| Icy Bay & Yakutat Bay Seal Inventory, Wrangell-St. Elias N.P., Alaska

Annual Coastal Region Seal Surveys Provide Comparative Photography The National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle, Washington, contracted AERO-METRIC Anchorage to acquire aerial photography in coastal regions of the Wrangell St. Elias National Park. NMML’s primary purpose in obtaining the photography was to identify harbor seals on ice floes in final imagery. Flight lines were chosen carefully to concentrate on areas of floating ice, avoiding exposures of the glaciers and surrounding landscape.

Identifying seals from aerial photography is best achieved when the photography is acquired at an altitude of 2000 feet and higher in order not to disturb the mammals. The best altitude for these purposes and for the safety of the airplane crew in most cases was 4800 feet above sea level. Surveys were conducted with very exact timing and weather specifications in order to acquire optimal seal inventory photography. AERO-METRIC has performed similar Seal Inventory surveys for NMML in subsequent years in order to provide NMML with photography for comparative studies.

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