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Dive Surveys Reveal Promising Signs for Rockfish and Sea Stars off Washington Coast

Annual dive surveys of kelp forest habitat reveal strong rockfish reproduction and sightings of thriving sunflower sea stars.
August 29, 2025 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
Diver Greg Williams inspects a large (roughly 50 centimeter diameter) sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) during a dive in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Sunflower sea stars were proposed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 2023 following their near extirpation from seastar wasting disease in the mid-2010s. Credit: Steve Lonhart, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Meet The Cultured Abalone Farm, Shellfish Growers in California

Meet Devin Spencer, general manager at The Cultured Abalone Farm, grows this iconic Californian shellfish for both culinary uses and kelp forest restoration.
August 26, 2025 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
two hands hold 5 abalone on a sunny day Red abalone grown at The Cultured Abalone Farm in Santa Barbara, California. Credit: The Cultured Abalone Farm

Workshop Targets High-Tech Ways to Assess Endangered Whale Health

Advanced technology can give us more complete data on the health of endangered whale populations, which helps us figure out how to most effectively support their recovery.
August 14, 2025 - Feature Story ,
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Southeast
West Coast
A black and white Southern Resident killer whale leaping out of the water. The fin of another whale is visible and a boat and mountains are in the background. Southern resident killer whales. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Candice Emmons

2022 and 2023 Combined Report of Marine Mammal Strandings in the United States

This report details marine mammal stranding rates, trends, and activities in the United States for both 2022 and 2023. In 2022, there were 6,061 confirmed marine mammal strandings; in 2023, there were 6,648.
July 31, 2025 - Feature Story ,
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
A minke whale carcass lies on a rocky beach. There are several lines to secure it in place while responders take measurements and samples. A complete necropsy of a minke whale on Blakely Island, Washington. The necropsy revealed injuries—including severe bruising and broken ribs and vertebrae—consistent with a vessel strike. Credit: The Whale Museum

NOAA Announces Confirmed Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2023

There were 64 large whale entanglement cases documented in 2023—a decrease from 2022 and below the historical average.
July 22, 2025 - Feature Story ,
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Trained and authorized responders use a grapple to grab the entanglement trailing behind a North Atlantic right whale (#4545). Credit: Center for Coastal Studies, taken under NOAA Permit # 24359 Trained and authorized responders use a grapple to grab the entanglement trailing behind a North Atlantic right whale (#4545). Credit: Center for Coastal Studies, taken under NOAA Permit # 24359

California Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Sea Lion Beating

Ventura Police Department, NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, and California State Parks conduct joint investigation into beaten sea lion.
July 17, 2025 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
A person with short white hair wearing all black squats next to a sea lion. The sea lion is laying on the floor and the person is measuring it with a tool similar to calipers. Medical equipment is in the background on the black counters above white cabinets. Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute staff measure the thickness of the sea lion's blubber in preparation for an x-ray. Photo courtesy Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute

Washington Dam Removal Opens Lower Columbia River Tributary for Salmon and Steelhead

NOAA is supporting the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to remove the Kwoneesum Dam and restore 6.5 miles of fish passage and 1.3 miles of in-stream habitat on Wildboy Creek in the Washougal River subbasin.
July 08, 2025 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
Dry, cracked earth and muddy shallow water in front of a dam. Construction equipment is visible in the background The Kwoneesum Dam after its reservoir was drained. Credit: Cowlitz Indian Tribe.

Samples from Bowhead Whales Link Ocean Warming to Rising Algal Toxins in Arctic Waters

Filter-feeding whales sample the Arctic food web, tracking decades of change.
July 03, 2025 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
bowhead whale

Anchovy Dominated Diets off the West Coast Pose New Dangers for Salmon

Lack of key vitamin turns fatal for as many as half of salmon offspring.
June 25, 2025 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
Group of people sorting fish in trays NOAA Fisheries scientists sort fish during the spring 2024 Rockfish Recruitment and Ecosystem Assessment Survey. These surveys reveal a coastal ocean dominated by a booming population of northern anchovy in recent years. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

Eastern North Pacific Gray Whales Continue Decline After Downturn During Unusual Mortality Event

Continued low calf count indicates that reproduction remains depressed.
June 18, 2025 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
Aerial view of gray whale mother and calf Gray whale mother and calf on northbound migration. Credit: NOAA Fisheries