreach efforts occur. This program has four components this year: (1) the Discovery Room, a program which supplements elementary school science education in the classroom; (2) Secondary School Outreach, programming designed to keep older students engaged in marine science-centric activities that promote critical thinking, problem solving and ecological literacy. (3) Outreach Discovery to support delivery of materials to audiences outside of Cordova. (4) Mini Discovery program is designed to engage youth who are not yet school age in hands-on activities. This program is funded in large part by OSRI. Other funding comes from British Petroleum, Conoco Phillips, individual and small business donations, foundations, and fees.

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