By Kathleen McKeegan, WSG Science Communications Fellow
For Captain Halee Grimes, all it took was one look at an old wooden boat while she was in college. ...
Serving as director for over 22 years, Louis Echols’ influence on Washington Sea Grant’s (WSG) mission can be seen throughout our community. Echol’s joined WSG in 1983, developing the program into a coherent and responsive organization by being an advocate for fellows and staff and by developing community partnerships. In celebration of WSG’s 50th year, we reached out to Echols about ...
Read MoreBy Hannah Jeffries, WSG Science Communications Fellow
Shellfish growers spend countless hours on the tideflats each year to produce sustainable seafood for everyone to enjoy. All of this time out on the tideflats gives growers an extensive understanding of the environment around their farms, including the other organisms that live there. But their eyes can only take in what goes on ...
Read MoreBy MaryAnn Wagner, WSG Assistant Director for Communications
On an early morning at Kapapapuhi Point Park, one of the few public access points to Puʻuloa (Pearl Harbor)in Oʻahu, Amanda Millin stands knee deep in mud with chainsaw in hand, preparing to remove an invasive mangrove tree with her crew. This is a typical day for Millin since she ...
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To understand how Puget Sound has changed, we first must understand how it used to be. Unlike most major estuaries in the U.S. — and despite the abundance of world-class oceanographic institutions in the area — long-term monitoring of Puget Sound fish populations did not exist until 1990. Filling in this missing information is essential to establishing a baseline that would provide context ...
Read MoreRobyn Ricks has shaped how the outside world sees Washington Sea Grant for over two decades. As the program’s creative director, Ricks designs communications platforms from websites to print newsletters to formal presentations. She brings an element of magic to everything she touches, turning even the most bureaucratic of documents into something beautiful. “Robyn’s initiative here was special, and ...
Read MoreBy Grace Freeman, WSG Science Communications Fellow
In the 15 years that marine ecologist Jeff Adams has worked at Washington Sea Grant (WSG), the success of his work has largely relied on community involvement. And yet, when Adams helped engage community members across Washington’s Salish Sea to usher in the WSG Crab Team, ...
Read MoreBy Grace Freeman, WSG Science Communications Fellow
Based in Seattle and housed within the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, Washington Sea Grant (WSG) celebrated 50 years in 2021. The world has changed immensely since its inception, and WSG has continued to adapt. Even with these changes, a few key ...
Read MoreNovember 29, 2021
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded $259,888 from the National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) to the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership and partners, including Washington Sea Grant, for a project to develop community-based hazards and habitat resilience planning in the Columbia River Estuary.
With this funding, WSG will conduct outreach and adaptation planning workshops to identify and prioritize site-specific project concepts to strengthen ecological and community resilience. The project ...
Read MoreSenator Warren G. Magnuson, rumored to be pictured here advocating for the establishment of Washington Sea Grant (c. 1970 in Olympia), was a long term supporter of WSG and NOAA, and passionate advocate for environmental issues.
Legislation that Magnuson and his staff championed include the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and ...
Read MoreNovember 15, 2021
We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Crystal Dingler, who was mayor of Ocean Shores, Washington. Dingler partnered with Washington Sea Grant on many projects, especially on initiatives geared toward building greater economic resilience in Grays Harbor County.
Read more about Mayor Dingler in The Daily World and KXRO.
Read MoreNovember 12, 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. Here is a photo from the 1980’s of WSG researcher Dr. L. Smith with a graduate student from the University of Washington working on fish physiology research. Collaboration with UW, particularly the College of the Environment, has been a key part of WSG’s mission to encourage robust scientific innovation in service of conservation ...
Read MoreNovember 9, 2021
Federal grants will enable the Tribal Community to revitalize the ancient Indigenous mariculture practice
La Conner, Wash. – In the 1990s, members of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community began to notice that they weren’t finding as many native littleneck clams on their traditional harvest sites. With climate change and ocean acidification—issues that particularly affect shellfish—this trend was likely to worsen. The Tribe realized that these and other changes could continue to affect their access to traditional foods, cultural practices and, ...
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