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Dive Into Our Top Marine Stories, Podcasts, Posts, and Videos of 2024

January 02, 2025

Check out the stories, podcasts, social media posts, and videos that topped the charts in 2024.

A Bryde's whale swims along the surface of the ocean. A Bryde’s whale photographed in the Mariana Archipelago. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Adam Ü (NOAA Fisheries MMPA-ESA Permit #14097)

The ocean and its inhabitants continue to capture our attention. Take a look at NOAA Fisheries top stories, podcasts, and videos of 2024. Scroll down to see which topics were most popular. 

Top Features

Whales, snow crabs, and salmon habitat made a big splash in our 2024 feature stories.

1. A Boater Drove Through a Pod of Killer Whales. Turns Out a Wildlife Videographer Was Filming.

The number one story of the year involves a Bellingham, Washington, man who agreed to pay a $1,000 civil penalty after a nearby wildlife videographer recorded his 51-foot recreational vessel passing through a pod of killer whales on the west side of San Juan Island in 2022.

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Recreational vessel approaching a killer whale
Still frame from video recording of recreational vessel M/V Cypress Point approaching killer whales near Roche Harbor, Washington, September 1, 2022. Operator of the vessel agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1,000 for violating distance rules for approaching killer whales.

2. New Research Reveals Full Diversity of Killer Whales as Two Species Come into View on Pacific Coast

Our second most popular story of the year also belongs to whales. Scientists have resolved one of the outstanding questions about one of the world’s most recognizable creatures, identifying two well-known killer whales in the North Pacific Ocean as separate species. Long viewed as one worldwide species, killer whale diversity now merits more. 

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Side-by-side comparison of Bigg's killer on left and resident killer whale on right.
Aerial images comparing the sizes of adult male Bigg’s and Resident killer whales, both taken in the Salish Sea off southern Vancouver Island. Images are scaled to lengths calculated during health research by SR3 SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research. Images were collected by John Durban and Holly Fearnbach using a non-invasive drone authorized by research permit 19091 issued by the US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

3. Snow Crab Collapse Due to Ecological Shift in the Bering Sea

Our third most read story highlights ecological shifts that caused the snow crab collapse in the Bering Sea. NOAA Fisheries scientists attribute the abrupt collapse of snow crab in Alaska to borealization, or an ecological shift from Arctic to sub-Arctic conditions in the southeastern Bering Sea due to human-caused climate change. 

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A hand holding three snow crabs stacked on one another
Three snow crabs. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

4. World’s Biggest Dam Removal Project to Open 420 Miles of Salmon Habitat this Fall

Fourth on the list was epic habitat restoration! The dam removal on the lower Klamath River, allowing salmon to reenter 420 miles of habitat for the first time in a century, takes this spot. NOAA recommended $20 million in funding for additional river restoration.

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Demolition of Copco No. 1 Dam (Credit: Whitney Hassett/Swiftwater Films)
Demolition of Copco No. 1 Dam (Credit: Whitney Hassett/Swiftwater Films)

5. Whales and Carbon Sequestration: Can Whales Store Carbon?

And finally, whales and carbon sequestration made the top five stories of 2024. Did you know that whales can help mitigate climate change impacts by storing carbon in their bodies and transporting nutrients that benefit ocean food chains? It's true! 

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North Atlantic right whale Pediddle (#1012) and calf.
North Atlantic right whale Pediddle (#1012) and calf. This species was hunted nearly to extinction by commercial whalers in the 1800s, and continues to face threats from vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Top Podcasts

Listen up! Check out the five most downloaded podcasts of the year. Our "pods" covered a wide range of hot topics including Alaska snow crab populations, North Atlantic right whale conservation, monkfish, the elusive North Pacific right whale, and even how AI help identify mysterious whale calls. 

1. What Happened to All the Alaska Snow Crab?

A few years ago, snow crab populations in Alaska collapsed. Hear how NOAA biologists solved the mystery of what happened to them. 

Listen here

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Photo of a pair of Bering Sea snow crabs on a lab table.
Bering Sea snow crab support a valuable commercial fishery. Photo: NOAA Fisheries.

2. A Game-Changing Effort for North Atlantic Right Whales

An update from our experts on the status of North Atlantic right whales, and our plans to use Inflation Reduction Act funds for right whale conservation

Listen here

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Horton NARW with her calf
North Atlantic right whale Horton and newborn calf. Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #26919.

