WSG News Blog

Orca Bowl: A Gateway to a World of Water

The dryland underdogs in this year’s high school ocean-sciences tournament beat the odds with upbeat attitude.

“We live in a world of water,” Dean Lisa Graumlich proclaimed, welcoming high school students, teachers, families and fans, together with UW scientists and other volunteers, to the 19^th annual Washington Regional Ocean Sciences Bowl. That world embraces even the dry side of the Cascade Divide. Four of the 20 teams competing came from Eastern or Central Washington: two from Ellensburg, one from White Swan ...

8
MAR

0

WSG Researcher Honored by Seattle Aquarium

January 22, 2016

The Seattle Aquarium recently recognized UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences research scientist Jeffrey Cordell for his innovative work on restoring marine habitat along Seattle’s Elliott Bay seawall at their annual Chairman’s Award dinner.

Jeff led the long-term research, funded by Washington Sea Grant and the City of Seattle to design, install, and monitor large-scale test panels at three locations along the Seattle waterfront as part of the Elliott Bay Seawall Project. Jeff and his team tested the ...

22
JAN

0

Governor Launches 2nd Phase of Washington Shellfish Initiative

January 20, 2016

Governor Jay Inslee announced the second phase of the Washington Shellfish Initiative, a partnership of local, state, and federal partners from government, business, tribes, and nonprofit groups. The Initiative’s efforts to tackle pollution in Puget Sound and coastal waters have successfully led to the reopening of shellfish beds and, through a new shellfish restoration hatchery, native shellfish restoration efforts are growing. Washington’s $184 million shellfish industry supports approximately 2,700 jobs.

Leaders from the partnership convened at the National Fish & ...

20
JAN

0

Dr. John A. Knauss Passes Away

November 30, 2015

Dr. John A. Knauss, administrator of NOAA from 1989 to 1993 and an instrumental founder of NOAA’s Sea Grant program, died peacefully at the age of 90 on November 19 in Saunderstown, Rhode Island.

Knauss was widely known as an international leader in oceanography and marine policy for more than three decades. As such, the respected and highly successful John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship was created in his name. In 1966, Knauss was instrumental in the formulation of the ...

30
NOV

0

High School Juniors Get a Taste of Real Science Through Washington Sea Grant’s Outreach Program for High School Students

November 10, 2015

Meg Chadsey, WSG’s ocean acidifcation specialist, has teamed with scientists at NOAA ‘s Pacific Environmental Laboratory to provide hands-on seawater chemistry monitoring experience for several students from Eagle Harbor (on Bainbridge Island) and Garfield high schools. The students met at the NOAA Sandpoint campus on a recent cold November morning to analyze Puget Sound seawater samples they’d collected as part of their summer field work. The students conducted their first set of tests in a “container lab” — literally a shipping ...

10
NOV

0

Gear, Not Geoducks, Impacts Ecosystem If Farming Increases

October 25, 2015

The equipment used to farm geoducks, including PVC pipes and nets, might have a greater impact on the Puget Sound food web than the addition of the clams themselves.

That’s one of the findings of the first major scientific study to examine the broad, long-term ecosystem effects of geoduck aquaculture in Puget Sound, published in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s Journal of Marine Science.

The study also found that under one scenario, geoduck farming ...

25
OCT

0

Urban Runoff Killing Coho Salmon, but Simple Solution Within Reach

Urban Runoff Killing Coho Salmon, but Simple Solution Within Reach

Filtration through column of soil and sand eliminates toxic effects of urban stormwater on fish.

October 20, 2015

Toxic runoff from highways, parking lots and other developed surfaces is killing many of the adult coho salmon in urban streams along the West Coast, according to a new study that for the first time documents the fatal connection between urban stormwater and salmon survival.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that the same study published a paper in the ...

