Islands and Ocean

Date: 3/8/2022

Hours: 1

Event: Meeting about marine mammal conference with Islands and Ocean

Today I met with members of the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center to discuss their idea for the Marine Mammal Forum in April. They plan to run a Discovery Lab consisting of 6 tables each focusing on a Kachemak Bay marine mammal: sea otter, sea lion, humpback whale, harbor seal, and orca. They also want to incorporate a table on how natives use these animals for subsistence and the history of these mammals. They are also attempting to provide information that relates to the presentations to help give an overview of what the conference is about. This is meant to be a hands-on session for kids. They plan to place interactive things on the tables like skulls and fur, as well as a craft table to really engage the kids.

An example of what a table might look like.

There was talk of including more marine mammals but, in the end, they thought it was better to focus on the Kachemak Bay ones since local people are interested in them. Diondre and I were going to run one of the tables, most likely the sea otter one because it's our internship but, unfortunately, we have class. That being said, they suggested that we create educational materials that can be placed on the tables for people to look at/take. We plan to meet with Katey soon to discuss what materials she wants us to put together for the event.

Date: 3/14/2022

Hours: 2

Event: Tour of Islands and Ocean

The refuge has a unique history.

When I arrived in Homer in fall 2021, Islands and Ocean was closed due to covid. They recently opened up, so I went in to check it out. Islands and Ocean works with US Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve to help understand, protect, restore, and conserve the marine environment through research and education. They have a variety of refuges and field work sites to monitor seabird and marine mammal populations (see below).

My class touring the Tiĝlax̂.

Each summer, researchers board the Tiĝlax̂ (pronounced Tek-la), which is the Unangan (native people of the Eastern Aleutians) word for eagle. It is a research vessel that transports scientists to the refuges so that they can study seabird and mammal populations. I got the opportunity to tour this boat last fall. It has all the supplies needed for researchers and is able to go to remote locations that can be hard to access. These researchers will stay on the islands for months before returning home. Some of the things they do include counting breeding birds, recording nesting dates, counting the number of eggs and chicks produced, and monitoring chick growth and survival. This data can be compared over the years to determine population trends, and possible threats to these birds.

Seabirds of Alaska spend most of their time at sea. That being said, the remote islands and rocky outcroppings of the North Pacific Ocean and the Chukchi and Bering Seas are places where these birds can nest and raise their young. Protecting these habitats are crucial for the survival of these birds. For example, in the late 1700s, Russian fur traders introduced foxes onto the Aleutian Islands because the fur market was beginning to boom. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the market crashed, but the foxes were never removed from the island. This was a problem for many birds because they are used to living with no predators. Some birds even nest on the ground, making them easy prey for the foxes. The Native people that relied on seabirds for making their clothing had to relocate due to the decline in seabird numbers.

The native people use birds and marine mammals for clothes and food.

As a result, the Aleutian Islands Reservation was created in 1913 to protect seabirds. In 1941, fur-farm leases were revoked. Since the 1940s, non-native foxes were removed from more than 1 million acres on over 40 islands. The Aleutian Canada goose is an example of a species that almost went extinct due to fox predation. By removing foxes and protecting their habitat, this species was able to recover.

Besides foxes, sea otter pelts were also prized. The fur rush began in 1742 and lasted for 170 years. Russian fur traders hunted sea otters from the Aleutians, the Kodiak Archipelago, and Southeast Alaska. By 1860, British, French, Spanish, and American had harvested 600,000 sea otters on the southeast coast alone. By 1899, sea otters were rarely sighted. In addition, the Unangans populations were reduced from 15,000 people to 2,000 people due to disease and forced labor. In the mid-1800s, Russians realized their impact on sea otters which caused them to create a sea otter refuge on Amchitka Island. This refuge prohibited hunting and removed all people.

Map showing the decline in sea otters due to hunting.

In addition to the visitor center, there is a trail system that takes you to Beluga slough and/or Bishop's Beach. This wetland habitat is very important for migratory birds. They stop here to feed on insects and plants in the mud. Estuaries provide nursery habitats for many fish, such as salmon, which support population of eagles. In addition, moose stop here to eat things like aquatic plants and willows. They are adapted to walking through mud and over logs, as well as for swimming. Protecting these habitats are important for moose and bird populations to thrive.

Next week

Next week I hope to respond to more otters, as Diondre has responded to the ones this week. I also hope to set up the midterm meeting with Caroline, as well as set up a meeting with Katey to talk about possible educational materials she wants us to make for the Marine Mammal Forum. In addition, the SeaLife Center is giving a training course on how to respond to live otters, as well as how to collect data from dead carcasses.