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Originally published in Science Express on 21 April 2005
Science 27 May 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5726, pp. 1280 - 1284
DOI: 10.1126/science.1109049
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Research Articles

Bottom-Up Ecosystem Trophic Dynamics Determine Fish Production in the Northeast Pacific

Daniel M. Ware1,2,3 and Richard E. Thomson4,2,5*

We addressed the question of bottom-up versus top-down control of marine ecosystem trophic interactions by using annual fish catch data and satellite-derived (SeaWiFS) chlorophyll a measurements for the continental margin of western North America. Findings reveal a marked alongshore variation in retained primary production that is highly correlated with the alongshore variation in resident fish yield. The highest productivity occurs off the coasts of Washington and southern British Columbia. Zooplankton data for coastal British Columbia confirm strong bottom-up trophic linkages between phytoplankton, zooplankton, and resident fish, extending to regional areas as small as 10,000 square kilometers.

1 Aquatic Ecosystem Associates, 3674 Planta Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 1M2, Canada.
2 Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
3 School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
4 Institute of Ocean Sciences, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2, Canada.
5 School of Earth and Ocean Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: thomsonr{at}pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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