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 […]
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]cientists are developing advanced imaging technology that will enable drones to collect information essential for managing Alaska’s depleted population. This innovation will dramatically reduce the expense and risk of monitoring fur seals, and virtually eliminate disturbance to this sensitive population. “We were lucky to have partners who were experts in unmanned aircraft systems (drones) and imaging […]
Members of NOAA’s North Pacific Large Whale Entanglement Response Team are thankful for Wednesday’s freeing of an entangled humpback whale in Sarkar Cove, north of Naukati on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. NOAA received word of the possibly life-threatening entanglement on Tuesday, November 20. Dr. Fred Sharpe, an experienced member of the team and research […]
So how does longlining work? I wasn’t sure myself before I got on the boat other than guessing that there was probably a line and it was probably pretty long. Turns out I was right. The line used is miles long and sectioned into groups of hooks called “skates.” In each skate there are 45 […]