Science & Data

Distribution and Relative Abundance of Marine Mammals in the Eastern Chukchi Sea, Eastern and Western Beaufort Sea, and Amundsen Gulf, 2019 Annual Report

Tracks the implementation of recovery actions from Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery plans.

This report describes field activities of the Aerial Surveys of Arctic Marine Mammals (ASAMM) project conducted during summer and fall (1 July–29 October) 2018, and data and analyses used to summarize field activities. Surveys were based in Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, and Deadhorse, Alaska, and targeted the northeastern and southcentral Chukchi and western Beaufort seas, between 67°N and 73°N latitude, 140°W and 169°W longitude.

Yakutat Bay on the eastern Gulf of Alaska is a glacial fjord influenced by the activity of major tidewater glaciers at its head and is a region of high marine biodiversity. Two marine mammal species that live there year-round are the beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas, and the harbor porpoise, Phocoena phocoena.

This report describes field activities of the Aerial Surveys of Arctic Marine Mammals (ASAMM) project conducted during summer and fall (1 July–27 October) 2017, and data and analyses used to summarize field activities. Surveys were based in Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, and Deadhorse, Alaska, and targeted the northeastern and southcentral Chukchi and western Beaufort seas, between 67°N and 72°N latitude, 140°W and 169°W longitude.

This report describes field activities of the Aerial Surveys of Arctic Marine Mammals (ASAMM) project conducted during summer and fall (1 July–31 October) 2016, and data and analyses used to summarize field activities. Surveys were based in Barrow, Alaska, and Deadhorse, Alaska, and targeted the northeastern and southcentral Chukchi and western Beaufort seas, between 67°N and 72N latitude and 140°W and 169°W longitude. Between 19 July and 20 August, surveys extended up to 111 km north of the usual ASAMM study area to collect information specific to the Eastern Chukchi Sea (ECS) stock of belugas.

Spacial data and maps of critical habitat and Endangered Species Act (ESA) threatened and endangered marine mammals under NOAA Fisheries jurisdiction in Alaska.

Aerial surveys to estimate abundance of the beluga population in Cook Inlet, Alaska, June 2016

This report describes field activities of the Aerial Surveys of Arctic Marine Mammals (ASAMM) project conducted during summer and fall (1 July–31 October) 2015 and data analyses used to summarize field activities. Surveys were based in Barrow, Alaska, and Deadhorse, Alaska, and targeted the northeastern and southcentral Chukchi and western Beaufort seas, between 67°N and 72°N latitude and 140°W and 169°W longitude.

Aerial surveys of the beluga population in Cook Inlet, Alaska, each June, July, or both from 1993 to 2012, after which biennial surveys began in 2014