Walrus Coastal Haulout Video B-roll (combined)

When sea ice is absent in the Chukchi Sea region, walruses gather in large numbers along the northwestern coast of Alaska to rest on shore.  USGS has worked with local communities and partners across the Bering Strait to develop methods to estimate regional abundance of walruses using these coastal haulouts and to understand the population consequences of resting on land instead of remaining offshore on sea ice.  The survey drone was flown above 300 feet altitude while over land such that it enables survey data collection with minimal risk to the walruses.  In this video you can see walruses behaving naturally in water and on land. Video taken during USGS research efforts permitted under US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MA801652-7.