Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

most of this region and, as suggested by Curl and Manen (1982) and
Armstrong et al. (1983),
kill virtually all of the larval year-class in
this area.
More detailed station coverage of the NAS in 1982 indicates a major
portion of the larval population occurs along the 50 m isobath (Section
3.0), and probably is transported by long-shore currents to the northeast
as hypothesized by Hebard (1959) and Haynes (1974).
Although the frontal
system depicted by Kinder and Schumacher (1981a) is not as well studied
along the NAS as in upper Bristol Bay, its integrity may be such to
entrain subsurface oil at the front with resultant transport in the
direction of larval crab movement. Cline et al. (1981) concluded from
methane profiles originating from Port Moller that material rarely penetrated
more than 20 km offshore and was essentially entrained shoreward
of the 50 m front while moving to the northeast, thus substantiating the
notion of a strong front in this region.
While movement of oil as a
surface film by winds results in extensive coverage within brief time
periods in models of Leendertse and Liu (1981) and Pelto (1981), mixing
of oil into the water column along the 50-m isobath might pose a more
serious threat to red king crab larvae along the NAS for 10-20 days
after a spill.
It is known from work by Haynes (1974) that king crab
larvae are abundant east of Port Moller up to Port Heiden and into
Bristol Bay in July and August.
If these larvae escape pollution then
the damage done by a Unimak-Port Moller disaster might be somewhat
attenuated.
However, distribution and abundance of larvae east of Port
Moller is poorly known and requires further study (now funded by OCSEAP
in FY 83).
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