The beluga whale population in Cook Inlet has been steadily declining since the 1970s. The number of whales in the area today is just a third of what it once was, and the Alaska Department of Fish Game wants to help belugas recover.
Oceans
Biologists investigate whale death amid Anchorage gawkers
The extraordinary sight of a 30-foot long dead humpback whale that washed up on a beach area in Anchorage has drawn dozens of onlookers, despite a NOAA warning to stay away.
Kodiak opposes salmon cap agenda change
Kodiak is gearing up to oppose what it considers a threat to its fisheries. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released a study last year that found a percentage of Kodiak area sockeye salmon are Cook Inlet fish. Some Cook Inlet fishermen now want to set caps for sockeye salmon in the Kodiak area.
For third year in a row, Alaska seabirds wash up dead
About 800 dead birds have been discovered along the coast of the Bering Sea. Early lab results don’t point to disease — it appears the birds are starving to death.
Family returns to Kodiak after 10 years sailing around the world
Mike Litzow and Alisa Abookire raised their two sons while living a sea-faring nomadic lifestyle. The couple returned to Kodiak this July after roughly 10 years of sailing the world. Now, the family plans to call Kodiak home for the foreseeable future.
Pink salmon found in odd places near Homer
Pink salmon are showing up in odd places around the Homer area. Fish can be seen swimming through Beluga Slough in the middle of town, a saltwater marsh with no historical salmon returns.
Alaskan says he’ll build consensus in Interior post
Sen. Dan Sullivan’s chief of staff in Washington said his perspective on resource extraction formed early, and was shaped by his love of salmon during his confirmation hearing Thursday.
Marine Exchange of Alaska now operating in new waterfront headquarters
The 17-year-old non-profit maritime organization just moved into their new building in August 2017.
Can a Southeast mine battle lead to a trade war?
A Southeast Alaska tribal organization is using a trade-sanctions threat to push federal officials into providing stronger protections for regional fisheries.
Aboard NOAA ship, challenges and adventure while mapping sea floor
Summer is the busy season for marine research in the waters of Western Alaska, and that means plenty of ship traffic through the Port of Nome. One such ship is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel Fairweather, which recently made a third stop in Nome during a mission to map the ocean floor.