Past Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellowships

The mission statement of the Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group (PCRG) is to promote sustainable Dungeness crab populations in the Pacific Northwest. The PCRG consists of individuals representing researchers and managers from western Washington tribes, state and federal agencies, non-profits, and major universities. The fellow would serve as the program coordinator for the PCRG — facilitating group and subcommittee meetings; managing the website and social media; developing organizational structure for data management and sharing policies; investigating the possibility of formalizing PCRG as a nonprofit; and assisting with grant applications and fieldwork. See full description in the PCRG’s Fellowship Description PDF. 

Washington State Department of Ecology’s Shorelands and Environmental Assistance program is offering a Coastal Hazard Resilience fellowship, which will focus on community resilience to coastal hazards (e.g. flooding, erosion, wind and waves, storm surges). Depending on the fellow’s interests and the program’s activities, the fellow’s work could involve research and writing, policy analysis, strategic planning and project management, event planning and facilitation, partnership building and coordination, stakeholder engagement, web design and maintenance, and internal and external communications. See full project description in Ecology’s Coastal Hazard Resilience Fellowship Description PDF.

The Washington Department of Ecology’s Spills Program’s mission is to protect Washington’s environment, public health, and safety through a comprehensive spill prevention, preparedness, and response program. The selected fellow will focus primarily on helping Ecology close a substantial gap in our otherwise forward-leaning oil spill preparedness program by researching, analyzing and documenting future regulatory or legislative action to determine and ensure an appropriate level of “financial responsibility” to assign to large oil facilities and large commercial vessels. The research will include review of programs from other states and the federal government, review of existing literature on the cost of spills, interviewing maritime experts on the role of Protection & Indemnity Clubs and documenting the availability of commercial insurance for facilities. See full project description in Ecology’s Spills Program Fellowship Description PDF. 

The Port of Seattle’s Smith Cove Blue Carbon Pilot Project seeks to understand how restoration of urban nearshore areas can trap and store carbon in the environment, ameliorate localized effects of seawater acidification, and improve habitat productivity by enhancing natural processes. The Port of Seattle’s fellow will lead the Port of Seattle’s efforts to scale the project throughout Elliott Bay and the Duwamish Waterway. The fellow will be involved in managing the first year of the Port’s long-term blue carbon monitoring study, contributing to efforts to develop a shoreline assessment and management plan, and participating in the regional Ocean Acidification working group. See full description in the Port of Seattle’s Fellowship Description PDF.

The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Nature Conservancy fellow will work with the Marine and Coastal Conservation Specialist and Puget Sound Team to participate in projects relating to 1) Understanding how changing ocean conditions will impact West Coast fishing communities; 2) Exploring the carbon sequestration potential for blue carbon habitats in Washington; and 3) Evaluating the kelp aquaculture industry’s potential ecosystem benefits and impacts to ensure new techniques are developed sustainably. See full description in TNC’s Fellowship Description PDF. 

Washington State Department of Ecology’s Shorelands and Environmental Assistance program is offering two unique fellowship opportunities this cycle.

The Coastal Hazards Resilience fellow will work on a variety of projects that support coastal communities in developing resources, trainings, and communication tools to effectively plan for and address coastal hazards (including flooding, landslides, erosion, earthquakes, and tsunamis.) See full project description in Ecology’s Coastal Hazard Resilience Project Description PDF.

Ecology’s Shorelands and Environmental Assistance program is offering two unique fellowship opportunities this cycle. The Resilience Action Demonstration Project fellow will work with a multi-agency team to develop processes for studying, funding, and assessing community led resilience projects relating to coastal hazards (including flooding, landslides, erosion, earthquakes, and tsunamis.) See full project description in Ecology’s Resilience Action Demonstration Project PDF

The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) is a support organization for the 20 western Washington treaty Indian tribes headquartered in Olympia, Washington. NWIFC’s fellow will support the commissions efforts to characterize different stages of fishery recovery and how associated social and biological tradeoffs should inform possible management decisions. The fellow will learn about the tribal approach to identifying and protecting the lands, waters and ecological processes critical to tribal rights, resources and homelands. See full description in NWIFC’s Recovery Stages Fellowship Project PDF.

The mission of Ecology’s Spills program is to protect Washington’s environment, public health, and safety through a comprehensive spill prevention, preparedness, and response program. Ecology’s Spills fellow will work on implementing brand new legislation related to oil transport vessel safety. This work will likely include a synopsis of changing vessel traffic trends, identifying potential geographic zones to model, and to consider tug escort requirements. See full description in Ecology’s Spills Fellowship Project PDF.

Long Live the Kings (LLTK) is a 35-year-old 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to the restoring wild salmon and steelhead and supporting sustainable fishing in the Pacific Northwest. The primary role of the fellow will be to help accomplish specific tasks at the interface of science and management related to LLTK’s Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. The project seeks to determine why certain species of juvenile salmon, and steelhead, are dying as they migrate through the combined marine waters of Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia. The fellow will participate in synthesizing the results and disseminating the findings, tools, and programs established by this project. See full description in LLTK’s Salish Sea Marine Survival Fellowship PDF.

The mission statement of the recently formed Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group (PNWCRG) is to promote sustainable Dungeness crab populations in the Pacific Northwest. The PNWCRG consists of individuals representing researchers and managers from western Washington tribes, state and federal agencies, non-profits, and major universities. The fellow would serve as the first program coordinator for the PNWCRG, formalizing the structure of the group and organizing research and communication efforts; eventually leading to improved management and standardization of Dungeness crab research. See full description in PNWCRG’s Fellowship Project PDF.