New study sheds light on myriad factors that likely contributed to low survival rate of fish born during a Blob year in the Gulf of Alaska. In 2015, NOAA Fisheries scientists saw the lowest number of pollock larvae in the 30-year history of their Gulf of Alaska spring survey. They also observed the lowest […]
A dead seal found on a beach near Kotzebue, Alaska. Credit: NPS/Raime Fronstin NOAA is declaring an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) for bearded, ringed, and spotted seals in the Bering and Chukchi seas. From June 1, 2018 to present there have been reports of 282 dead seals, with 119 stranded seals in 2018 and 163 in 2019. The increase […]
Air pollution — especially ozone air pollution which is increasing with climate change — accelerates the progression of emphysema of the lung, according to a new study led by the University of Washington, Columbia University and the University at Buffalo. While previous studies have shown a clear connection of air pollutants with some heart and lung […]
A dead gray whale found near Wrangell, Alaska. Taken 6/17/2019. Credit: Ceona Koch NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region has received reports of three additional dead gray whales this week, bringing the number of gray whale mortalities in Alaska to ten. The confirmed gray whale reports all came from Southeast Alaska. On Monday, a fisherman reported […]
The Alaska Section of Epidemiology is working in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Arctic Investigations Program and the Municipality of Anchorage on characterizing and responding to an increased number of invasive Group A Streptococcus infections, it was announced by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services on Tuesday. Group A […]
ATTU ISLAND, Alaska – Against the backdrop of a crisp, blue sky and snow-scattered mountains, a bright orange excavator sharply claws at the earth near Massacre Bay. With each dip of its bucket, contaminated soil, tar and old, rusted diesel drums are unearthed from their decades-long resting place. Once a bustling active military site, the […]
As part of an unusual mortality event investigation, a team of scientists has discovered that dead bottlenose dolphins stranded in the northern Gulf of Mexico since the start of the Deepwater Horizonoil spill have lung and adrenal lesions consistent with petroleum product exposure according to a paper published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed online journal PLOS […]
Sockeye salmon that sprint to spawning grounds through fast-moving waters may be at risk, suggests new research by University of British Columbia scientists. When salmon encounter turbulent, fast-moving water–such as rapids or areas downstream of dams—they must move upstream using a behaviour known as “burst swimming” that is similar to sprinting for humans. “Days after […]