NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

Entanglement or by-catch is a global issue that affects many marine animals, including large whales. Trained responders under NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program can sometimes attempt the dangerous task of freeing whales from life-threatening entanglements, though the ultimate goal is to gain information to reduce the threat for both whales and humans. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary working closely with its partners and the community, coordinates response efforts for Hawaii, an important breeding and calving ground for humpback whales. Learn more about whale entanglements and response efforts in this webinar.

Dolphin species often play key roles in ecosystems and also use habitats that overlap with areas of human activity. Learn more about when and where dolphin species occur so that the research can inform ecosystem management and mitigate human impacts. This presentation will focus on the biology and ecology of dolphins, current threats, and how technology is helping us learn about their occurrence and distribution.

In honor of 2017 Year of the Monk Seal, join Dr. Charles Littnan on a four decade journey that tracks the history and challenges of monk seal conservation in Hawai`i. This presentation will highlight a number of threats to the species and the evolution of a rag tag research program into the most proactive marine mammal recovery program on the planet.

Male and female northern elephant seals exhibit dramatic differences in size, shape and behavior. My research compares the feeding behavior of male and female seals to understand how the sexes use marine resources throughout the North Pacific Ocean.

California's nutrient-rich coastal waters are home to several species of large whales, including several endangered species. The state is also home to major shipping ports that bring thousands of large container and tanker ships through California national marine sanctuary waters. Ship and whale collisions have led to whale fatalities, and recent research suggests that many more of these ship strikes are going undetected each year. To address this global issue, national marine sanctuaries along the West Coast have been working with a number of partners to better understand the issue of ship strikes and slow vessels down to reduce harmful air emissions and protected endangered whales.

Long-term small-boat based studies in the main Hawaiian Islands have revealed amazing information on 11 resident species of whales and dolphins, as well as migratory and open-ocean species that visit the islands. Studies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands have been more limited due to logistics of vessel surveys. Comparisons of sightings and tagging data from the two areas suggest that there are resident populations of many species of dolphins and whales in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument that have yet to be recognized. Join research biologist Robin Baird of Cascadia Research Collective who will compare what is, and isn't, known about whales and dolphins throughout the Hawaiian archipelago.

Over 18 months, the Seattle Times took a deep look at the southern resident orca extinction crisis to explore and expose the roots of why these animals, the top predator in our marine waters, are struggling to survive. Lynda Mapes, the lead journalist on the newspaper's award-winning series Hostile Waters will explain what the newspaper learned and solutions that will benefit people and orca alike. Lynda Mapes is the environment reporter at the Seattle Times. She has won numerous international and national awards for her work covering environmental topics, and is the author of five books, including Orca forthcoming from the Mountaineers Books in Spring, 2021.