Welcome on the NGOS website!

NGOS is a non-profit organization that specializes in marine mammal research, conservation and education. Our primary projects are the study of the killer whale/orca population off the coast of Alaska and of the humpback whales in Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords... [MORE ABOUT US]

Into Great Silence: A Memoir of Discovery and Loss among Vanishing Orcas

Science entwines with matters of the human heart as a whale researcher chronicles the lives of an endangered family of orcas.
Ever since Eva Saulitis began her whale research in Alaska in the 1980s, she has been drawn deeply into the lives of a single extended family of endangered orcas struggling to survive in Prince William Sound. Over the course of a decades-long career spent observing and studying these whales, and eventually coming to know them as individuals, she has, sadly, witnessed the devastation wrought by the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989—after which not a single calf has been born to the group. With the intellectual rigor of a scientist and the heart of a poet, Saulitis gives voice to these vital yet vanishing survivors and the place they are so loyal to. Both an elegy for one orca family and a celebration of the entire species, Into Great Silence is a moving portrait of the interconnectedness of humans with animals and place—and of the responsibility we have to protect them.
You can buy this book on Powell's Books or on Amazon.

Article in One Earth magazine

March 18, 2013 – The Chugach (AT1) of Prince William Sound, an endangered transient population in Prince William Sound, are on the cover of On Earth magazine. Thank you to writer Ted Genoways and to the National Resources Defense Council for caring about these whales. Read the story in the magazine, and read more in Eva's book, Into Great Silence.

News update about the Killer Whale Satellite Tagging Program

July 23, 2012 – Our data from our recently instigated satellite tagging program supported by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council have produced exciting results. Tags are very small and attached remotely, using a crossbow, to the fin of the whale. The last an average of about a month before they fall off, but have produced some needed information... [READ MORE]

The first documented example of true bubblenet feeding in the Prince William Sound/Kenai Fjords region

August 20, 2010 – Although we don’t always emphasize the humpback whale work that we do, part of our mission has always been to contribute to the cooperative work on North Pacific humpback whales between various research groups and the National Marine Fisheries Service. During our mid-July 2010 cruise we made some fascinating observations of humpback whales... [READ MORE]

Report a Whale Sighting or Stranding

Thumbnail of a good ID photo.

We have learned a surprising amount from quality photographs of killer whales loaned to us by mariners. These photographs are particularly valuable when taken in areas such as Kodiak Island, Kachemak Bay, the outer Kenai Peninsula, the Aleutian Islands and the Yakutat area. The known ranges of several groups of whales have been extended because of photographs we have received. Older photographs are also useful and can provide invaluable historical information on these whales.

Photographs must be sideviews that clearly show the dorsal fin, and preferably, the grey saddle patch. Pictures taken on the left side of the whale are most valuable. The name of the photographer, the date and the location should be written on the photograph or attached to it. Silde transparencies are also useful. We will return the photographs within a few weeks and provide you with information on any whales that could be identified. Photographs can be sent here.