Alaska's Marine
Rescue Center
We are Alaska's only permanent marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation facility, responding 24/7 to stranded, injured, and orphaned pinnipeds and sea otters.
Wildlife Emergency Hotline
Found a stranded or injured marine mammal in Alaska? Call our responders immediately, 24/7/365.
Do not touch, approach, or attempt to move the animal without professional veterinarian authorization.
The Alaska Stranding Network
We operate in close partnership with federal and state agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
All rescue operations are conducted under strictly authorized federal marine mammal response permits, coordinating transport grids across thousands of miles of coastline.
View Rehabilitation Journey →Authorized Agencies
- 🐋 NOAA Fisheries: Authorizes response for seals, sea lions, and cetaceans.
- 🦦 USFWS (Fish & Wildlife): Authorizes response for sea otters and walruses.
- 🦅 ADF&G (Alaska Dept of Fish & Game): Monitors regional marine wildlife health.
What to Do: Sighting Guidelines
If you encounter an animal that appears injured, orphaned, or stranded in Alaska, follow these vital guidelines to ensure public and animal safety.
1. Keep Your Distance
Stay at least 150 feet away from seals and otters. Approaching can cause severe stress, maternal separation, or defense bites.
2. Document & Observe
Take high-definition photos or videos from a safe distance. Note the physical state, breathing rate, injuries, and precise coordinates.
3. Call the Hotline
Dial (907) 224-6329 immediately. Relay your details to our veterinary team who will assess transport and capture logistics.
Active Rescue Directory
Track our current seals, otters, and seabirds undergoing medical care. Click any patient to view their timelines.
The Rehabilitation Journey
Our veterinary team follows strict clinical phases to ensure that sick or stranded marine animals recover completely before their wild release.
1. Rescue & Capture
Responders deploy along coastlines using specialized nets, transport crates, and authorized federal permits.
2. Triage & ICU
Initial fluid therapies, metabolic blood screens, diagnostic imaging, and temperature regulation inside the ICU.
3. Quarantine Care
Transitioning to saltwater pools, wound sanitization, tube feeding, and veterinary observation.
4. Pool Conditioning
Building muscle, diving endurance, and foraging skills in large open pools away from human interaction.
5. Wild Release
Final clinical clears, federal satellite telemetry attachment, and return to their coastal habitats.
Quantifiable Rescue Impact
Over two decades of dedicated veterinary response. Explore the clinical impact numbers that your support enables.
Responded and treated since 1998
Statewide veterinary hotline active
Monitoring the entire Alaskan shorelines
Successful wild return after clinical ICU clear
Historic Rescue Milestones
From endangered Cook Inlet beluga calves to extremely rare Arctic ice-dwellers, these stories highlight our most significant wildlife response achievements.
The Miracle of Tyonek
1st Ever Beluga RehabIn 2017, the Center admitted an orphaned male beluga calf from the critically endangered Cook Inlet subpopulation (fewer than 300 individuals in the wild). Tyonek was found stranded, cold, and separated.
Our veterinary ICU mobilized round-the-clock, delivering continuous hydration, tailored formulas, and skin care. NOAA later determined him non-releasable due to the crucial lack of early maternal pod education.
Provides vital, ongoing developmental metrics, vocal dialects, and bioenergetics data for his endangered species.
High-Stakes Walrus Surrogacy
Only 11 Calves in HistoryUnlike harbor seals which recover autonomously in large pools, Pacific walrus calves are highly social, psychologically fragile, and require 24/7 close tactile comfort from human surrogates to prevent metabolic and psychological crashes.
Every walrus pup admission is a "national event," mobilizing a specialized on-site coalition of pinniped curators from Shedd Aquarium, SeaWorld, and Monterey Bay to Seward.
Pioneered specialized high-fat milk formula and intensive care thresholds now standard globally.
Ringed Seals: Arctic Sentinels
Only 30 Admitted in 25+ YrsWhile our clinics treat dozens of harbor seals in a typical summer, Arctic ringed seals are incredibly rare guests. Ringed seals are specialized pack ice dwellers; their presence in Southcentral Alaska is a highly unusual sentinel warning.
Admitted ringed seals often present signs of extreme pack ice recession stress. Studying these rare individuals has allowed our veterinary officers to compile pioneering Arctic epidemiological baselines.
Unlocking baseline metrics on Arctic seal pathogens, immune responses, and diving metabolic limits in warming seas.
Wiinaq's Recovery Journey
Rehabilitation SuccessWiinaq the harbor seal pup was found separated and emaciated on a remote mudflat near Kenai. Suffering from severe hypothermia, she entered our specialized veterinary ICU in critical condition.
Following 8 weeks of specialized tube feedings, diagnostic screenings, and muscle conditioning in large open saltwater pools, she successfully cleared all tests and returned home.
Conditioned inside high-flow saltwater pools prior to coastal release.
Diagnostic Lab
Real-time blood work, pathology, and toxicology screens.
Surgery Suite
Outfitted specifically for marine mammal anesthesia and surgeries.
ICU Pools
Temperature-controlled, shallow water pools for triaging critical patients.
Quarantine Deck
Isolating incoming wildlife patients from resident populations.
State-of-the-Art Veterinary ICU
Our dedicated wildlife veterinary clinics are outfitted specifically to handle sea otters, harbor seals, spotted seals, and regional seabirds.
Seawater pool circulation, specialized diagnostic ultrasound systems, and isolation units allow our veterinary officers to deliver premium care.
Learn About Our ScienceHelp Fund Wildlife ICU Treatments
Each rescue operation, transport logistics network, ICU medication, and daily pup formula costs thousands of dollars. Partner in saving Alaska's marine life today.
Volunteer & Sighting Networks
Are you local to coastal Alaska? Join our volunteer stranding networks. Get certified in safe animal observation, capture coordination, and transport grids.
Not local? You can participate as a citizen scientist by reporting local wildlife sighting logs and ocean condition metrics online.
Volunteer Roles
- ✓ Shore Responders: Assist vet staff in local animal capture.
- ✓ ICU Volunteers: Support dietary preparation and clinic cleanups.
- ✓ Educators: Interpret rescue stories for our visiting center guests.
- ✓ Transporters: Drive patient crates to airport cargo gates.