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.

The purpose of this project was to collect cost, earning, and employment information from the Alaska saltwater sport fishing charter business sector during the period leading up to the implementation of the Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (CSP). The survey collected data for the 2011, 2012, and 2013 fishing seasons.

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.

The National Marine Mammal Laboratory conducted aerial surveys to monitor the abundance and distribution of beluga whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska. This database contains the counts of beluga whale groups made by the aerial observers during surveys from 1993-2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2022. Counts occurred concurrent with video collection during each pass near a beluga group.

Annual series of economic data collected for years 2012 and forward for the Amendment 91 (A91) Chinook Salmon Economic Data Report (EDR). Reporting is required of entities participating in the American Fisheries Act (AFA) pollock fishery as vessel owners/leaseholders, fishing cooperative representatives, A91 Incentive Plan Agreement representatives, Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Group representatives, and/or pollock quota share holders. holders of Amendment 80 quota share permits under federal fisheries regulations (see 50CFR679.65). The data collection is comprised of three data reporting forms: 1) Annual Vessel Fuel Survey (variables reported include vessel average fuel use rate by operational mode, annual vessel fuel purchase and expenditure), 2) Chinook Salmon Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) Allocation Compensated Transfer Report (CTR; variables include transfer and monetary compensation information for Chinook Salmon PSC allocations, and 3) Vessel Master Survey (variables included reperesent written responses of AFA vessel masters to a series of qualitative questions regarding impressions of fishing experiences during the year and of Chinook salmon PSC avoidance efforts).

Economic data collected for years 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005 and onward for the BSAI Crab Economic Data Report (EDR). Reporting is required of any owner or leaseholder of a vessel or processing plant, or a holder of a registered crab receiver permit, that harvested, processed, custom processed, or obtained custom processing for rationalized crab in specified Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) crab fisheries during the prior calendar year.

In 2005, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) compiled baseline socioeconomic information about 136 Alaska communities most involved in commercial fisheries. In 2010 and 2011, AFSC went through the process of evaluating the community profiles and determining how to update them. A NOAA Technical Memorandum finalized in October 2011 documents the process we are undertaking to update the Community Profiles for North Pacific Fisheries - Alaska (NOAA-TM-AFSC-230). In addition, the communities to be included in the updated document were reevaluated to ensure that communities with significant reliance on commercial, recreational and subsistence fishing are included. A total of 196 communities have been profiled. The new profiles add a significant amount of new information to help provide a better understanding of each community's reliance on fishing. Introductory materials cover purpose, methods, and an overview of the profiled communities in the larger context of the state of Alaska and North Pacific fisheries. The community profiles comprise additional information including, but not limited to, annual population fluctuation, fisheries-related infrastructure, community finances, natural resources, educational opportunities, fisheries revenue, shore-based processing plant narratives, landings and permits by species, and subsistence and recreational fishing participation, as well as information collected from communities in the Alaska Community Survey, which was implemented during summer 2011, and the Processor Profiles Survey, which was implemented in Fall 2011.

Annual series of economic data collected for years 2008 and forward for the Amendment 80 Economic Data Report (EDR). Reporting is required of holders of Amendment 80 quota share permits under federal fisheries regulations (see 50CFR679.94). Variables reported include vessel characteristics and production capacity of onboard processing plant, annual counts of vessel activity days, sales and revenue from fishery product and quota transfers, expenditures on capital investment and operating expenses, and employment and compensation of onboard labor.

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.

The project consisted of a nearshore fish, invertebrate, and habitat survey in northern Bristol Bay, Alaska. A 32-ft. gillnet vessel, the F/V Willow was chartered for the survey, and we also used a 20-ft. aluminum skiff with 90-hp. motor for shallow water work. The survey was staged out of Dillingham, Alaska and took place from July 26-August 8, 2009.The main gear types used during the survey were a beach seine and a bottom beam trawl. A surface pair trawl (towed by the vessel and the skiff) was deployed in one location. Using these gear types, we sampled from the shoreline to 17 m depth, as well as surface waters ~1 km from the shoreline. Catches were sorted to species, enumerated, and when possible weighed using spring scales. Length measurements were taken for most species. Voucher specimens were preserved in 10% formalin for confirmation of species identification. A small number of samples were frozen for age and energetics analysis . Photographs were taken of most species. Small, datalogging conductivity-temperature-depth recorders (CTDs) were deployed on the trawl gear, and also placed on temporary moorings in several locations to study fluctuations in temperature and salinity over tidal cycles. We also recorded habitat variables at beach seine sites according to the methodology used in the Nearshore Fish Atlas of Alaska. During July 26-August 1, 2009 sampling was conducted in Nushagak Bay. High wind and waves hampered the sampling throughout this entire week and largely determined possible sampling locations. Two days were completely lost due to weather. On August 3 we traveled from Dillingham to the west side of the Nushagak and from August 4-8 sampling was conducted along the Nushagak Peninsula and in Kulukak, Nunavachak, Ungalikthluk, and Togiak Bays. During most of this time we experienced high winds but they did not hamper the sampling to the same degree as in the Nushagak. On August 8 we traveled back to Dillingham.