Apart from the Aleutian Islands curving away from Alaska, the Northeast Pacific is basically devoid of landmasses everywhere from North America to Japan and Russia. In between these two outliers of the continents of Asia and North America, the Pacific Ocean is a cold, blustery seascape far off the world’s major trade routes and traversed mostly by vessels taking advantage of the bounteous harvests of the frigid national fisheries in the region.
Even for these vessels, the action is mostly along the continental shelf rather than out into the oceanic reaches. Part of the harvest comes in the form of shellfish, such as famous Alaskan King Crabs, although more ordinary scaled fishes are also taken in large quantities. The area is also home to a large number of the world’s whales. Combine whale watching with the unique and spectacular coastal scenery, and one finds that cruises into these northern waters are far more popular than one might otherwise imagine.
Obviously, there is no National Animal Of The Northeast Pacific since there is no single national authority to pick one. If there were to be such a creature, however, it would probably be one of the instantly recognizable species of whale.
Where To Find The Top Wild Animals In The Northeast Pacific Ocean
Much of the wildlife of the Northern Pacific consists of migratory fish species, so it is not really possible to designate a unique spot where one is most likely to find the sort of view that is sought. Along the spectacular and thinly-settled coastline of Alaska, one can find a full selection of viewing opportunities.
For those interested in mammalian inhabitants of the Northeast Pacific, most of the bays and harbors all along the west coast of North America provide food, shelter, and safety for species such as Sea Otters, Sea Lions, and Seals.
As part of the largest ocean on the planet, it only makes sense that the Northeast Pacific is also home to some of the largest wildlife species in the world as well. The mighty and majestic Humpback Whales of the area are famous for their vast bulk, yet the largest of the dolphins– the Killer Whale or Orca – as well as the giant Pacific Squid and Octopus are also titans among the fellow members of their species.
The Most Dangerous Animals In The Northeast Pacific Ocean
While there are plenty of dangerous creatures in the sea, they are generally not much of a risk unless you invade their underwater domain. In that case, they might mistake you for some new type of food source.
Sharks are generally a risk anywhere they are found in the world. Due to their mass, any close-up encounter with a member of the whale family also has the potential of being dangerous. Overall, however, the most dangerous type of wildlife in the Northeast Pacific is probably the Killer Whale or Orca.
This is, after all, a very large sea creature and one that is carnivorous. They may not be malignantly disposed towards humans, but they are also not the happy-go-lucky creatures in the wild that they are at Sea World.
Endangered Animals In The Northeast Pacific Ocean
Over so large a region of the planet, there are many endangered species in the Northeast Pacific region. The North Pacific Right Whale is among those considered to be most endangered. In the past, it was of less concern since it was typically grouped with the Right Whale species of the Atlantic and Southern Pacific but is now classified as its own unique species.
Approximately 20 different sharks are listed as being of concern, as well as a number of sea turtle species.
There is increasing concern about the over-harvesting of many of the Pacific’s most well-known fish species. Crab populations are under pressure as are such fish as the Alaskan Pollock, which in turn came under pressure as stocks of Atlantic Cod collapsed. This forced fishermen to look for alternatives that were similar in taste and color to the well-known Cod. The various members of the Salmon family are getting much attention due both to overfishing and breeding ground destruction due to drought conditions on the western half of North America.
Naturally, there are also wildlife species that have gone fully extinct or are in very immediate danger of becoming extinct. Probably the most widely recognized member of extinct Pacific species is the Japanese Sea Lion, which was once seen in huge numbers.