Science

Agency debuts tools to track Alaska marine diets, ecosystems

JUNEAU -- Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have debuted two databases designed to give researchers data on marine fish species diets and ecosystem trends in Alaska.

According to a NOAA news release, the databases could be used to help manage marine resources.

Included among the data are more than one million diet records of fish caught during research surveys in Alaska. For some fish species, the predator-prey relationship data dates back more than 30 years.

Alaska Fisheries Science Center program manager Kerim Aydin says in the release that the database tools can help researchers better understand how ecosystems work.

The new ecosystem database includes news on environmental conditions affecting the state's marine ecosystems in part of the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska and the Arctic.

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