Chiswell Island Sea Lion Rookery

A Remote Window into the Gulf of Alaska

Perched on the rugged shoreline of Chiswell Island, within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, this remote-operated camera offers a rare, uninterrupted view of one of the most important Steller sea lion rookeries in the Gulf of Alaska. The Alaska SeaLife Center's Remote Video Monitoring Team controls the camera from its facility in Seward, dozens of kilometers away.

Steller Sea Lions on Chiswell Island

Chiswell Island is one of the few haul-out and breeding sites for the federally endangered Steller sea lion population in this part of the Gulf of Alaska. Viewers can observe adults and pups resting on the island's weathered rock ledges, an intimate look at a species whose numbers researchers have tracked since 1998.

Supporting Long-Term Conservation Research

Footage from this camera directly supports the ASLC's scientific monitoring program, which studies behavior and population dynamics under permits from the USFWS and NOAA Fisheries. The long-running project has deepened understanding of the sea lions and the broader marine ecosystem they depend on.

A Rugged, Wind-Swept Refuge

Set amid the Chiswell Islands at the mouth of Aialik Bay, the site is exposed to the full force of Gulf of Alaska weather, and the camera itself runs on wind and solar power. The dramatic, rocky coastline surrounding the rookery makes the island as striking a subject as the wildlife it shelters.