Overcoming the Odds: Tuq’s Journey from Rescue Patient to ASLC RESIDENT

Now a staff and guest favorite, Asiqtuq “Tuq” the harbor seal was brought to the Alaska SeaLife Center through the Wildlife Response Program. The call came on May 27, 2021, through the ASLC’s 24-hour Stranded Marine Animal Hotline (1-888-774-SEAL [7325]) concerning an abandoned seal pup near Tonsina Point, about three miles south of the Alaska […]

New Publication: Changes in Steller Sea Lion Winter Diets Following the Pacific Marine Heatwave

Extreme climate events are being experienced worldwide, and Alaska ecosystems, unfortunately, have a front-row seat. Heatwaves, droughts, floods, and hurricanes, are having profound environmental impacts, and are expected to continue for decades to come. One of these extreme climate events, called the Pacific marine heatwave, occurred between 2014 and 2016. During this time, water temperatures […]

“Tidepooling: Embracing Alaska Through a Gentle Touch”

In the Summer of 2022, I moved 5,000 miles from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Seward, Alaska; I had no permanent housing, no friends, and little familiarity with the state’s rugged landscape – only a determined spirit that I trust has guided me on the right path. The decision to move was prompted by the desire […]

Study on Spotted Seal Vocal Behavior Study Opens New Avenues for wild Research

While most pinnipeds haul out on land to rest, give birth, and care for their young, Arctic dwelling seals rely instead on floating sea ice. Residing in harsh and remote territories, these seals have proven difficult to study in the wild, leaving many aspects of their behavior, physiology, and population status unknown. As the ice […]

Body Building: Bulking up with male Steller Sea lions

Pilot reached an important milestone this year, hitting 2,000 pounds on May 14, 2022 and reaching his top weight of 2,030 pounds on May 25, 2022. Only two ASLC resident Steller sea lions have reached the 2,000-pound milestone: Woody, the famous first male Steller to call ASLC home, and now Pilot. Pilot’s impressive weight change […]

ASLC Admits Two New Marine Mammal Patients

The Wildlife Response Program patients include a young harbor seal and a sea otter pup The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) recently admitted two patients to the Wildlife Response Program, a young male harbor seal (the third admitted in 2022) and a male sea otter pup. The harbor seal pup was reported by the captain of […]

Beyond “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”

There is no denying that plastic waste is a problem. Whether it’s trash scattered around the parking lot or 620,000 square miles of garbage gathering in the Pacific Ocean, plastic waste is everywhere. Between nearly fifty years of public service announcements and campaigns promoting the familiar “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” slogan, many Americans have acknowledged […]