Unalaska, AK – A Japanese oceanographic research vessel, the Oshoro Maru from Hokkaido University in Japan was in Unalaska last weekend. On June 21, they held an open house for the community before heading north to the Chuckchi Sea to look at ice cover.

Researchers will conduct more than 50 studies as they travel north. The research includes studies on sea mammals, plankton, and crustaceans. Some projects are continuations of past research, while others are new.

The research began fifteen years ago when the Oshoro Maru went to the Chuckchi Sea for a week to collect data about the biological and physical makeup of the ice cover. Since then, the data has been used to measure changes. Last summer the Oshoro Maru came through Unalaska in late July, but the trip was planned for earlier in this season in the hopes of having more ice cover to gather data from.

The data collected will be printed in a publication about the annual research done aboard the Oshoro Maru.

Aboard the research vessel are professors from Hokkaido University's school of fishery sciences, and the graduate school of fishery sciences.

They are expecting to pass through Unalaska in mid-July before returning to Japan.