Bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) are one of the most important subsistence resources for the indigenous people of coastal northern and western Alaska, as well as key components of Arctic marine ecosystems. Yet, relatively little about their abundance, seasonal distribution, migrations, or foraging behaviors has been documented scientifically. Ice-associated seal populations may be negatively impacted by offshore oil and gas development as well as by climate change. Our ability to predict impacts, however, is limited by inadequate knowledge of seal population structure and foraging ecology. By working cooperatively with Alaska Native subsistence hunters we developed methods for live- capturing bearded seals in the Chukchi Sea using nets set in the shallow coastal waters where bearded seals were foraging. Capture efforts were based out of Kotzebue and various locations in the North Slope Borough from Wainwright to Barrow in June and July from 2009 to 2012. In all, 7 seals were caught (2 adults and 5 sub-adults; 4 males and three females; ranging in length and weight from 159 cm and 116 kg to 216 cm and 253 kg), all from Kotzebue Sound. Each seal was released with two different types of bio-logging devices: the SPOT5, attached to a rear flipper, provided information on the timing of hauling out and on the seal’s location for up to three years. The MK10, glued to the top of a seal’s head, provided the same information as well as data on the timing and depths of dives. MK10 deployments remained active up to ten months and were shed from the seal during the annual molt. The data files within this dataset represent the 'raw' data obtained from the Wildlife Computers data portal. Each deployment (unique tag id + animal id combination) is provided as a zipped archive. The root folder also includes additional documentation. The various files and detailed column descriptions are described in the 'Spreadsheet-File-Descriptions.pdf' which was downloaded from Wildlife Computers (https://wildlifecomputers.com/support/downloads/). The '00_kotzeb0912_get_data.Rmd' file is an RMarkdown file that provides code and documentation of the data retrieval process. The corresponding '00_kotzeb0912_get_data.hml' file is autogenerated from the RMarkdown file.

This dataset provides counts of harbor seals from aerial surveys over Iliamna Lake, Alaska, USA. The data have been collated from three previously published sources (Mathisen and Kline 1992; Small 2001; ABR Inc. Environmental Research and Services 2011) and newly available data from the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Newhalen Tribal Council. The survey years range between 1984 and 2013. Counts are reported as summed totals across all identified waypoints in the lake for each survey date. The NOAA National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, Washington, USA) conducted aerial surveys of Iliamna Lake between 2008 and 2013. Surveys were conducted as part of annual harbor seal survey effort and in collaboration with local community participants and researchers at the University of Alaska. Surveys were flown using high wing, twin engine aircraft (Aero Commander 680, 690 or a de Havilland Twin Otter). Survey altitude was generally 330 m and at an aircraft speed of 120 kts. Surveys were performed seasonally for most years between 2008 and 2013. Surveys were timed so that one survey was conducted while the lake was mostly frozen (Late March/early April), one during pupping (mid July), and often several during the August molt, when the greatest number of seals typically haul out on shore. Surveys were flown, weather allowing, in the mid- to late-afternoon, when the number of seals hauled out was expected to be highest. Aircraft flight track was recorded by GPS and all seals sighted were digitally photographed using a high resolution digital SLR camera with a telephoto zoom lens (up to 400mm). Time, date, latitude, longitude, and altitude were automatically saved into the image metadata or georeferenced post survey using the GPS track and software. The total number of seals hauled out were counted from the digital photographs and recorded for each identified site. Pups were determined by their smaller size, and close proximity (less than 1 body length; either nursing or laying right next) to a larger seal. Pups were no longer recorded beyond about mid-August when many have been weaned and cannot reliably be distinguished from other non-adult seals. In 2009, a collaborative effort between NMML and researchers from the Newhalen Tribal Council (Newhalen Tribal Council 2009) provided 10 additional surveys and similar techniques were used. The raw survey count data from these surveys was provided to NMML. Aerial surveys were authorized under a Marine Mammal Protection Act General Authorization (LOC No. 14590) issued to the NMML. Between 2005 and 2007, ABR, Inc. Environmental Research and Services conducted a series of aerial surveys for harbor seals in Iliamna Lake (ABR Inc. Environmental Research and Services 2011). In addition, earlier counts from surveys conducted by ADFG (Small 2001) and a 1991 census by Mathisen and Kline (Mathisen and Kline 1992) were incorporated into the dataset to expand the historical reach. Geographic coordinates were provided (or, when not provided, determined based on descriptions or phyiscal maps) for each survey site and these sites were compared and merged with locations identified by NMML. In some cases, sites in very close geographic proximity were combined into a single site.

