More Information
Summary Overview
This PCA is located at the north end of the central Gulf of Alaska.The highly endangered short-tailed albatross forage in these waters. Lower Cook Inlet and the sea around Eastern Kodiak Island are home to Sea otter and Steller’s sea lion. This area is part of the migratory route of humpback, gray and northern right whales.This priority area includes one of the nation’s largest fishing ports, Kodiak.
Site Overview
This priority area is located at the north end of the central Gulf of Alaska. This island-strewn area is bordered by the Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak Island. The rugged shorelines follow the many inlets and headlands carved by glaciers. Pollock and herring spawn in this area. Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) are found off the eastern shore of Kodiak Island. Pacific cod, halibut and other flatfishes are present.
Offshore islands in this priority area are home to horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata), common murre (Uria aalge) and a multitude of other seabirds. The highly endangered short-tailed albatross, of which there are only 1,800 worldwide (Hiroshi Hasegawa personal communication), forage in these waters. Lower Cook Inlet and the sea around Eastern Kodiak Island are home to sea otter and Steller’s sea lion. This area is part of the migratory route of humpback, gray and northern right whales. A stock of beluga whales, numbering between 300 and 500, lives in Cook Inlet, possibly year-round (Angliss and Lodge 2002). This stock has been declared “depleted” under the US MMPA.
This priority area includes one of the nation’s largest fishing ports. In Kodiak, more than 113,000 tonnes (250 million pounds) of fish, worth US$63.3 million were landed in 2002, according to the NMFS.
Fact Sheet
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, US FWS
Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, US FWS
Katmai National Park and Preserve, National Park Service
Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve,NOAA
NOAA Fisheries-designated Steller’s sea lion critical habitats with fishing restrictions
sea otter, killer whale, blue whale, humpback whale, northern right whale, gray whale
short-tailed albatross
stock of Beluga whales congregates here
Major concentrations humpback whales that migrate from Mexico and lower US waters
Northern right whales
high concentration of nesting birds
Threats
| PCA | Extratction of nonrenewable resources | Exploitation of renewable resources | Coastal land use change | Pollution at coast/at sea | Damagin recreational use | Physical alteration of coastline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lower Cook Inlet/Eastern Kodiak Island (United States) |  |  |  |  | | |
MSCCC
MSCCC Mammals: sea otter, killer whale, blue whale, humpback whale, northern right whale, gray whaleMSCCC Birds: short-tailed albatross
Other Priority Conservation Areas
Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs) are areas of trinational importance due to their ecological significance, threatened nature and opportunities for conservation.
