Kasegaluk Lagoon

This coastal lagoon system, the largest in Arctic Alaska, supports the greatest aggregations of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), spotted seals (Phoca largha), and black brant along Alaska’s Chukchi Sea Coast. This area provides important marine mammal habitat, particularly for beluga whale summer concentrations and spotted seal haul outs. Kasegaluk Lagoon attracts a greater richness and diversity of avian species than any other Arctic Alaska lagoon system. The lagoon includes several important seabird colonies, and is an important nesting area for common eider (Somateria mollissima), which is an important resource for subsistence hunters. The lagoon is particularly important to Pacific black brant for molting and fall staging. Polar bears are known to den near the lagoon, and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) often concentrate there to feed on marine mammal carcasses. Just east of the lagoon, in the vicinity of Point Lay, lies a high-density waterbird nesting site.