NOAA Fisheries marine mammal entanglement experts are hopeful that a humpback whale is free, after a successful operation to cut the anchor line it was stuck in Sunday afternoon near the mouth of Tracy Arm. The humpback had become entangled in the anchor line of the cruise vessel Wilderness Explorer early Sunday morning. During the […]
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. […]