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 […]
Preliminary results from the necropsy of a male humpback on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska found signs of hemorrhage, bruising, and a fractured skull—indications of trauma likely caused by a vessel strike. “Confirmation of cause of death is pending lab results, which won’t be available for at least six months,” said Kate Savage, the lead […]
NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the death of a humpback whale that was brought into the port of Ketchikan, Alaska this morning. At this time, NOAA Fisheries is coordinating to have the whale carcass towed to a nearby location suitable for a necropsy to determine the cause of death. As this is an […]