Trained responders freed the whale from a life-threatening entanglement near Gustavus On October 10, NOAA Fisheries received reports of a severely entangled whale in coastal waters near Gustavus. A quick response by a dedicated team of trained responders—involving planes, drones, vessel- and shore-based efforts—helped free the juvenile humpback whale. “The Glacier Bay National Park entanglement […]
Report sightings to the Alaska Marine Mammal 24/7 hotline at (877) 925-7773, or the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16 NOAA’s Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding hotline received reports identifying two separate entangled whales in the Juneau area on July 3, 2023. NOAA Fisheries marine mammal experts are asking the public to keep an eye out […]
Proactive Cooperation Pinnipeds—seals, sea lions, and walruses—are inquisitive animals. This makes them vulnerable to becoming entangled around their necks when they investigate loop-shaped marine debris such as packing bands and abandoned fishing nets. They can also become snagged by fishing hooks and entangled by other garbage that enters the marine ecosystem. In 2009, a group […]
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 […]