How Are The Whales Responding To Fewer Tourists In The Waters Off Juneau, AK: Summer Survey Is Underway To Learn More - Post 3

This is a collaborative effort with the University of Alaska Southeast, University of Alaska Fairbanks, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office, and Alaska Fisheries Science Center/Auke Bay Laboratories.

July 22, 2020

Day two was a little slower. Now we have to make sure that we don’t biopsy the same whales we got yesterday. It takes more time. We are seeing a lot of the same animals. A well known local whale named Sasha (also known as AK Whale because of the “AK” mark on her fluke) has a calf that is breaching, an easy skin sample. We aren’t targeting calves, but now we will be able get the gender of this one.

Sloughed skin from a breaching calf, a good source of genetic information. Photo: NOAA Fisheries.