Findings highlight risk to whales and dolphins from vertical lines in marine environment. A couple walking on the beach near Gustavus dock early on Sunday, May 30 were initially excited to spot a minke whale surface near a moored vessel. But then, they saw the whale dive and heard the mooring chain on the vessel […]
Council recommended measure responds to court ruling requiring Federal management of EEZ waters in Cook Inlet NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comments on a proposal to amend the Fishery Management Plan for the Salmon Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska (Salmon FMP) to prohibit commercial salmon fishing in federal waters, also called the exclusive economic […]
Imagine that you are enjoying a wonderful day along Alaska’s rocky shores when suddenly you see something strange in the water. Is that an orca? You look through your binoculars and realize it is a Steller sea lion. You see its flipper in the air, and it only surfaces its head to breathe once in […]
A series of fortunate events recently led to a happy ending for a harbor seal. It had gotten its canine teeth stuck in the steel grated walkway at the hatchery in Valdez. NOAA Fisheries received a call the morning of May 7 about an entangled seal at the Solomon Gulch Hatchery on Dayville Road. […]
There’s a new 2020 Charter Halibut Permit annual registration requirement. NOAA Fisheries doesn’t want Alaska charter halibut operators to be caught off-balance by a new requirement to register their Charter Halibut Permit(s) (CHP). The new requirement begins in 2020. The new regulation only applies to the guided sport halibut fishery in International Pacific Halibut Commission Regulatory Areas 2C […]
Today, NOAA Fisheries released its biennial abundance estimate for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales. Scientists estimated that the population size is between 250 and 317, with a median estimate of 279. The population is estimated to be smaller and declining more quickly than previously thought. Abundance estimates can vary from year to year due to a […]
Alaska’s cold, nutrient-rich waters support some of the largest and most successful commercial fisheries on the planet. The pollock fishery is one of them. It’s the second largest fishery in the world, worth an estimated $1.9 billion, and it provides nearly 30,000 jobs across the United States. Alaskan pollock is the main ingredient in some […]
Highly-trained responders depend on boating community to be “eyes and ears” on the water
New bathymetric map of the western Gulf of Alaska. New seafloor maps show for the first time the course of ancient ice masses. They show how they shaped essential habitat for the western Gulf of Alaska’s abundant fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. Scientists wove together historical and modern data—from century-old hand-drawn charts to modern multibeam surveys. They created […]