Risso's dolphins observed near Juneau

Observation by Brendan Jackson and Brad Garasky, with help from member Michelle Dutro:

On 15 May 2025, Brendan Jackson (State Park Specialist) with Alaska State Parks and and Brad Garasky (Ranger II) with the Alaska Division of Natural Resources were on their way to service a state park cabin. They took a video of a small group of at least six dolphins swimming near Benjamin Island, just outside Juneau. They thought the dolphins looked like "weird young orcas" and the pod was in the vicinity of a group of killer whales. The dolphins were a good distance away, and they recognized they would need help to identify the species. Brendan showed Michelle Dutro (Alaska Sea Grant/ National Marine Fisheries Service, Protected Resources Division) the videos and she reached out to Sadie Wright with the National Marine Fisheries Service, Protected Resources Division. Using the video, Sadie was able to confirm that the dolphins were Risso's. While the range of this species does extend into the Gulf of Alaska, Risso's dolphins are not commonly sighted in this area as they typically prefer deeper, offshore waters. Sadie also documented the sighting of another group of Risso's dolphins in May of 2024 outside of Juneau.