Gulf Apex Predator-Prey Project
The goal of the Gulf Apex Predator-Prey Project (GAP) is to better understand predator-prey interactions in the western Gulf of Alaska as they relate to the decline of the western stock of Steller sea lions.
This website was created for laypeople and scientists alike. We invite you to explore the site to learn about the wide variety of GAP projects and how they have evolved since GAP began in 1999. Here you will find detailed information on the integrated components of GAP, including the suite of species and methodologies that have been used to explore the Kodiak marine ecosystem.
News
Wynne and Witteveen fly first aerial survey of 2016
May 2016
On May 6, 2016, Kate Wynne and Bree Witteveen conducted the first aerial surveyof 2016 to document any whale carcasses that may be indicative of a continuation of the Large Whale Unusual Mortality Event in the Western Gulf of Alaska during this summer feeding season.
Former GAP graduate student publishes chapters from thesis
April 2016
Former graduate student Dana Wright had both chapters of her master's thesis published.
- Wright, D.L., B.H. Witteveen, K. Wynne, and L. Horstmann-Dehn. 2015. Evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the Kodiak, Alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis. Marine Mammal Science 31(4): 1378–1400. http://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12227
- Wright, D.L., B.H. Witteveen, K. Wynne, and L. Horstmann-Dehn. 2016. Fine-scale spatial differences in humpback whale diet composition near Kodiak, Alaska. Marine Mammal Science. http://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12311.
Wynne and Witteveen investigate large whale die-off in western Gulf of Alaska
June 2015
In the summer of 2015, Marine Advisory Program Marine Mammal Specialists and GAP principle investigators, Kate Wynne and Bree Witteveen, were on the front lines of the Large Whale Unusual Mortality Event in the western Gulf of Alaska. Wynne and Witteveen were critical players in the field response, documentations and investigation of the ongoing event. As UME Onsite Coordinator, Witteveen participates in bimonthly team meetings as the investigation into the cause of this large whale die-off continues.
The event garnered national, state and local attention.
- Whales Are Mysteriously Dying In Alaska (Huffington Post)
- 9 endangered whales found dead in Alaska waters in recent weeks (Alaska Dispatch News)
- Scientist says unexplained mass whale deaths off Alaska island may remain a mystery (U.S. News and World Report)
