May 13, 2021
We are thrilled to share that Washington Sea Grant Crab Team won this year’s University of Washington College of the Environment award for Outstanding Community Impact. Crab Team members Kate Litle, Jeff Adams, P. Sean McDonald, Emily Grason, Amy Linhart and Alex Stote were recognized at the ...
April 28, 2021
“Our coast Salish people had methods of cultivating the natural environment to support the ecosystems but also to feed the people,” says Alana Quintasket, senator for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. “And a clam garden is one example of that.” However, clam gardens have been dormant for hundreds of years in many of places that they used to exist. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is currently working toward reviving the ancient mariculture practice in modern-day Washington.
Not only does this ...
Read MoreMay 14, 2021
Welcome to our Cool Critters series, where Marine Ecologist Jeff Adams shares the unique features of his favorite marine animals native to the Pacific Northwest. Today’s Cool Critter is the Cascades Frog!
The Cascades Frog (Rana cascadae) is one of the five native frogs of the Salish Sea. The Cascades frog generally lives above 2,000 feet up in the Cascade Range and Olympic Mountains, sporting yellow underpants and eyes directed more ...
Read MoreApril 17, 2021
Welcome to our Cool Critters series, where Marine Ecologist Jeff Adams shares the unique features of his favorite marine animals native to the Pacific Northwest. Today’s Cool Critter is the Purple Shore Crab!
The Purple Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus nudus) is a small (<2″), hairless crab common among larger rocks. When you pick up beach rocks, these crabs can often be seen scuttling quickly away. They prefer to be high on the ...
April 17, 2021
Welcome to our Cool Critters series, where Marine Ecologist Jeff Adams shares the unique features of his favorite marine animals native to the Pacific Northwest. Today’s Cool Critter is the Heerrmann Gull!
Heermann’s Gulls (Larus heermanni) are named after early frontier naturalist Adolphus Heermann. They are probably the easiest gull to identify in North America due to their deep ...
Read MoreApril 16, 2021
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Washington Sea Grant, we’re digging through our photo archive to share moments from our program’s history throughout the coming year. Here is a photo from the 1970s of Quinault tribal members on Lake Quinault inspecting one of their projects with Dr. Donaldson, former director of what is now known ...
April 15, 2021
Welcome to our new Cool Critters Series, where Marine Ecologist Jeff Adams shares the unique features of his favorite marine animals native to the Pacific Northwest! Follow along each week to learn about a new Cool Critter! Information will be shared about the species, such as where they live, what they eat, and identifying characteristics!
April 15, 2021
Boating season is right around the corner, and knowing where to pumpout is important for following the Puget Sound No Discharge Zone (NDZ) Rule. In August 2020, Washington Sea Grant, along with the Washington State Parks Clean Vessel Act ...
April 13, 2021
By Hannah Jeffries, WSG Science Communications Fellow
At the beginning of last winter, a group of teenagers in Port Townsend began to learn the basics of woodworking through an unusual means: building boxes to demonstrate how to pumpout sewage from boats. Aaron Barnett, the boating program specialist at Washington Sea Grant (WSG), uses ...
March 31, 2021
We are thrilled to announce the release of Planet Ocean, a nonfiction book for middle-grade readers (ages 8 and up) written with an underwater perspective about how climate change and pollution affect the sustainability of our sea. In addition to some cool science, Planet Ocean readers discover our unbreakable connection to the sea. Writer Patricia Newman and diver/photographer Annie Crawley give voice to stories from inspirational scientists, Indigenous peoples, and kids and teens impacted by ocean changes and working to combat them.
Meg Chadsey, ...
Read MoreMarch 22, 2021
We are thrilled to announce Pacific Currents, an online magazine to share stories about the communities and initiatives of Sea Grant programs across the region. Each month, we’ll publish work from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii and Guam.
A few highlights from the ...
March 22, 2021
After more than 30 years of working in the conservation field, Paul Dye, program strategist at Washington Sea Grant (WSG), retired this month. Dye’s work has spanned the protection and restoration of bottomland hardwood forests, subtropical coral reefs, and marine habitats of the Pacific Northwest. Before coming to WSG, Dye worked at The Nature Conservancy, most recently as the director of marine conservation for Washington. He joined WSG ...
March 16, 2021
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Washington Sea Grant, we’re digging through our photo archive to share moments from our program’s history throughout the coming year. This photo from the 1980s shows WSG research in action. Research has been, and continues to be, an integral part of the WSG mission to help people and marine life thrive, and to use that research to educate those in our community.
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March 11, 2021
By Carrie Garrison-Laney, WSG Tsunami Hazards Specialist and PMEL Liaison
On March 11, 2011 the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan — the 4th largest ever recorded worldwide — and the resulting tsunami devastated coastal areas of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Sendai, and Fukushima in eastern Japan. The tsunami attained a maximum height of 133 feet (40 meters) — the height of a 12-story building. Some communities were completely washed away. The tsunami also caused a nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi when ...
Read MoreMarch 9, 2021
The Junior Olympics of Marine Science in the Northwest
Seattle, WA – On the first weekend of March 2021, 12 teams of high school students from across the state logged on to participate in the first-ever virtual Orca Bowl marine science competition. The teams were quizzed ...
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