Floating glacial ice serves as a haul-out substrate for a significant number (10-15%) of Alaskan harbor seals, and thus surveying tidewater glacial fjords is an important component of statewide efforts to estimate seal abundance. Surveys conducted during pupping suggest that glacial haul outs have higher than average productivity and thus may serve as important source populations statewide. The availability of ice for hauling out varies with seasonal glacial dynamics, but over decades of climate change most tidewater glaciers are now retreating toward eventual grounding with many already ceasing to calve ice into the water. Compounding glacial retreat and thinning is the trend at most of these sites toward increasing tourism and a low compliance of tour vessels to seal approach guidelines and regulations. It is thus important to track glacial populations over the long-term especially as various impacts may degrade seal habitat leading to fewer glacial seals and potential impacts to the population state-wide. There are currently 28 glacial sites that have at least one actively calving tidewater glacier and in turn seals that haul out on the ice during the seals’ molting period, when most surveys have occurred. Due to concerns about vessel disturbance, Disenchantment and Icy Bays have been surveyed during molting almost annually between 2001-2011 (ex 2003); surveys occurred during pupping and molting in 2004 and 2005, and have occurred just during molting apx. every other year since 2011. Johns Hopkins Inlet in Glacier Bay has been surveyed annually using these methods since 2007, with surveys occurring during both pupping and molting. The remaining 25 sites have been surveyed on an opportunistic schedule (based on weather and aircraft availability), which for most sites equates to about every 2-3 years. Some of the smallest sites have been surveyed on a 4-5 year schedule. These schedules will likely continue with more abundant sites in Prince William Sound (e.g., College Fjord and Columbia) and Southeast Alaska (Tracy Arm, Endicott Arm, LeConte Bay, and Glacier Bay) having higher priority and contingent on management concerns.

Diel epipelagic sampling for juvenile Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), rockfish (Sebastes spp.), sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), and associated species was conducted in order to identify factors that may affect year-class success of these commercially important species. Sampling occurred in offshore marine habitats of the coastal northeast Pacific Ocean from 10-20 August 2005 and was conducted with a surface trawl fishing the upper 20 m of the water column along transects up to78 km offshore near 58 N. Three habitats were sampled along each transect over a 24-hr period: the continental shelf (<200 m depth), the continental slope (400-750 m depth), and the abyss (>2,000 m depth). A total of 38,747 fish and squid representing 24 species were sampled in 56 trawl hauls. Of the targeted juvenile fish species, a total of 587 salmon, 11 rockfish, and 70 sablefish were captured. Sampling during day (1500-1900) and night (2200-0200) periods indicated that biomass of fish and squid was 2-4 times higher at night at (each?)all habitat types pooled across transects. No distinct patterns between day or night occurrence were noted for juvenile pink salmon (O. gorbuscha), chum salmon (O. keta), sockeye salmon (O. nerka), or coho salmon (O. kisutch), however, juvenile Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) were encountered only at night. Catches of juvenile rockfish and juvenile sablefish were quite low in this study, and larger sample sizes of these fish are needed to adequately determine their diel distribution. Diel differences were apparent with forage species such as Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi), capelin (Mallotus villosus), and eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus) that were almost exclusively sampled at night. The offshore distribution patterns of target species were distinctly different, with the most common occurrences of juvenile salmon over continental shelf habitats, juvenile sablefish over continental shelf and slope habitats, and juvenile rockfish over slope and abyss habitats. Pacific herring, capelin, eulachon, and Pacific sardines (Sardinops sagax) were found over continental shelf habitats, whereas small squid and myctophids occurred primarily at slope and abyssal habitats. The greatest overall catch biomass was of gelatinous species (jellyfish), which was consistently higher than that of all fish and squid combined, usually by an order of magnitude. Individual fish or squid species with highest average weight per haul were pomfret (Brama japonica), adult coho salmon, Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas), and blue sharks (Prionace glauca). The occurrence of the latter two warm-water species and Pacific sardines were of interest because this study occurred during an anomalously warm year and the capture of Pacific sardines and Humboldt squid represent northern range extensions for these species. Stomach content analysis of potential predator species of the target species showed that only adult coho salmon were predating on juvenile salmon and sablefish, and only pomfret were predating on juvenile rockfish. Further sampling of the target species is needed in these habitats during more normal environmental conditions to validate these observations.

