January 18, 2018
For decades, resource managers agreed that removing the two dams on the Elwha River would be a big win for the watershed as a whole and, in particular, for its anadromous trout and salmon. The dams sat on the river for more than 100 years, trapping approximately 30 million tonnes of sediment behind their concrete walls. As the dams were removed between 2012 and 2014, much of this sediment was released downstream — and ...
Read MoreJanuary 3, 2018
Commerical fishermen, don’t sacrifice sleep to bring in a good catch. Fatigue increases your risk of vessel incident. For one man, fatigue cost nearly $70,000.
Read MoreDecember 20, 2017
Ocean acidification is threatening ecosystems, cultures and economies in Washington State – today. In 2012, Governor Jay Inslee recognized the importance of developing a strategy to address these challenges by creating the Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. After reviewing the scientific literature, the panel outlined a plan in its seminal report, Ocean Acidification: From Knowledge to Action.
The science on ocean acidification has come a long way over the last five years. Today, the Marine ...
Read MoreDecember 12, 2017
Four graduates of the University of Washington (UW) have been selected for the National Sea Grant College Program’s prestigious John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship for 2018 to study, develop and implement policies addressing issues in ocean and coastal management, fisheries and marine resources. The one-year fellowship pairs motivated, forward-thinking graduates with legislative and executive host offices in Washington, D.C.
The Knauss Fellowship honors the influential legacy of the late John A. Knauss, who was an internationally-renowned ...
Read MoreNovember 7, 2017
Five years ago, the state legislature allocated funding for the development of a marine spatial plan (MSP) for Washington’s coast. A MSP is a public process of analyzing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine environments to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives. The Washington coast plan outlines a strategic approach to incorporate new uses in coastal waters by identifying ecologically important areas and areas in which current ocean uses takes place. It ...
Read MoreNovember 3, 2017
Aquaculture has been a mainstay of Washington’s economy since the state’s founding, and there is still potential for more growth. Three federal grants announced this week will provide total funding of $1.1 million to Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, for research that will sustainably further shellfish and finfish aquaculture in the state. The organization is among 18 Sea Grant programs around the country that have been ...
Read MoreOctober 4, 2017
A new paper suggests using streamer lines and fishing at night are good albatross bycatch prevention options for longline fishermen in California, Oregon and Washington
Longline fishing is a technique that involves deploying a long line with baited hooks attached at intervals behind a boat. It’s a common technique used to catch many high-value species including halibut, tuna and sablefish. However, those fish are sometimes caught along with unintended targets—known as bycatch—including about 160,000 seabirds a ...
Read MoreSeptember 22, 2017
Members of the 2017 class of Marc Hershman Marine Policy, Knauss Marine Policy and the Sea Grant – National Marine Fisheries Service fellowships programs met today for an orientation, followed by lunch and a tour of Seattle’s Fishermen’s Terminal.
This year’s class of fellows include:
August 17, 2017
Washington Sea Grant expands its clean marina and small oil spill prevention programs on Lake Chelan
Head down to Lake Chelan on a hot summer day, and its vast surface will be speckled with jet skis and motor boats. The locals all know there’s no better way to beat the heat in eastern Washington than to get in some quality time out on Chelan’s transparent, aquamarine water. What’s less commonly known, however, is that these very activities can ...
Read MoreAugust 9, 2017
Two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grants will mean less pollution in Washington State Waters.
Boater sewage is a source of pollution into Washington State waters that can contaminate shellfish beds or spread waterborne diseases at popular swimming beaches. To keep this pollution at bay, Washington State Parks Department’s Clean Vessel Act (CVA) program works with the University of Washington’s Washington Sea Grant to help boaters and marinas safely dispose of vessel waste. Two recently awarded grants ...
Read MoreApril, 2017
A new population of invasive European green crab has been found at Dungeness Spit, near Sequim, Washington, rekindling concern over the potential for damage to local marine life and shorelines.
Staff and volunteers from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which manages Dungeness Spit National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), captured a total of 13 European green crab over the past two weeks as part of Washington Sea Grant’s (WSG) Crab Team early detection program. These numbers indicate that the invasive crabs are ...
Read MoreMarch, 2017
In March 2017, Washington Sea Grant was formally recognized as a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for its work in preparing coastal communities for hazardous weather.
NOAA’s Weather-Ready Nation initiative seeks to improve the nation’s responsiveness and resilience to extreme weather, water and climate events. Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors are partner agencies, organizations and businesses that share a commitment with NOAA to collaborate on outreach about extreme-weather preparedness and to serve as examples themselves by ...
Read MoreDecember, 2016
Shoreline armoring removal: synthesis and assessment of restoration effectiveness in Puget Sound
Jeffrey Cordell, Jason Toft and Emily Howe, UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences; Megan Dethier, UW Friday Harbor Laboratories
Local officials, state resource managers and conscientious property owners have shown growing enthusiasm for removing bulkheads to restore natural shorelines and shore habitats. The Puget Sound Partnership’s 2014/15 Action Agenda identifies shoreline armoring as a significant threat and restoration as a main strategic goal. But monitoring of restoration sites ...
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