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 […]
Kagit’ruaq – Baleen Inartat kag’it’ruamek pilitaallriit. – They used to make baskets out of baleen. What do hooves, horns, hair, claws, finger nails, feathers, scales, beaks, and baleen have in common? They are all made of keratin, fibrous protein found in living organisms. In humans, keratin makes up the outer layer of our skin and […]
Last month, villagers in Savoonga landed a bowhead whale. Before 2017, in every January people can remember, sea ice surrounded St. Lawrence Island, locking it in for the winter. Boat-launching and whale-taking were not possible. Now, the disc of ice chunks floating on the northern oceans is smaller than any recent year except 2010. […]
The annual migration of some beluga whales in Alaska is altered by sea ice changes in the Arctic, while other belugas do not appear to be affected. A new study led by the University of Washington finds that as Arctic sea ice takes longer to freeze up each fall due to climate change, one […]