How to save the pinto abalone

New research informs future restoration efforts for endangered pinto abalone populations in the Pacific Northwest

From the Winter 2023/2024 Sea Star

By Emma Duckworth, WSG Science Communications Fellow

The pinto abalone is a crucial organism in Puget Sound. “They are the Roomba of the rocky intertidal,” says doctoral student Eileen Bates.

Abalone are key grazers that feed on the rocks of the intertidal, which allows for the natural succession of other species in the habitat and keeps the entire ecosystem ...

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MAR

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WSG News Blog

New staff: WSG welcomes Manya Chadha

March 4, 2024

Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is pleased to welcome Manya Chadha as a new student assistant on the communications team.

In this role, Manya collaborates with the WSG communications team to manage and revamp WSG’s website, report communications and social media metrics and assist in internal communications.

Manya holds a ...

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MAR

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WSG News Blog

New modeling tool shows impacts of sea level rise, coastal flooding to Whatcom County

February 27, 2024

Created by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and supported by Washington Sea Grant, the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) will soon be available for use across Washington state

From rising seas to eroding shorelines and more frequent, intense storms, the hazards faced by coastal communities are only projected to grow. Recognizing these threats, planners and managers around Washington are assessing the vulnerability of their communities and planning for impacts – in particular, the impacts ...

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WSG News Blog

Washington Sea Grant welcomes first Economic Recovery Corps fellow

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WSG News Blog

Reflections from the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe Partnership Gathering

February 15, 2024

By Chandler Countryman, Washington Sea Grant Resilience and Adaptation Specialist

Last week, Washington Sea Grant took part in the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe Partnership Gathering presented by the Office of Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Thriving Communities and Main Street America.

More than 50 participants gathered in Tokeland, Washington to gain a deeper understanding of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe’s upland relocation efforts. The Tribe has done a tremendous amount of work since 2009 ...

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WSG News Blog

Washington Sea Grant receives new grant to support coastal resilience

February 12, 2024

Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is pleased to announce that it will partner with the Washington state departments of Ecology, Transportation, and Fish and Wildlife to support coastal resilience work as part of a new $850,000 grant. The grant comes from the National Coastal Resilience Fund, a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Read More

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WSG News Blog

The pulse of the ocean

UW and Smithsonian researchers develop DNA identification methods for monitoring Salish Sea planktonic communities

From the Winter 2023/2024 Sea Star

By Katalin Plummer, WSG Science Communications Fellow

Sometimes it’s the smallest living things that can tell us the most about the state of the ocean. For decades, scientists have tracked the diversity and abundance of plankton — microscopic organisms that include larval fish (ichthyoplankton), other small animals (zooplankton), and photosynthesizing bacteria and protists (phytoplankton) — on the surface of the ocean. Traditionally, this ...

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WSG News Blog

Who brings your seafood to you? An interview with Thomas Foster-Kibbler and Heather Auld of Foster Fisheries

January 24, 2024

By Alison Lorenz, WSG Science Writer

Before Thomas Foster-Kibbler got into commercial fishing, he wanted to be an EMT on a firefighting crew. He was living in sunny Los Angeles County, training to help others. The problem? He was spending all his spare time and cash sport fishing on charter boats and spending, as he says, “too much money to go fishing all the time.”

That’s when something clicked. Foster-Kibbler decided to try a career in fishing commercially, and found ...

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JAN

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WSG News Blog

Wild Seafood Connection to bring fishers and buyers to Bellingham in February

January 18, 2024

On February 29, members of the commercial fishing industry will have a chance to speak directly to their buyers – restaurants, retailers, brokers, and other seafood businesses – at the Wild Seafood Connection conference, presented by the Port of Bellingham and produced by Colibri Northwest.

Formerly known as the Wild Seafood Exchange, the one-day conference aims to help independent fishing businesses directly market and sell their catch. Washington Sea Grant (WSG) was a ...

18
JAN

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WSG News Blog

Washington Sea Grant receives federal funding to advance resilience in coastal and fishing communities

January 10, 2024

Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is pleased to receive federal funds through NOAA Sea Grant in support of its work to advance resilience in coastal and fishing communities throughout Washington state.

The WSG project seeks to enhance Washington coastal resilience in several ways. These include but are not limited to: broadening outreach to coastal communities on coast-specific climate hazards; connecting marine and coastal resource managers with funding opportunities to address coastal hazards; communicating hazard risk reduction ...

10
JAN

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WSG News Blog

After nearly 40 years of sharing life-saving skills, Sarah Fisken retires

As a WSG marine operations specialist, Fisken grew the organization’s marine workshop program and forged trust and community across the state in the process

From the Winter 2023/2024 Sea Star

By Samantha Larson, WSG Science Writer

The first time Sarah Fisken put on a survival suit, she was immediately thrown overboard. She was on a boat anchored out in Southeast Alaska, as she was spending the summer commercial fishing for salmon. There was another boat anchored nearby that she ...

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JAN

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WSG News Blog

The National Sea Grant College Program announces federal funding opportunity to advance U.S. aquaculture

December 12, 2023

Subject to the availability of funding, Sea Grant anticipates $5,000,000 to $6,000,000 will be available for research projects and programs that will develop and refine methods, protocols, techniques, and/or strategies to enhance the production of one or more life stages of aquaculture species with the overall goal of improving the efficiency, output, and profitability of commercial coastal, marine, or Great Lakes region aquaculture businesses.

Total funding for this competition includes approximately $5,000,000-$6,000,000 to support 4-12 projects for up to ...

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DEC

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WSG News Blog

Teri King starts a new chapter

December 6, 2023

After working at Washington Sea Grant (WSG) for more than 30 years, Teri King, aquaculture and marine water quality specialist, has moved on to her next chapter.

King joined WSG in 1990. Over the next three decades, she built an innovative program of outreach and technical assistance around the issues of shellfish aquaculture and Puget Sound water quality, reaching thousands who shared her passion for healthy marine waters and resources. Her program has ...

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DEC

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WSG News Blog

The first Seaweed Knowledge Symposium covered the challenges and opportunities of a burgeoning field

December 5, 2023

Watch the video recordings of the December 2022 Seaweed Knowledge Symposium online

Seaweed aquaculture in Washington is a bit like the “Cheshire cat”: though there are a handful of commercial farms and restoration projects, a few pending permits, and a whole lot of enthusiasm, it’s mostly not there…yet. Whether seaweed farming will truly take off in this state, and how, is an open question. But amidst this uncertainty lies opportunity.

The foundation being laid for seaweed farming and restoration efforts ...

5
DEC

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WSG News Blog

New staff: WSG welcomes Alison Lorenz

November 28, 2023

Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is excited to welcome Alison Lorenz as a new science writer.

In this role, Alison creates and proofs flyers, blog posts, news releases, reports, and more to keep the public connected to WSG’s work across its program areas. She also supports WSG’s media relations and outreach efforts.

Alison holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Carleton College and a master’s degree in public administration from the University ...

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WSG News Blog