20
OCT

0

Welcome Six New Hershman Fellows

Welcome Six New Hershman Fellows

October 15, 2015

This month six new Washington Sea Grant (WSG) Hershman fellows are embarking on one-year fellowships, tackling topics as varied as assessing paddlesports safety in Washington to addressing climate change for the Makah Tribe. Last week WSG hosted a general fellowship orientation for all new fellows, followed by a tour of Fisherman’s Terminal, led by WSG Seafood Industry Specialist Pete Granger and WSG Director Penny Dalton.

The Hershman Fellowship was created in 2005 by WSG Director Dalton, in honor of Marc ...

15
OCT

0

2015 Hershman Fellows Announced

From Addressing Climate Change to Assessing Paddlesports Safety:

Washington Sea Grant Assigns Six New 2015 Hershman Fellows

The fellowship provides emerging professionals with a unique inside perspective on building marine policy and also allows them opportunities to share their academic expertise. For one year, fellows craft marine and resource policies and are teamed with mentors in state government or non-profit offices around Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle, working on ocean and coastal science or management issues. Many of WSG’s former fellows have gone ...

9
OCT

0

4th Annual Report On Conditions of Puget Sound’s Marine Waters Released Today

September 20, 2015

The Puget Sound Marine Waters workgroup of the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program released the 4^th annual report on marine water conditions in Puget Sound.

The report combines a wealth of data from comprehensive monitoring programs and provides a concise summary of what was happening in Puget Sound’s marine waters during 2014. It covers areas such as climate and weather, river inputs, seawater temperature, salinity, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, ocean acidification, phytoplankton, biotoxins, bacteria and pathogens, shellfish resources, and more.

The report ...

20
SEP

0

WSG Teams Up with the U.S. Coast Guard

July 25, 2015

Data show that commercial and recreational boaters spill more oil in Washington waters than tankers. This summer, WSG staff and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will kick off a summer campaign to give away free small oil spill clean up kits at vessel safety inspections, as part of a focused education and awareness campaign to prevent small oil spills among commercial and recreational boats. The Campaign begins this Thursday and will continue through August with distribution of 1,000 ...

25
JUL

0

NOAA Science Camp 2015 Update

July 15, 2015

NOAA Summer Camp is in its second week of a full program packed with science and fun for students in grades 6 through 12. One parent, Kelly Powers, recently shared her enthusiasm:

Thank you so much to NOAA for creating the experience for Seattle area kids! It’s life changing. It’s the only camp I’ve come across that puts real science in the hands of middle schoolers. What a legacy your camp creates in two short weeks every ...

15
JUL

0

Invasive Green Crab Monitoring Begins This Summer

July 5, 2015

In 2012, an established population of the globally invasive crab was discovered in Sooke Inlet, British Columbia, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca – the first time this species has been found in the Salish Sea. The presence of this invasive species within the Salish Sea increases the chances that European green crabs could invade further into inland Puget Sound shorelines, where habitat is plentiful for them to thrive.

Volunteering: Volunteers are being trained to conduct monthly (July–August) trapping and/or ...

5
JUL

0

Nasty HABits Update

June 20, 2015

After several relatively quiet years, a massive bloom of Pseudo-nitzchia, the diatom responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning, has shut down several West Coast shellfish fisheries. The largest in at least a decade, this bloom is the focus of studies by the College of the Environment’s Anthony Odell of the Olympic Natural Resources Center (a unit in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences). WSG staff and investigators also have been involved in harmful algal bloom (HAB) ...

20
JUN

0

Get Outdoors

June 10, 2015

The second annual Get Outdoors Expo will feature Washington Sea Grant Water Quality Specialist Teri King and other outdoor specialists. This event features games, giveaways, outdoor gear demonstrations, mascots, live music and food vendors. Educational displays will be provided by natural resource agencies, outdoor organizations, gear companies and more. The Expo kicks off at 11:00am with a short program from elected officials, outdoor leaders and Expo sponsors.

10
JUN

0

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