Pacific Sand Lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) Make First Appearance

Observation by Janet Mitchell:

New fish. I have never seen this type of fish before in my lifetime but some people have. They are not normal to our area.

Asia Beder, Fisheries Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, writes:

This is a Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus). They can be found throughout Alaska, extending as far north as the Beaufort Sea according to the attached article (see documents section of this observation).

Comments from LEO Editors:

According to the attached Alaska Department of Fish and Game article, Pacific sand lance are forage fish that burrow in the sand near the coast. Sand lance feed have a high fat content from feeding on phytoplankton and zooplankton and are an important food source for birds, marine mammals, and predatory fish. Although their species range is broad, their distribution can be patchy based on the habitat availability and populations are known to fluctuate every few years. The computer generated range map, developed by AquaMaps, estimates a relatively low probability of suitable habitat near Kivalina.