Whale watching is a booming business in Alaska’s capital. Over the past nearly 20 years, the number of whale-watching boats in the waters around Juneau has roughly doubled.
The business is valued at about $35 million annually and its rise parallels that of the cruise ship industry, whose presence in Southeast Alaska has grown enormously over the last couple of decades.
How are the region’s humpback whales responding to this increased attention? Ali Schuler, a University of Alaska Fairbanks master’s student in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, is attempting to answer that question with assistance from her academic adviser Heidi Pearson, University of Alaska assistant professor. With funding from Alaska Sea Grant, Schuler spent the last two summers closely monitoring whales from two research stations near Juneau. From her preliminary data, Schuler has found that whale-watching boats are causing the whales to change some of their behavior and movements.
“In the presence of vessels, the whales move at higher speeds indicating a possible vessel-avoidance strategy,” Schuler said.
Schuler expects to publish findings and graduate in 2019. Read more about her research on our website.
