May 22, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is preparing to launch its annual eastern Bering Sea bottom trawl survey, with scientists set to begin collecting near real-time temperature data in June as part of one of the longest-running fishery datasets in the region.
Conducted each year by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, the survey is mandated under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to track the distribution and abundance of fish, crab and other bottom-dwelling species. The data is used to inform stock assessments and ecosystem status reports for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.
Water temperature remains a key focus of the survey. According to NOAA, “temperature is one of many factors that influences species’ ranges and population sizes,” with warming conditions already linked to shifts in where species are found. Scientists record both bottom and surface temperatures at each station, allowing them to compare environmental conditions with the presence, or absence, of fish and crab.