Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Marine Mammal Laboratory conducts research to manage and recover this critically endangered population. The North Pacific right whale is the rarest of the large whales. Only about 30 individuals are estimated to remain of the Eastern stock that lives in Alaskan waters. Scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Marine Mammal Laboratory […]
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 […]
Keeping track of ocean health is critical for understanding climate change, weather patterns, and the health of important fisheries. But how do NOAA and partner scientists gather data on such a vast environment? One big way is with buoys, ocean observing platforms that help scientists monitor the global ocean — including in remote, hard-to-reach areas. […]
Alaskans’ interest in the mariculture industry is growing. In 2016, state permitting agencies received only four aquatic farm applications. From 2017–2020, it jumped to 64. Mariculture includes the cultivation of shellfish, such as oysters, and seaweeds, used in a variety of foods, fertilizers and biofuels. Alaska state law prohibits the inclusion of finfish farming. Shucking […]
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Coast Guard issued a violation to a commercial fishing boat near Kodiak Island. A boarding team from Cutter Chandeleur discovered eight allegedly illegally-retained halibut aboard vessel Currency about 12 miles west of Cape Barnabas. The violation reflected a seasonal closure for halibut. Chandeleur’s boarding team seized the halibut and handed them […]
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 […]
For more than two decades, Alaska has led the way in using ecosystem information to inform resource management decisions. In 2020, contributions from research partners and local communities together with NOAA scientists helped fill some data gaps. Each year, NOAA Fisheries scientists compile information from a variety of sources to produce and update annual indicators […]
A bearded seal rests on ice in the Bering Sea. NOAA/Cameron NOAA Fisheries is proposing to designate critical habitat in U.S. waters off the coast of Alaska for Arctic ringed seals and the Beringia distinct population of bearded seals. Both species are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The ESA requires that NOAA […]
This may be the first time data collected using uncrewed surface vehicles were used to help produce an annual estimate of abundance for a commercial fish stock. Every other year, NOAA Fisheries conducts an acoustic-trawl survey from crewed research vessels to measure pollock abundance in Alaska’s eastern Bering Sea. As a result of COVID-19, many […]