Locals in Kotzebue showed a mix of excitement and concern over the weekend in response to reports that a rare polar bear was spotted in the area.
The Coast Guard reported the dead 47-foot female humpback to NOAA on Sunday evening. It had washed ashore on the south end of Kruzof Island. The whale looked healthy and its belly was full of fish — most likely herring. But they did find some evidence of blunt trauma.
Before she knew what was happening, a large female killer whale lifted Bloom’s paddleboard up out of the water. “And at that moment it was like terror,” Bloom said.
A killer whale that beached itself on Prince of Wales Island on Thursday has freed itself, according to federal biologists.
A second seal pup has been rescued on Kenai Beach, marking the fourth such case for the Alaska SeaLife Center's Wildlife Response Program.
Biologist Jessica Crance witnessed both sightings personally, and is among a handful of living people who have seen one of this population of right whales up close since the species was devastated by commercial whaling.
Two dead whales have washed up on Unalaska's shores in the past week: an adult fin whale — which is the second largest mammal in the world — and a juvenile humpback.
“I think it was a little more stable, and there was a little bit more assurance that the ice you were on was not going to disintegrate on you that easy,” said whaling captain Gordon Brower.
There’s only one historical record of a great white shark in the Bering Sea: fishermen caught one nearly 40 years ago. But scientists have reason to believe that in recent years there might be more of the predators around.
While the population increased, the assessment did find that narwhals are sensitive to sound from boats and move away from boat traffic, Mike Hammill, the co-chair of COSEWIC’s marine mammals subcommittee, told Nunatsiaq News. Previously the species was listed as being of “special concern.”
“For the killer whales, I honestly don’t know if this is normal or not,” said Mandy Keogh, the Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries in Alaska. Dead killer whales simply aren’t seen that often.
Police confirm no further polar bear sightings in Kuujjuaq following the shooting of a young bear in the town center, with ongoing vigilance for potential wildlife threats.
Two harbor seal pups, one from Naknek and another from Wrangell, were recently rescued and are receiving care at the Alaska SeaLife Center due to malnourishment and other health issues.
In Southwest Alaska, a tired crew of volunteers on Saturday night, dragged a large whale’s carcass onto shore near Napaskiak’s airport. The whale was grey, bloody and barnacled, and the men who set to work butchering it said it was at least 37-feet long. Residents are still distributing its blubber and meat, saying it will feed families throughout the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta for months.
Three dead gray whales washed up on two different Kodiak Island beaches recently. The strandings happened within the span of a week.
The man, identified as 38-year-old Dutch citizen was attacked in his tent before dawn and died shortly afterwards of his injuries. Svalbard officials say there were seven people on the site at the time and they are being looked after by health services.
Climate change may be responsible for pushing Alaska’s Gray Whales up into estuaries and rivers like the Kuskokwim.
More than 50,000 juvenile fish were killed or escaped in the incident on Skye, says an industry body. The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) said predation attacks continued to have a significant impact on fish health and welfare.
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