ASLC in the news

Seward, Alaska (January 14, 2016) - KTVA reporter, Heather Hintze, visited the Alaska SeaLife Center and spoke with our Avian Curator, Tasha Dimarzio, and Science Director, Tuula Hollmen to get the latest on efforts to understand what is currently impacting common murres. An unusual number of live murres have been sighted in the region for this time of year. Researchers and the public have also seen an exponentially higher murre die-off than what is typically associated with El Nino years, with thousands of birds washing up on Alaska’s shores. 

For the past five years, Hollmen and ASLC staff, working in partnership with National Park Service, have conducted monthly surveys of murres contributing to the baseline knowledge of these highly specialized seabirds. In addition to working with murres and other birds in the ASLC aviary, Dimarzio volunteers for the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey (COASST) helping partners enhance the regional understanding of seabirds. 

Hintze’s video and story can be found at http://www.ktva.com/seward-volunteers-tracking-dead-murre-numbers-across-alaska-794/.