3. Why You Should Try Monkfish

Eat more monkfish! A nonprofit agency in New York works to increase demand and consumption of monkfish in the Northeast. 
Listen here

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Calvin Alexander in yellow and orange gear holding large monkfish.
Study Fleet scientist Calvin Alexander holding a monkfish.

4. Documenting the Elusive North Pacific Right Whale

North Atlantic right whales get a lot of attention. In this episode, we learn a little about their lesser known West Coast cousins: North Pacific right whales, whose numbers are dramatically low. 

Listen here

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north-pacific-right-whale.jpg
North Pacific right whale. Credit: Brenda K. Rone

5. AI Identified Mysterious Whale Calls

Hear from the NOAA Fisheries scientist who identified Bryde’s whales as the source of a new whale call—biotwang—in the North Pacific. With Google AI and machine learning, we sorted through thousands of hours of acoustic recordings to identify these calls. 
Listen here

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A Bryde's whale swims along the surface of the ocean.
A Bryde’s whale photographed in the Mariana Archipelago. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Adam Ü (NOAA Fisheries MMPA-ESA Permit #14097)

Top Social Media Posts

Instagram

Our top post on Instagram in 2024 features a very weird pair: Hawaiian monk seals and ... eels. We're not exactly sure why—or how—these eels get in their noses. Monk seals do eat eels, so maybe the eel was trying to escape? Our scientists also guessed that maybe the seal could have swallowed the eel and regurgitated it so that the eel came out the wrong way. Yuck! 

Hawaiian monk seals often find themselves in difficult situations, and our staff works hard to prevent and reduce threats to this highly endangered species.

Check out ten ways NOAA helps Hawaiian monk seals

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4896x36720-seal-eel-BrittanyDolan.jpg
A juvenile Hawaiian monk seal was spotted with a spotted eel in its nose at French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands this past summer (Photo: NOAA Fisheries/Brittany Dolan).

Facebook

Our top Facebook post of 2024 showcased the recovery of Pacific bluefin tuna. The species achieved a major milestone, exceeding international targets a decade ahead of schedule. The rebuilding of Pacific bluefin tuna reflects a fisheries management success. International organizations cooperated across the Pacific to reverse decades of overfishing for the prized species.

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A school of silvery Pacific bluefin tuna swim underwater, lit from above.
Pacific bluefin tuna swim underwater. Credit: Adobe Stock

From Overfished to Sustainable Harvests: Pacific Bluefin Tuna Rebound to New Highs

X

The most popular post on X this year highlights baby coral! The post gave a look at how NOAA Fisheries grow swiftia exserta corals in our Galveston lab. Once they’re big enough, we’ll plant them in the Gulf of Mexico as part of a project to restore coral reefs that were harmed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

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Screenshot of growing a baby orange swiftia exerta coral
These baby corals are alive and hungry. We’re growing these swiftia exerta corals in our Galveston lab. Once they’re big enough, we’ll plant them in the Gulf of Mexico as part of a project to restore coral reefs that were harmed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Credit: NOAA FIsheries.

Watch a short clip of hungry baby coral

Top Videos

Whale whale whale ... what do we have here? Our top five most viewed videos across NOAA Fisheries social media accounts for 2024 all included—you guessed it—whales! 

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A whale raises its head out of the ocean's surface to breathe as a drone hovers overhead holding a bright orange tag
A drone hovers over a Rice’s whale, ready to drop a suction cup tag to collect data. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Ocean Alliance (Permit #21938)
  1. North Atlantic right whale found in Ireland
  2. Right whales hugging National Geographic video

    Speaking of whales, check out our Whale Week web page to dive even deeper into our whale science and conservation efforts 

  3. Whale falls in the San Pedro Basin
  4. Using drones and tags to study Rice's whales

    See how NOAA Fisheries and partners get an up-close look at the life of these endangered whales

  5. Killer whale stranded on beach in Carmel, California

Thanks for Reading and Viewing

Thank you for joining us throughout this year. We are excited to keep sharing important news and science on marine life and ocean resources in 2025—stay tuned! 

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Coral reef with blue fish
Reef fish swim among colorful corals at Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. Credit: Pete Leary/USFWS

Last updated by Office of Communications on January 21, 2025