NEWPORT, Ore. – Researchers can now determine the age and sex of living beluga whales in Alaska’s Cook Inlet thanks to a new DNA-based technique that uses information from small samples of skin tissue. Accurate age estimates are vital to conservation efforts for Cook Inlet belugas, which were listed as endangered following a significant population decline in […]
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Chief Warrant Officer Two Paul Gillquist woke up for his weekend training the morning of Sept. 13, 2020 expecting to perform a routine training mission aboard his Uh-60 Blackhawk helicopter. For three years since flight school graduation, Gillquist honed his piloting skills, awaiting the opportunity to have his training […]
Scientists partnered with tech industry experts to develop the first machine learning application for acoustic monitoring of Alaskan beluga whales. An innovative machine learning application will help scientists collect information essential to protect and recover the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population. In 1979, the Cook Inlet beluga population began a rapid decline. Despite being protected as an […]
A new escapement goal for late-run Chinook salmon into the Kenai River approved in mid-February by the Alaska Board of Fisheries has some commercial harvesters on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula concerned that it will limit setnet opportunities. On Feb. 14 the board approved in a 5-2 vote substitute language for proposal 104, which was submitted […]