OCT
WSG News Blog
October 19, 2020
“Shuck, slurp, repeat.”
Washington Sea Grant is proud to announce its plan to revise and update the popular book, Heaven on the Half Shell: The Story of the Northwest’s Love Affair with the Oyster.
Heaven on the Half Shell tells the true story of oyster farming in the Pacific Northwest. Informative text and engrossing historic and contemporary photos showcase the efforts of pioneering aquaculturists, scientists, field technicians, oyster connoisseurs and others who ...
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October 19, 2020
By James Lee, Science Communications Fellow
Pete Knutson owns Loki Fish Company, a family business. He fishes mostly salmon, with a bit of halibut on the side. He’s the director of the Puget Sound Harvester’s Association, an industry group that represents non-treaty commercial salmon gillnet fishers, and when he’s not fishing, he’s a professor at Seattle Central Community College. Pete has ...
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October 15, 2020
Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is excited to welcome Nicole Naar as a new aquaculture specialist.
Born and raised in the Tampa Bay area, Nicole developed a love for marine science while spending summers at the beach. Although her interests shifted to social science while she attended college at Emory University, as an applied ...
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October 13, 2020
Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is excited to announce that University of Washington graduate Andres Sheikh has been selected as the 2020–2021 WSG Keystone Fellow. Through the fellowship, he will spend the year working at the Puget Sound Partnership. He started his position earlier this month.
Launched last year, the WSG Keystone Fellowship seeks to build pathways into marine science, policy and related industry careers for individuals who are historically underrepresented in those fields. This paid fellowship offers a unique ...
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October 5, 2020
By James Lee, Science Communications Fellow
Updated September 2025: As of 2025, Andy’s fishing activities have increased in WA due to state policy changes.
Andy Mitby of Drake Teal Fisheries is a fourth-generation fisherman and also a Husky alum, with a bachelor’s degree in marine science from the University of Washington. He says his house is now divided, now that his kids attend ...
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October 1, 2020

Consumers have long had access to local Washington seafood through their favorite grocer or farmers market, but this October the state is celebrating Seafood Month by recognizing the growing trend to connect residents to those who supply this local bounty.
With reduced demand from restaurant, market, and global trade during the global COVID-19 pandemic, this ...
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October 1, 2020
By James Lee, Science Communications Fellow
Libie Cain fishes Dungeness crab and albacore out of Westport. She grew up on Cooper Point by Evergreen State College and has an architectural degree. In fact, she was part of the team that helped build the Natural Resources Building in Olympia. She has also been a director for the Western Fishboat ...
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September 17, 2020
Attention boaters!
Do you have a few minutes to learn about marine debris and help us in our efforts to improve Washington State’s waters and beaches? You can help by taking out boater outreach survey.
Take the survey here: http://tinyurl.com/WSGSurvey
Thanks so much for your time!
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September 10, 2020
We are pleased to announce that Henry Bell, Emily Buckner, Elise Lasky and Dorothy Mulkern have been awarded the Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellowship for 2020-2021. This fellowship places highly motivated, qualified individuals with marine and coastal host offices throughout Washington, providing fellows with a unique perspective on building marine policy and allowing them to share their academic expertise with the host offices.
This year’s host offices include the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Pacific Northwest Crab Research ...
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September 4, 2021
By Abby Rogerson, WSG Student Assistant
Robert Sudar landed his first salmon fishing gig thanks to his grandfather, who had been fishing commercially since the end of World War II. Fresh out of high school, he worked on purse seiners in the San Juans, catching pink and sockeye salmon en route to the Fraser River. Originally fishing ...
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August 24, 2020
“Pumpout Nav” is a simple, free tool to help boaters locate pumpout services
Washington Sea Grant, in partnership with the Washington State Parks Clean Vessel Act (CVA) Grant Program, is excited to announce that Pumpout Nav, a free iOS and Android app for boaters, has expanded to Washington. Boaters can now use the interactive tool to find nearly 200 pumpout ...
AUG
August 19, 2020
Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is excited to welcome Brandii Holmdahl as our new fisheries specialist.
In her new position, Brandii will focus on developing and coordinating strategies that advance the safety, economic success and environmental sustainability of Washington’s fisheries and seafood sectors. She will work on projects across the state, but with an emphasis on meeting the needs of fisheries-dependent communities on Washington’s southwest coast and the Lower Columbia River. “We’ve ...
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