Science & Data

NOAA Fisheries scientists conduct several regular surveys and field projects on seals that make their homes on Arctic sea ice to gather information to be used to manage these seal populations.

This map and GIS data represent critical habitat for the Beringia distinct population segment of bearded seals.

Proposed critical habitat map for the Beringia Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of the Bearded Seal.

Shapefiles of proposed critical habitat for the Beringia Distinct Population Segment of the Bearded Seal

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center's bearded seal data sets are available on the NOAA Fisheries Open Data Portal.

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center's ice seal (bearded, ringed, spotted and ribbon seals) data sets are available on the NOAA Fisheries Open Data Portal.

Separate Biological Review Teams (BRTs) were convened by NOAA Fisheries to assess the best available information concerning the status of bearded, ringed, ribbon, and spotted seals along with past, present, and future threats to each of these species in response to petitions filed by the Center for Biological Diversity. The petitions sought to list these ice-associated seals as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, primarily due to concern about threats to the species' habitat from climate warming and diminishing ice cover.

Spacial data and maps of critical habitat and Endangered Species Act (ESA) threatened and endangered marine mammals under NOAA Fisheries jurisdiction in Alaska.

Ice-associated seal research survey in the central Bering Sea.

Ice-associated seal research survey in the central Bering Sea.