ObjectiveChanges in abundance and distribution of schooling forage fish, such as the Pacific Sand Lance Ammodytes hexapterus and Pacific Herring Clupea pallasii, can be difficult to document using traditional boat‐based methods, especially in the shallow, nearshore habitats frequented by these species. In contrast, nearshore fish schools are easily observed and quantified from aircraft when light and sea conditions are favorable. We used aerial shoreline surveys to assess interannual variability in the distribution and abundance of schooling forage fish in Prince William Sound, Alaska, during the summers of 2010 and 2012–2022.MethodsDuring the surveys, aerial observers classified fish schools by their size, species, and (in some cases) age‐class. All observations were georeferenced along the flight path, converted to estimated surface area (m2) based on school diameter, and standardized by effort (shoreline kilometers surveyed).ResultPacific Herring were widely distributed, and school densities varied annually; there were several spikes in school density of up to 54.38 m2/km interspersed among years of lower average densities (7.73–25.57 m2/km). In contrast, Pacific Sand Lance were usually limited in their distribution to a few predictable locations. School density in these consistent areas varied across years, from a high of 50.98 m2/km in 2010 to a low of 0.15 m2/km in 2017. We validated 88 schools during aerial surveys conducted in 2014–2016 and 2019–2022, of which 76 (86%) were correctly identified to species.ConclusionHere, we provide indices of Pacific Herring and Pacific Sand Lance school density over time in shallow nearshore coastal areas of Prince William Sound, Alaska. These indices were generated from aerial surveys, which offer an effective alternative to boat‐based surveys for tracking forage fish schools when they occur in shallow and nearshore coastal habitats.

中文翻译：

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通过航空调查量化阿拉斯加威廉王子湾近岸饲料鱼群的时空变化

目的太平洋沙矛鱼等成群饵料鱼的丰度和分布变化六翅玉蜀黍和太平洋鲱鱼鲱鱼使用传统的基于船的方法可能很难记录，特别是在这些物种经常光顾的浅海近岸栖息地。相比之下，当光线和海况有利时，近岸鱼群很容易从飞机上观察和量化。我们利用空中海岸线调查来评估 2010 年和 2012-2022 年夏季阿拉斯加州威廉王子湾的鱼群分布和丰度的年际变化。方法在调查期间，空中观察员根据鱼群的大小、种类、和（在某些情况下）年龄阶层。所有观测值均沿飞行路径进行地理参考，转换为估计表面积（平方米）2）基于学校直径，并按工作量标准化（调查的海岸线公里数）。结果太平洋鲱鱼分布广泛，学校密度每年都有所变化；学校密度出现多次峰值，高达 54.38 m2/km 散布在平均密度较低的年份（7.73–25.57 m2/公里）。相比之下，太平洋沙枪的分布通常仅限于几个可预测的地点。这些一致地区的学校密度逐年变化，最高为 50.98 m2/km 2010年低至0.15 m22017 年，我们在 2014 年至 2016 年和 2019 年至 2022 年进行的航空调查中验证了 88 个鱼群，其中 76 个鱼群 (86%) 被正确识别为物种。结论在这里，我们提供了太平洋鲱鱼和太平洋沙矛鱼鱼群密度的指数阿拉斯加威廉王子湾近岸浅滩地区的时间。这些指数是通过航空调查生成的，它为跟踪浅水和近岸沿海栖息地中出现的饲料鱼群提供了船基调查的有效替代方案。