Sydney Fishman

Coastal Management Specialist

Expertise

• Shoreline and coastal management
• Shoreline Master Programs (SMPs)
• Shoreline stabilization
• Climate change adaptation
• Sea level rise
• Coastal resilience

As Coastal Management Specialist at Washington Sea Grant, Sydney Fishman helps shoreline and coastal decision-makers find solutions to their complex management issues. Her work spans the broad areas of shoreline management, shoreline stabilization, and coastal resilience.

She fosters a shoreline management community of practice in western Washington with networking, outreach, training, and resources; supports the development of regional incentives for shoreline landowners to reduce hard shoreline armor; and supports local and state planning for climate change and sea level rise with tools and research.

Sydney’s partners and audiences include local governments, state and federal agencies, Tribal governments, non-profits, conservation districts, private consultants, and shoreline landowners.

Prior to joining Sea Grant in February 2023, Sydney worked with the Washington Department of Ecology in two capacities. As the 2018 NOAA Coastal Management Fellow she identified opportunities to help Puget Sound local governments better implement the shoreline stabilization rules in their Shoreline Master Programs. Following her fellowship, Sydney continued to work on regional shoreline stabilization issues and expanded her portfolio to include shoreline management grants, training development, and statewide climate change planning.

Sydney holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University.

Links: 

• Shoreline and Coastal Planners Group
• Coastal Training Program
• Shore Friendly
• Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS)
• WSG Report: Sea Level Rise and Management Options for Washington’s Shorelines