Boating

March 3, 2026

Washington Clean Marina is proud to announce Oak Harbor Marina’s renewal as a certified clean marina for another three-year period. The prestigious Clean Marina certification, a program administered by Washington Sea Grant (WSG), requires marinas to undergo a rigorous assessment of their environmental practices and plan improvements for the future.

Located in the city of Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, between Seattle and the San Juan Islands, Oak Harbor Marina is a popular spot for boaters on Puget Sound. ...

May 22, 2025

With the boating season officially underway, it’s time for Washington boaters to brush up on their knowledge for leaving a healthy wake for all to enjoy. This includes being able to safely and effectively dispose of sewage from a boat’s holding tank.

With more options for pumping out — including more mobile pumpout boats — properly disposing of onboard waste is easier than ever.

As recreational boating continues to become more popular in the state, Washington State Parks’ Clean Vessel ...

July 15, 2024

The Northwest Marine Trade Association (NMTA), Washington Sea Grant and others today announced the certification of Leschi and Lakewood Marinas, managed by Marina Management LLC, as Clean Marinas. The prestigious Clean Marina certification, established by NMTA in partnership with Sound Keepers, requires marinas to undergo a rigorous assessment of their environmental practices and plan improvements for the future.

“Recently our marinas at Leschi and Lakewood on Lake Washington were awarded the Clean Marina certification. This acknowledgement serves as a ...

In addition to his academic and policy achievements, Hershman is remembered for being an exceptional mentor

From the Winter 2023/2024 Sea Star

Marc J. Hershman has been credited with turning coastal management into an academic field of study. He taught coastal and ocean law, seaport management and coastal management at the University of Washington (UW) for over 30 ...

Many Hershman alums find themselves coming back full circle as they mentor the next generation of fellows

From the Winter 2023/2024 Sea Star

By Samantha Larson, WSG Science Writer

Since 2008, Washington Sea Grant (WSG) has placed recent graduate students in offices across the state to spend a year working on ocean and coastal science and policy issues. Over that time, the WSG Hershman Fellowship has grown into a highly respected, sought-after opportunity for students and host offices alike. 

Read More

NOAA Science Camp has brought a breadth of marine programming to middle and high school students since 2003

From the Winter 2023/2024 Sea Star

By Samantha Larson, WSG Science Writer

Minutes away from Seattle’s Space Needle and skyscrapers, a pocket beach along the waterfront hosts an abundance of marine life. On a warm day in July this past summer, about two dozen middle schoolers poked through these tidepools, uncovering animals many of the students had never even heard of before — ...

New research informs future restoration efforts for endangered pinto abalone populations in the Pacific Northwest

From the Winter 2023/2024 Sea Star

By Emma Duckworth, WSG Science Communications Fellow

The pinto abalone is a crucial organism in Puget Sound. “They are the Roomba of the rocky intertidal,” says doctoral student Eileen Bates.  

Abalone are key grazers that feed on the rocks of the intertidal, which allows for the natural succession of other species in the habitat and keeps the entire ecosystem ...

UW and Smithsonian researchers develop DNA identification methods for monitoring Salish Sea planktonic communities

From the Winter 2023/2024 Sea Star

By Katalin Plummer, WSG Science Communications Fellow

Sometimes it’s the smallest living things that can tell us the most about the state of the ocean. For decades, scientists have tracked the diversity and abundance of plankton — microscopic organisms that include larval fish (ichthyoplankton), other small animals (zooplankton), and photosynthesizing bacteria and protists (phytoplankton) — on the surface of the ocean. Traditionally, this ...

October 3, 2023

Port Townsend is getting a clean water boost with a new solar-powered pumpout unit that will help provide more options for boaters to properly dispose of their sewage.

The unit was commissioned by the Port of Port Townsend and built by the nearby Northwest School of Wooden BoatBuilding. The equipment is a self-contained module ...