Ocean Associates, Inc. (OAI) was contracted by NOAA to provide field support by way of biological technicians, field research leaders, and a more senior Scientist III at remote field locations in Alaska, as well as at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle, WA, as part of an Alaska Steller Sea Lion population assessment.

OAI personnel have been involved in all aspects of the research, such as assisting with field camps, counting the animals from aircraft and ashore, and analyzing photographs to determine the ages, sex, and distribution. The scientists use the information to develop computer models to estimate the reproductive capabilities and trends in population size. All the research is then assembled by…READ MORE