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Latest Whales

Photographs of injured humpback whale #2583 on June 27, 2025. (National Park Service photos by Janet Neilson, taken under the authority of Scientific Research Permit #27027 issued by NOAA Fisheries.)

News

Humpback whale injured by boat propeller in Glacier Bay

The national park is seeking information on the circumstances of the collision

A mother and baby sperm whale swim together in a photo taken in 2013. (Photo by Gabriel Barathieu, under a Creative Commons license)

News

Southeast fisherman sentenced to six months in prison for falsifying records and attempting to kill sperm whale

The case is a “first of its kind” and sends a message to the larger fishing community.

A sperm whale is seen in an undated photo published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (NOAA photo)

News

Southeast Alaska fisher could get six months in prison after attempting to kill sperm whale

Federal prosecutors are recommending that an Alaska fisher serve six months in prison, pay a $25,000 fine and…

In a photo provided by Adam Pack and NOAA, the humpback whale Old Timer is seen in Frederick Sound in Southeast Alaska, on July 29, 2024. Old Timer, a male first photographed in 1972, was spotted last month near Alaska, enduring in the Pacific Ocean while some other humpbacks have struggled in a changing environment. (Adam Pack/NOAA via The New York Times)

News

Survival of world’s oldest humpback whale, spotted in Southeast Alaska last month, is a mystery

Male known as “Old Timer” is now at least 53 years old, according to marine mammal researcher.

Alaska Stranding Network members examined a young male humpback whale on July 8, 2024 near Elfin Cove. Members included a veterinarian with Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services and a biologist with Glacier Bay National Park. (Photo courtesy Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services)

News

Ship strikes suspected of causing two whale deaths in Icy Strait

One whale was pregnant at the time of death, according to NOAA.

Whales in Glacier Bay on July 17, 2009. The National Park Service has issued its first whale waters alert of the season, slowing boats through areas where whales have been observed feeding. (Courtesy/Christopher Michael, Wikimedia Commons)

News

Glacier Bay tells boaters to slow down due to at least nine humpback whales feeding in the area

13-knot speed limit intended to reduce vessel strikes in effect until further notice.

A sperm whale is seen in an undated photo published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (NOAA photo)

News

Alaska fisherman pleads guilty to federal charges after ordering crew to shoot whale

Correction: This article has been updated to clarify that Daniels was not trolling when the incident occurred.

A previously unidentified Eastern North Pacific right whale surfaces in the waters of the Gulf of Alaska in September 2023. The discovery of this whale was hailed by scientists studying the critically endangered population. Members of the public are being asked to choose a name for the animal through an online contest that will use bracketed competition. (Photo by Bernardo Alps/NOAA Fisheries, International Whaling Commission and WildSea Inc.)

News

Agency asks public to name, get to know member of highly endangered Alaska whale population

NOAA wants people online to name Eastern North Pacific right whale spotted in September.

A pod of killer whales, also known as orcas, swims in waters off Southeast Alaska’s Chicagof Island in July of 2023. A new federal report describes the 37 killer whale entanglements that were documented in Alaska waters from 1991 to 2022. (Photo by Meghan Chamberlain/U.S. Forest Service)

News

Report details 37 known killer whale entanglements in Alaska over three decades

Over the last three decades, 37 killer whales were entangled in fishing gear in Alaska, which resulted in…

An entangled humpback whale seen from above on Oct. 10 near Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. (Photo by Sean Neilson, NOAA MMHSRP Permit No. 24359)

News

Juvenile whale caught in heavy fishing apparatus freed by team effort

Rescue follows the loss of a whale calf to a vessel strike in August

A female humpback whale Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve biologists know as #219 breaches in the waters near the park. When a whale breaches, it often leaves behind flakes of skin on the surface of the ocean. Scientists can collect sloughed skin and send it to a laboratory to learn about the genetics or diet of the whale. (National Park Service photo by Christine Gabriele, taken under the authority of scientific research permit #21059 issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service)

Neighbors

Alaska Science Forum: The welcome return of an old friend to Icy Strait

There was a time when Christine Gabriele wondered if she’d ever see one of her favorite creatures again.

This is a photo of the fluke of “Tango,” a humpback whale calf that was found dead on an island near Juneau Friday evening. (Courtesy / Bri Pettie)

News

Humpback whale calf found dead near Juneau

Body of young male named “Tango” found near Hump Island with injuries.

Foam floats trails alongside an entangled humpback whale calf near Juneau on July 17. (John Moran/NOAA Fisheries)

News

Whale woes continue with entanglements, boat strikes

Third whale snared in fishing gear this month freed; two whales also reportedly injured by vessels

This is a photo of humpback whales surfacing near a Juneau Tours and Whale Watch boat. (Courtesy / Juneau Tours and Whale Watch)

News

Unlimited numbers of whale watching boats causing wave of concern

Local operators and industry officials create committee to address impacts, potential limits.

In this May 24, 2019, photo, teachers and students from Northwest Montessori School in Seattle examine the carcass of a gray whale after it washed up on the coast of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, just north of Kalaloch Campground in Olympic National Park. U.S. researchers say the number of gray whales off western North America has continued to fall over the last two years, a decline that resembles previous population swings over the past several decades. According to an assessment by NOAA Fisheries released Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, the most recent count put the population at 16,650 whales — down 38% from its peak in 2015-16. (AP Photo / Gene Johnson)

News

Gray whale population off western U.S. continues to decline

The most recent count put the population at 16,650 whales — down 38% from its peak in 2015-16.

Gray whale shoots water from its spout while Angoon residents try to free it from being entangled in a broken crab pot Thursday evening inside Favorite Bay. (Courtesy Photo)

News

Angoon residents work to free gray whale

NOAA encourages public to call 24-hour hotline.

A dead whale previously seen and necropsied on a small island near Angoon was spotted afloat on March 3. The cuts visible come from the necropsy effort, said a NOAA official. (Larry Talley / Courtesy photo)

News

Whale’s body spotted near Tenakee Inlet

The animal with a long history in the area has been necropsied.

Dr. Lauren Wild smiles during a recent whale necropsy near Sitka. Wild is a UAS researcher and fisheries professor, and yes, you can call her Dr. Wild. (Courtesy Photo / Bethany Sonsini Goodrich and Lione Clare, operating under NOAA Stranding Agreement MMHSRP #18786-04)

News

Resilient Peoples & Place: What can one find within the body of a whale?

Within their perished bodies, whales may contain secrets to their species.

Gordon Chew uses a GoPro on a pole to assess the humpback entanglement while Steve Lewis carefully negotiates the full circumference of the whale. (Courtesy photo / Rachel Myron)

News

‘Small town’ residents rescue big animal

Nearly 20 people braved choppy seas and foul weather to free the snared whale

Faint damage can be seen where Joe and Kendall Carson’s boat struck a whale in a June 29 collision that left three people injured. (Courtesy photo | Kendall Carson)

News

Passenger tells story of whale collision that injured 3

The unlikely crash does not appear to have seriously hurt any whales