The dataset contains trawl and seine catches from Southeast Alaskan estuaries sampled from 1995 to 2008. The data also include physical variables (temp, salinity, turbidity), and shorezone shoreline classifications.

Suction cup attached multisensor tags were placed on beluga whales in Bristol Bay, Alaska, to collect depth, 3D acceleration and sound. Data were coupled with satellite tag data and stomach temperature data from the same individual in 2014. Hearing sensitivity was also collected on these individuals.

As a part of National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) management of the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population, a database of opportunistic beluga whale sightings was compiled from reports made by the general public, aircraft patrols, wildlife surveys, and military and industry monitoring studies. Sightings are reported to NMFS Alaska Regional (AKR) office personnel either by voice- or e-mail. Sighting data are then transcribed and sent to the NMFS National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) for entry into the database. Data are first assessed for quality during transcription by NMFS AKR personnel. Secondary review and confirmation is undertaken by NMFS NMML personnel prior to entry of data into the Access Database.

We assembled 1.4 million National Ocean Service (NOS) bathymetric soundings from 98 lead-line and single-beam echosounder hydrographic surveys conducted from 1910 to 1999 in Cook Inlet, Alaska. These bathymetry data are available from the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov), which archives and distributes data that were originally collected by the NOS and others. While various bathymetry data have been downloaded previously from NGDC, compiled, and used for a variety of projects, our effort differed in that we compared and corrected the digital bathymetry by studying the original analog source documents - digital versions of the original survey maps, called smooth sheets. Our editing included deleting erroneous and superseded values, digitizing missing values, and properly aligning all data sets to a common, modern datum. There were six areas where these older surveys were superseded by compilations of reduced-resolution multibeam surveys. We digitized 12,000 features, such as rocky reefs, kelp beds, rocks and islets, adding them to what was originally available, and creating the most thorough source (n = 18,000) of these typically shallow, inshore features. We also digitized 2,418 km of the mainland and 529 km of island shoreline, generally at a resolution of 1:20,000, and digitized 9,271 verbal surficial sediment descriptions from the smooth sheets. The depth surface, shoreline, inshore features, and sediment data sets are mostly produced at a scale of 1:20,000.

We assembled 1.4 million National Ocean Service (NOS) bathymetric soundings from 98 lead-line and single-beam echosounder hydrographic surveys conducted from 1910 to 1999 in Cook Inlet, Alaska. These bathymetry data are available from the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov), which archives and distributes data that were originally collected by the NOS and others. While various bathymetry data have been downloaded previously from NGDC, compiled, and used for a variety of projects, our effort differed in that we compared and corrected the digital bathymetry by studying the original analog source documents - digital versions of the original survey maps, called smooth sheets. Our editing included deleting erroneous and superseded values, digitizing missing values, and properly aligning all data sets to a common, modern datum. There were six areas where these older surveys were superseded by compilations of reduced-resolution multibeam surveys. We digitized 12,000 features, such as rocky reefs, kelp beds, rocks and islets, adding them to what was originally available, and creating the most thorough source (n = 18,000) of these typically shallow, inshore features. We also digitized 2,418 km of the mainland and 529 km of island shoreline, generally at a resolution of 1:20,000, and digitized 9,271 verbal surficial sediment descriptions from the smooth sheets. The depth surface, shoreline, inshore features, and sediment data sets are mostly produced at a scale of 1:20,000.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has conducted aerial counts of Cook Inlet beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from 1993 to 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2022. Nearly all counts were conducted during the month of June. The routine nature of these counts and the consistency in research protocol lend themselves to inter-annual trend analyses. Beginning in 2005, an aerial survey was added during the month of August to document calving groups within the upper Inlet (north of East and West Foreland). Research protocol has been based on paired observers on the shoreward side of the aircraft and a single observer and computer operator on the offshore side independently searching for marine mammals. Data on environmental conditions, time, location, species, and inclinometer angle were collected for each sighting. The counting protocol included multiple passes near each beluga group while simultaneously collecting video footage. The counting system and observer performance has been tested through paired, independent observational effort. Information about the Cook Inlet beluga whale projects conducted at NOAA can be found here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale#science.