Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Marine Mammal Laboratory conducts research to manage and recover this critically endangered population. The North Pacific right whale is the rarest of the large whales. Only about 30 individuals are estimated to remain of the Eastern stock that lives in Alaskan waters. Scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Marine Mammal Laboratory […]
After careful consideration regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, NOAA Fisheries and partners have decided to cancel the 2021 Belugas Count! event. Belugas Count! is a citizen science opportunity and festival event usually held in September, when viewing of endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales near Anchorage and Kenai is optimal. “Belugas Count! is a […]
This innovative modeling approach considers links between environmental variables and local habitat impacts on overall fish productivity. In countries like the United States, scientists and resource managers have been successfully ensuring the sustainability of commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries primarily by managing catch levels. However, with changing environment conditions and fish stock movements due to climate […]
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 […]
This may be the first time data collected using uncrewed surface vehicles were used to help produce an annual estimate of abundance for a commercial fish stock. Every other year, NOAA Fisheries conducts an acoustic-trawl survey from crewed research vessels to measure pollock abundance in Alaska’s eastern Bering Sea. As a result of COVID-19, many […]
Natural resource managers in British Columbia discovered several adult male and female European green crabs on Haida Gwaii this past July. Alarm bells immediately went off for biologists in Alaska. The archipelago of Haida Gwaii, off the coast of Prince Rupert in British Columbia, is very close to Alaska. The July discovery is the closest confirmed finding […]
A new study provides essential information to conserve an endangered species and supports subsistence communities own observations. For the first time, scientists have direct evidence that killer whales are preying on bowhead whales in the U.S. Pacific Arctic. A dramatic loss of sea ice in recent years may be leaving bowheads more vulnerable to […]
NOAA Fisheries Affiliate Vladimir Burkanov discovered an albino fur seal on a recent research trip to the remote island of Tyuleny in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia. The reddish-gold pup has very light colored eyes and pink flippers. It was born in July on the island, which supports a large fur seal colony. The […]
New research provides a glimpse into the future to help Arctic fishing communities prepare for change. The Pacific Arctic is undergoing a rapid transformation. As temperatures rise and sea ice melts, some species will do better than others. A new study suggests that pink salmon may be one of those species. “Our results suggest that warming […]