Images

Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska

Biologists identify species, count, measure length, and release thousands of fish each year to understand how fish use nearshore habitats.

A fyke net or fish trap used for continuous sampling of nearshore fish in shallow waters. Fish swimming along the beach are stopped by a small-mesh net that guides them in to one of these two underwater fish traps that are set side by side. Researchers visit nets at least once a day to identify, count, and release fish.

An underwater image of fish captured by a fyke net near Kaktovik, Alaska, Beaufort Sea, USA. The small silver fish with dark backs are young-of-year (age-0) Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) and the flatfish are Arctic flounder (Liopsetta glacialis).

Fourhorn sculpin on a measuring board captured near Kaktovik, Alaska.

Fyke net set in Kaktovik Lagoon with the town of Kaktovik, Alaska in the background

Pink salmon captured near Kaktovik, Alaska

Hiking up a stream from the Akilik River drainage to set minnow traps for fish sampling. This is a stream type at the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range, Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park.

Fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) captured near Kaktovik, Alaska

Saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) captured near Kaktovik Alaska

Sampling the Imelyak River in the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range in Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. This is part of the Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.

Small arctic grayling hugging the bottom in the Imelyak River in the Brooks Range. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.

Young of year Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis).

Underwater photo of young of year Arctic cisco

Sampling a stream from the Akilik River drainage in the Boreal-Arctic transition of the Brooks Range in Noatak National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park. This is part of the Hydro-Ecoloy of Arctic Thawing (HEAT) project.

Eroding coastline of the Beaufort Sea on Arey Island near Kaktovik. 

Flock of birds over Arey Island near Kaktovik on the coastline of the Beaufort Sea.

A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska

Brielle Heflin and Brian Robinson capturing Black-legged Kittiwakes at the base of the colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. These birds were used in adult physiology studies.

Knik River bridge

The photo was taken by Erin Todd during helicopter-supported geologic fieldwork in Lake Clark National Park this past summer.