Page 2 - Sadie Wright News Today

An unusual number of Steller Sea Lions have been found dead in the Copper River Delta this summer, many with gunshot wounds.

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

One of the freed whales, a humpback calf named Herbert, was the third reported humpback entanglement in the area this month.

Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - NOAA Fisheries whale experts were on the water near Juneau most of Monday, July 17, disentangling a well-known humpback whale calf from a crab pot line.

Officials seek public assistance in reported sightings.

Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - NOAA’s Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding hotline received reports identifying two separate entangled whales in the Juneau area on Jul. 3.

Earlier this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposed listing the sunflower sea star as threatened under the Endangered Species

"Sunflower sea stars, huge starfish that until recently thrived in waters up and down the west coast of North America, are threatened with extinction and should be protected under the Endangered Species Act, federal officials said Wednesday."

The loss of giant sea stars is deemed a major cause of urchin explosion and bull kelp loss off the North Coast.

Sunflower sea stars, hit by a “climate-fueled pandemic,” play a key role in keeping marine ecosystems balanced.