Sometimes during regular fishing operations, seabirds accidentally get caught in fishing gear, resulting in injury or death. While this occurrence (also known as bycatch) is unfortunate, it does provide an opportunity to monitor seabird population characteristics and trends over time. Observers deployed by the North Pacific, Pacific Islands and At-Sea Hake Observer Programs collect […]
French-owned cruise company Ponant has paid a $3,000 fine for alleged harassment of Northern fur seals near Alaska’s Pribilof Islands. The incident occurred August 15, 2016 near St. Paul Island, when the French-flagged cruise ship M/V Le Soleal launched small boats carrying tourists. The boats approached within 10 meters of a Northern fur seal breeding area, causing […]
August 30, 2018-Jellyfish. Jellies. Sea nettles. Whatever you call them, the likelihood of running into these stinging tentacled creatures generally increases in the summer. Jellyfish have a complicated relationship with humans: They are often feared by beachgoers because of their sting. They can get unintentionally caught up in commercial fishing nets. Some jellies can even […]
For almost 75 years, the stern of the destroyer USS Abner Read lay somewhere below the dark surface of the Bering Sea off the Aleutian island of Kiska, where it sank after being torn off by an explosion while conducting an anti-submarine patrol. Seventy-one U.S. Navy Sailors were lost in the aftermath of the blast, […]