2023 Alaska Research Surveys Photo Gallery
What do surveys in Alaska look like? Explore our photo gallery to see this current survey’s photos from scientists in the field.
The Groundfish Assessment Program regularly conducts bottom trawl surveys to assess the condition of groundfish and shellfish stocks in Alaskan marine waters.
The Midwater Assessment and Conservation Engineering Program combines midwater trawl surveys with acoustic echo integration technology to assess the population status of Alaska walleye pollock.
Still and foggy mornings aren't very common on the Bering Sea. We're ready to survey the depths and see what cool fish a...
Look who's come out of their shell! It's a ladder whelk. These snails are common in the Bering Sea. Their shells are pin...
You're going to get slimed...by a starfish! Slime stars produce lots of mucus (slime) when they are disturbed as a defen...
To see or not to sea? That is the question. Shakespeare was talking about fish, right? Fish eyes come in all sorts of sh...
What do trees and fish have in common? You can age them both by counting rings! Credit: Rebecca Haehn/NOAA Fisheries
Scientist holds up a spectacled sculpin that she caught. This sculpin has HUGE eyes (the better to see you with my dear)...
This is the fuzzy snail aka the Oregon hairy triton snail. So what's it doing in Alaska? It's range extends from the Ber...
This is the loudest fish on the playground. Well, maybe not, but it sure has a large mouth! The bigmouth sculpin (Hemitr...
What's yellow and brown with tiger stripes all over?
It's a sturgeon poacher! This fish is easily identifiable by its...
Same shell, different day. Hermit crabs are known for living and hiding in empty seashells. We identify hermit crabs usi...
What the...? Hmm, we know this is a brittle star, but beyond that we're not entirely sure of the exact species. When thi...
This mussel has drip! Look at those blues and greens in the shell. The hairs on base of the shell are called byssal thre...
Dude! Where is my shell? This splendid hermit is easy to spot from the other hermit crabs because most of its body is ou...
Do red eyes mean these Tanner crabs have been binge watching TV? Naw, those red eyes are one of the ways to tell the dif...
Those scales are giant!!! So the name giant scale worm is fitting. The giant scale worm is a type of bristle worm or pol...
These baby snails are being released from their egg case. These tiny guys grow up to be the most classic looking seashel...
Hello to you too!! This crab is about the size of my 2 thumbnails put together. It goes by many names: Pygmy rock crab, ...
Are you more of a blue or purple person? These two hermit crabs have taken a side and show off their colors!
The hermi...
Giant octopuses start out small too! Although this is a youngster, this species can weigh more than 50lbs when fully gro...
This was a fun haul with lots of interesting diversity, including weathervane scallops as big as a hand, Pacific Herring...
A scientist holds up a massive Giant Star. Credit: Sarah Friedman/NOAA Fisheries
A little Grunt Sculpin paid us a visit today. This shallow species spends most of its time hopping along the sea floor o...
Candy stripe shrimp are some of the most colorful invertebrates we encounter in Alaska waters. With bright red, yellow, ...
This adorable mug belongs to a Giant wrymouth (Cryptacanthodes giganteus) and this species can reach nearly 4ft long. De...
A brightly colored blotched snailfish (Crystallichthys cyclospilus) swims in a holding tank on deck before being release...
My kingdom for a crab! or was it a horse? Shakespeare's villain in Henry VII, Richard III, might have been asking for a ...
Why grandma, what big teeth you have!! This is a wolf in a fish's clothing and aptly named the wolffish. They don't eat ...
Anyone for a game of minesweeper? Just kidding, this is a sea urchin. The green sea urchin has one of the longest scient...
What do sea urchins and Greek philosophers have in common? The mouth apparatus of a sea urchin is called Aristotle's lan...
You looking at me?! This fish is the belligerent sculpin. The cheeks of this fish, also called the operculum, flare out ...
On the next episode of Undersea Eating and Travel, we discuss how sea stars use the same part of their body for both tas...
Looking good over there! This showy snailfish really lives up to its name. It could be a runway model with those stripes...
The Dendronotus group of nudibranchs are known for their feather-like external gills. This photo highlights the rhinopho...
Dalls porpoises breaching water 70 nmi east of Kodiak. Credit: Abigail McCarthy/NOAA Fisheries.
Matushka Island and the Chiswell Islands. Credit: Abigail McCarthy/NOAA Fisheries
Hey girl hey! Someone has their shine on. This splendid hermit has iridescence on her claws and legs. Credit: Rebecca Ha...
The stars are out today. It's not exactly like Hollywood, but this starry flounder is huge in the fish world—they're big...
Roses are red, crab claws are blue, this king crab is pretty, and so are you! This blue king crab is absolutely gorgeous...
Oh look, there's the sun! It's been overcast the past week so I'm excited to see a tiny bit of sun this morning. As we h...
Loving him was red. Technically this red king crab is female, but I couldn't resist some Taylor Swift lyrics. Credit: Re...
Snailfish are the deepest living fish ever caught on camera. Ok, ok, not this species, but this is the same group of fis...
South of Montague Island. Credit: Abigail McCarthy/NOAA Fisheries
Northern lights in Alaska. Credit: Abigail McCarthy/NOAA Fisheries
Northern lights in Alaska. Credit: Abigail McCarthy/NOAA Fisheries
Early in the morning looking towards Belkofski in Alaska. Credit: Abigail McCarthy/NOAA Fisheries
Frosty and Walrus peaks rising up from the water with Amagat Island in the foreground. Credit: Abigail McCarthy/NOAA Fis...
Shishaldin smoking. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Abigail McCarthy
We’re steaming back to Kodiak in 60kn sustained winds with freezing spray, but the freezing spray is making rainbows. Cr...
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