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 NOAA Fisheries’ John Moran reaches with a pole to cut a line entangling a humpback whale in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Credit: NOAA The foundation of responding to entangled whales is the on-water community. NOAA’s Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network depends on […]
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 […]
Arctic cod is an important source of food for whales, seals, fish, birds, and humans in Arctic ecosystems. Arctic cod surviving to the juvenile stage were smaller and in poorer condition 5 months after embryonic oil exposure. Top fish experienced clean seawater whereas bottom fish was exposed to brief, low concentrations of dispersed oil during […]