In response to unprecedented declines in chum and Chinook salmon on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, the Alaska Salmon Task Force was created by an act of Congress. Under the Act, the National Marine Fisheries Service, acting on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce, is required to convene an Alaska Salmon Research Task Force to identify […]
Using a combination of survey data and laboratory studies, NOAA Fisheries scientists identified starvation as the most likely cause of mass mortality event during the eastern Bering Sea marine heatwave. In 2022, the Alaska snow crab fishery was closed for the first time in history due to a sudden, dramatic decline in adult and juvenile […]
Rapid and reliable age estimation is crucial for effectively and efficiently managing fish stocks. Scientists successfully used a novel technology, Fourier transform near infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIR)and artificial intelligence (AI), in combination, to more quickly produce reliable estimates of fish age. Otoliths are small calcified structures in the inner ear of a fish, also known as ear stones. […]
New survey estimate and recent trend data suggest the population may be stable and possibly increasing slightly. This month, NOAA Fisheries announced an updated abundance estimate for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales. Scientists estimated that the population size is between 290 and 386, with a median best estimate of 331. In 2018, scientists estimated that the […]