Emerald Carpet Seaweed
These kelly green shrimp could quickly change color to match their background. This group was found in a seagrass bed in Sitka, Alaska, where the species was first described. The intertidal sitka shrimp is a favorite prey item for a wide range of marine life, including young fish. NOAA Fisheries looks at the nutritional value of prey like these shrimp to better understand the health and survival of their fish predators.
Harbor seals in Alaska can be found in diverse habitats, from sandy shoals to intertidal rocks to glacial ice. But it’s on ice that they are most abundant, numbering in the thousands near Alaska’s tidewater glaciers. Calved ice floes provide a floating platform where seals can haul out, warm up, and raise their pups. Life on ice calls for a unique set of adaptations for seals to make a living in this dynamic environment. NOAA Fisheries scientists monitor harbor seal populations and track their movements and behaviour to better understand their ecology and habitat use. Our research also helps Alaska’s growing tour ship industry understand how to avoid disturbing ice-associated harbor seals in glacial fjords.
This greenling larva lives a very different life from its parents. Young fish often live in different habitats, eat different foods, and are vulnerable to different predators than adults of the same species. Some greenling species, like ling cod, grow up to be popular targets for commercial and recreational fishing. NOAA Fisheries scientists study how early life stages of fish respond to environmental change to better predict future changes in fish populations. Lingcod is a large greenling. Adult lingcod are caught recreationally from Southern California to the Gulf of Alaska.
