July 14, 2025
Seattle, WA – Moon jellyfish blooms are a stunning sight to see, their white and translucent colors making them appear light and delicate. However, these jellyfish are hidden predators lurking for their next meal. A research paper published in Marine Ecology Progress Series found that moon jellyfish (Aurelia labiata) ...
Read MoreJuly 1, 2025
WSG is excited to welcome Ava Vaughan as the Community-Engaged Intern! In her role, Ava will work with community engagement specialist Sanpisa Sritrairat, coastal hazards specialist Ian Miller, and partners at Washington Emergency Management Division to support coastal hazard mitigation planning and social vulnerability assessments.
Ava is currently pursuing a ...
Read MoreJune 24, 2025
For twenty-seven years, Robyn Ricks has shaped how the outside world sees Washington Sea Grant. As the program’s creative director, Robyn has brought her visual branding and graphic design skills to produce materials from websites to the Sea Star print magazine to formal presentations. She brings an element of magic to everything she touches, turning even the most bureaucratic of documents into something beautiful.
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June 20, 2025
Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is excited to welcome two new staff this summer: Jubilee Cho is the new graphic designer, and Kaitlyn Kowaleski is a new postdoctoral scholar.
In Jubilee’s role, she works across several creative mediums in print, web, digital and experiential to promote WSG communications, outreach and campaigns.
Jubilee earned her double degree from ...
Read MoreJune 16, 2025
By Alison Lorenz, WSG Communications Project Coordinator
Dr. Wesley Hull has been awarded the University of Washington (UW) Graduate School Medal for his dissertation research, supported in part by Washington Sea Grant (WSG).
The Graduate School Medal recognizes a doctoral candidate whose academic expertise and social awareness are integrated in a way that demonstrates an exemplary commitment to the University and its larger community. Hull, who recently completed his doctorate in biology at UW, worked with shellfish farmers, coastal ...
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June 13, 2025
Hello everyone!
I am so excited to serve as the new Crab Team graduate student assistant. I am passionate about both crab and citizen science, so I feel like I am definitely in the right place here amongst all these crabby people. I just finished my first year of graduate school at the University of Washington in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and I am currently working on my thesis which uses Dungeness crab data ...
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June 10, 2024
This spring, WSG Crab Team was joined by an undergraduate student assistant, Christopher Harris-Adams. Christopher Harris-Adams is currently pursuing his B.S. at UW’s College of the Environment researching microclimate variation in the greenhouse environment. We asked Christopher to share some of his story and introduce himself to the broader Crab Team community.
For quite a long time, I’ve been interested in the structure and ...
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June 9, 2025
Students at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs (FHL) found a green crab molt in False Bay on San Juan Island last weekend. This molt is the first evidence of green crabs found in False Bay and the first evidence since 2019 of green crabs in the San Juan Islands. In 2016, San Juan Island was the site of the first green crab confirmed along the Salish Sea ...
Read MoreJune 9, 2025
Seattle, WA – You may know abalone by its shimmery shell, but the pinto abalone, Washington’s only native abalone species, is now better known for its sharp decline. Between 1992 and 2017, pinto abalone populations in Washington plummeted by 97%. Despite over a decade of restoration efforts, recovery has been slow—and new research suggests climate change ...
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June 2, 2025
Are you one of the millions of Washington residents living on or near the Salish Sea? Join the Salish Sea-wide Molt Blitz on June 20 to contribute to the largest single-day dataset of crab molts collected in our state.
Molts are the old shells that crabs shed when they grow. Collecting and recording these molts provides valuable data on which species of crab are present in an area, including invasive European green crab ...
Read MoreMay 22, 2025
With the boating season officially underway, it’s time for Washington boaters to brush up on their knowledge for leaving a healthy wake for all to enjoy. This includes being able to safely and effectively dispose of sewage from a boat’s holding tank.
With more options for pumping out — including more mobile pumpout boats — properly disposing of onboard waste is easier than ever.
As recreational boating continues to become more popular in the state, Washington State Parks’ Clean Vessel ...
Read MoreMay 20, 2025
By Alison Lorenz, WSG Communications Project Coordinator
“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” The student called a distress signal, indicating their boat had an emergency. Fortunately, there was no real danger at Washington Sea Grant (WSG)’s South Bend office. Students were practicing mayday calls as part of WSG’s Skills and Drills training, a new course designed to equip aspiring commercial fishermen with the skills they need to succeed.
Washington state supports a vibrant ...
Read MoreMay 15, 2025
Mel Lemke is a self-proclaimed creepy-crawly-enthusiast who loves the deep sea. Hailing from the mountains of Colorado, Mel has always had an awe and appreciation for the complexity of marine systems, leading her to complete her B.S. in marine biology from the University of Oregon in 2021. During her undergraduate education, she ...
Read MoreMay 14, 2025
By Luciana Calle, WSG Science Communications Fellow
On a sunny Wednesday morning, Aaron Barnett and Bridget Trosin, who manage the Clean Marina Washington Program, walked on the deck of Boat Street Marina, admiring one of the many marinas helping to protect Washington’s waters and marine life. In this marina, small black ducks swam between parked boats while geese sunbathed on the warm wooden panels of the deck, carefully preening their backs with their ...
Read MoreMay 12, 2025
We are happy to announce that Dr. Nicole Naar, WSG social science and education specialist, was selected to receive the UW College of the Environment’s 2025 Outstanding Community Impact Award. This award recognizes stakeholder engagement that stimulates, inspires and drives interactive uses of environmental science and information to impact the broader community. The Awards Committee was impressed with the way Nicole exemplifies the spirit of this award by engaging with diverse constituents to convey complex information ...
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