Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
July 2023
Seagoing scientists
safer at sea
Commercial fishing has long been notoriously dangerous. Seagoing scientists, and onboard fishery observers who work on fishing boats, face similar hazards. Bo Whiteside, a fishery biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game based in Kodiak, is making this work safer.
“We have a lot of seagoing biologists out here,” he said, “That includes shellfish, finfish, and groundfish research and management biologists.”
Whiteside manages the Shellfish Observer ... Seagoing scientists Article Continued
Alaska’s vibrant yellow tropical migrants
My fascination with striking yellow birds goes back to my student days in Southeast England. I remember one morning looking bleary-eyed out my dorm window and seeing a flock of exotic yellow-green parakeets clustered in a tree, usually occupied by subtler-colored pigeons or sparrows. It turned out that they were escapees, former pets turned wild. In the wonderful way that life can be so adaptable, they adjusted to life in Surrey, England.
There’s something remarkable about a bird ... Yellow warblers Article Continued
Cats & Birds
Protect birds & keep cats safe
I’ve lived with cats most of my life. As a kid in Oregon, I never thought about what they did in their spare time. Cats went outside and they came back. They left mice and songbirds on the doormat. Friends that lived on farms had barn cats - wary mousers that were never given cat food. I’d use my cat-whispering skills to coax them down from the feather-littered haylofts, and sometimes I could pet them and play with their kittens.
Years later in Juneau when my fiancé moved ... Cats & Birds Article Continued
Notifications from Wildlife
Anyone can now receive news releases and announcements from the Division of Wildlife Conservation. In the past these were sent mainly to Alaska newspapers and media outlets. Now anyone can subscribe and receive these via email.
Some news releases are of general interest – rabies is detected in an Alaska moose (first ever in North America), or a bear cub tests positive for avian influenza – but many are specific to a region and related to hunting opportunities. You can sign up ... Wildlife Heads up Article Continued