Alaska SeaLife Center news

Annual articulation projects begins

A sea lion that was found dead in Resurrection Bay and salvaged under the Alaska SeaLife Center's letter of agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service has been provided for the annual ASLC articulation project at Seward Elementary School.

This year, Mark Swanson's sixth-grade students will work to remove everything from the sea lion's bones, then rebuild the bones into a Steller sea lion skeleton.

Pacific sleeper shark washes ashore

ASLC Mammal Curator Dennis Christen found a Pacific sleeper shark in the surf just north of the Cook Inlet Processing plant last week. He and ASLC Aquarium Curator Richard Hocking removed the jaws from the shark for preservation and possible display at a later date.

The shark was more than 6-feet long and is a close relative of the spiny dogfish.

Octopus in Discovery Pool aquarium

The center has a new octopus in the Discovery Pool aquarium. It is named J-1 because it is the first octopus collected in Jakolof Bay, near Homer, in 1999. The octopus, a male, is a little shy, but he is getting use to his new quarters.

Volunteers needed

The Alaska SeaLife Center is in need of volunteers for the center. Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.. For more information about volunteering, call (907) 224-6343.