Tribal and federal staff collected baleen from the young gray whale that washed up on Surfer's Beach late last month in part to study it. The rest of the corpse is still on the beach near the parking lot.

NOAA Fisheries has been dealing with substantial staffing cuts leading up to the surveys. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center lost roughly 50 employees since February according to reporting from KUCB Radio.

Scientists suspect it was killed by an orca, much like another whale that washed up in the same area about a month ago.

If untreated, infected dogs face an over 90% fatality rate, owners should look for symptoms like vomiting, loss of appetite, or fever. It's unknown how any of the animals contracted the virus.

The whale washed up in late May, and biologists suspect it was killed by orcas a week before the corpse was found. It's the fourth dead whale reported around the archipelago this year and the seventh found around Alaska.

Emperor geese populations have struggled across the state, but the ones nesting near Kodiak seem to be prospering. Biologists are working to verify the local flock’s growth in surveys.

The latest wave includes firing some NOAA employees at the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center. Staff could not confirm how many people were affected in the state, nor what positions were cut.

A proposed ocean and fish restoration project in the Gulf of Alaska is trying to generate support at the local and state level. Ocean Pasture Restoration wants to begin its three-year pilot starting in 2025. The project hinges on renewing pastures in the ocean to boost production of phytoplankton.

Since the fishing industry as a whole is facing increased challenges and financial hardship, many are looking at mariculture as an alternative to commercial fishing. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center Kodiak Lab is currently conducting research that could support oyster farming.

The autumn community cleanup has had dozens of participants pick up car and boat parts, rusty crab pots, buoys, and more from Kodiak Island's road system. The 10 day long cleanup has one more big push before it ends on Oct. 26.