JUN
WSG News Blog
June 15, 2018
UPDATE: We are happy to report that the House and Senate have yet again demonstrated strong support for the Sea Grant program. This week, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee proposed a bill that would fund the National Sea Grant program for fiscal year 2019 at $83 million, including $12 million for marine aquaculture – $6.5M above the fiscal year 2018 level. The House moved similarly a few weeks ago, with the House Appropriations Subcommittee recommending $80 million for ...
MAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2018
CONTACT:
Aaron Barnett, WSG Boating Program Specialist aaronb2@uw.edu
Just in time for summer boating season, the first pumpout station in the San Juan Islands in nearly 20 years is up and running at West Beach Resort on Orcas Island. The new pumpout site is the only one on the north side of the island, and boaters heading to or from remote places such as Sucia Island or Canada can easily stop in and use the free ...
Read MoreMAY
April 1, 2018
The productive ocean off Washington state’s Olympic Coast supports an abundant web of life including kelp forests, fish, shellfish, seabirds and marine mammals. The harvest and use of these treaty-protected marine resources have been central to the local tribes’ livelihoods, food security and cultural practices for thousands of years. But ocean acidification is changing the chemistry of these waters, putting many coastal species – and the human communities that depend upon them – under ...
Read MoreAPR
March 1, 2018
The Sea Grant programs in Alaska and Washington are releasing a new, updated edition of the popular Fishermen’s Direct Marketing Manual. As the business climate of the seafood industry evolves, many fishermen are choosing to directly market their catch in hopes of capturing more of its value so the publication’s release is timely.
Hard copies of the 5th edition of the manual, edited by Terry Johnson, are now available through Alaska Sea Grant’s online bookstore. The ...
Read MoreAPR
February 26, 2018
The Junior Olympics of Ocean Science in the Northwest
High school teams from throughout Washington State competed for the winner’s cup at Washington Sea Grant’s 21st annual Orca Bowl, promoting science, technology, engineering, math and marine studies.
SEATTLE – More than 100 emerging young oceanographers and marine biologists from high schools around the state gathered around a giant inflatable orca at University of Washington (UW) Fishery Sciences Building just moments before kicking off the 21st annual Orca Bowl competition this past Saturday, February 24, 2018. Thirteen teams met to vie for a ...
Read MoreFEB
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 MoreFEB
January 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 MoreDEC
December 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 MoreDEC
December 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 MoreDEC
November 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 MoreNOV
November 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 MoreNOV
October 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 MoreOCT
September 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:
- The Marc Hershman Marine Policy Fellows spend a year working with government or NGO host offices in ...
SEP
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 MoreAUG