Date of Award
4-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Natural Sciences
First Advisor
Levell, Samantha
Area of Concentration
Marine Biology
Abstract
Each year, ecologically, culturally, and economically significant Pacific herring spawn en masse, with Sitka Sound in southeast Alaska hosting some of the largest spawning events. During Pacific herring spawning season, herring eggs coat kelp and seagrass over miles of shoreline, often blanketing seagrass beds. A poorly studied fish species, the bay pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhynchus) offers a model for how resident seagrass-associated fishes experience these spawning events; little is known about the movement patterns of these syngnathids, but they are unlikely to leave seagrass habitats during herring spawning season. To assess the impact of herring spawning season, I surveyed pipefish twice monthly using a pushnet at two sites in Sitka Sound, AK. I hypothesized that Pacific herring spawning season has negative effects on the energetic condition and reproductive metrics of pipefish living in herring spawning grounds in Sitka, due to potentially limited food access and increased exposure to predation stress. I compared gut fullness, the lipid content of the livers, ovaries, and full bodies, body condition indices (hepatosomatic index and stomach repletion index), and fecundity metrics (weight-specific relative fecundity and gonadosomatic index) across S. leptorhynchus collected before, during, and after Pacific herring spawning season, and found that Pacific herring spawning season strongly influences the energetics of seagrass-associated Syngnathus leptorhynchus in Sitka, Alaska. Gut content and reductions in lipid content indicated that seagrass-associated pipefish may have limited access to food during herring spawning season, with male and female S. leptorhynchus differing in their patterns of loss and recovery of lipids. However, trends of recovery of lipid content and strong fecundity metrics indicate the possibility of adaptation to this phenomenon.
Recommended Citation
Sands, Katie, "Energetic and reproductive consequences of a Pacific herring spawning event for seagrass-associated pipefish in Sitka, Alaska" (2026). Theses & ETDs. 6861.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6861
Rights
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