It was a rare find: a dead sperm whale washed up on a beach in Alaska’s famed Inside Passage in Southeast Alaska. Sperm whales, which are endangered, usually hang out in deeper, offshore waters. This one—a 48-foot long male—was found beached on the east side of Lynn Canal, north of Berners Bay near Juneau. This is the first […]
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is prohibiting directed fishing for species that comprise the deep-water species fishery by vessels using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), effective 1200 hours, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 26, 2019, through 1200 hours, A.l.t., April 1, 2019, according to James W. Balsiger, Administrator, Alaska Region, […]
An NOAA-led team of marine mammal responders was able to free an entangled humpback whale early Saturday evening in Unalaska Bay, near Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The whale was first reported entangled on Monday, October 15. The whale had a tight wrap of line through the mouth and across its blowholes, as well as line and […]
Charter halibut fishing is an experience that many people look forward to when visiting Alaska. But, there are specific rules and regulations to ensure the sustainability of the species, which, when broken, are subject to enforcement action by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE). Recently in Juneau, OLE fined a charter owner/operator $9,750 for exceeding […]