Environmental Threats

New research reveals genetic insights key to eelgrass restoration efforts

April 14, 2025

A Washington Sea Grant-funded study shows that nature, not just nurture, explains whether eelgrass flowers

Native Washington eelgrass (Zostera marina) is in trouble. Due to declines in some areas of the Salish Sea and Pacific coast over the last 20 years, restoring eelgrass – and the crucial habitat and ecosystem services it provides – is a high priority for Washington state.

Restoring eelgrass meadows often looks like simply taking eelgrass from one ...

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Researchers to map the genome of the invasive European green crab

April 2, 2025

With state funding, Washington Sea Grant will work with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to shed light on a highly invasive species

SEATTLE – Washington state will soon have another tool to support long-term management for one of the highest priority invasive species, European green crab, thanks to additional state funding dedicated to genetic research.

Last fall, Washington Sea Grant (WSG) received $185,000 in state appropriations to work with Washington Department of Fish ...

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Paralytic shellfish poisoning on the Washington Coast

September 3, 2024

An update on the recent shellfish poisoning event and the safety protocols in place

By Ashleigh Epps, WSG aquaculture specialist

In late May 2024, the Pacific coasts of Oregon and Washington experienced a paralytic shellfish poisoning harmful algal bloom event. Thirty-one people became sick in Oregon over Memorial Day weekend, which triggered increased paralytic shellfish poisoning testing and the closures of harvest areas by the Department of Health.

No illnesses occurred in Washington. The last time Willapa Bay ...

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Congratulations to three Washington Clean Marina recertifications

July 11, 2023

Port of Everett, Semiahmoo and Narrows Marinas take on water pollution

Three Washington marinas were recertified as part of Washington’s Clean Marina program. Port of Everett Marina, Semiahmoo Marina, and Narrows Marina surpassed the minimum pollution prevention requirements by a wide margin and successfully passed ...

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JUL

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Shoreline restoration: community science to monitor effectiveness

July 10, 2023

Read on UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences News.

Jason Toft from the UW Wetland Ecosystem Team has been monitoring shoreline armor restoration in Puget Sound for over a decade at sites where artificial armor on beaches has been removed to facilitate the restoration of intertidal areas.

Shoreline armor, also known as seawalls and bulkheads, occurs on over 25% of Puget Sound’s shorelines and was historically installed along homes and infrastructure to address erosion risk. We now know that ...

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JUL

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Blue Futures: WSG funds collaborative research projects with the Makah Tribe

From the Summer 2023 Sea Star

By incorporating people, culture and Indigenous knowledge systems, these three projects model the use of interdisciplinary approaches to inform marine resource management

By Olivia Horwedel, WSG Science Communications Fellow

Deep blue ocean waters push against rocky shorelines and coastal forests. Eagles soar overhead. In the distance, whales surface, taking a moment to breathe as they navigate through the ocean’s waters. This incredibly unique landscape, situated at the Northwest tip of Washington state, is the ...

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JUN

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Are moon jellies eating up all the zooplankton?

From the Summer 2023 Sea Star

As dense aggregations of moon jellyfish form in Puget Sound, researchers study the ecosystem-wide impacts

By Andrea Richter-Sanchez, WSG Science Communications Fellow

Have you ever seen a jellyfish floating in Puget Sound? Chances are, it was a moon jellyfish. Moon jellies, or Aurelia labiata have had large blooms — high numbers in certain areas — in the past several years.

Moon jelly aggregations normally form in the summer in Puget ...

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JUN

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WSG, Washington CoastSavers and partners awarded funding to tackle marine debris

April 21, 2023

The partners will receive $299,965 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to lead collaborative marine debris efforts in coastal Washington

Marine debris is a persistent issue in Washington, as trash enters the ocean and threatens the health of ecosystems. Washington Sea Grant, together with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and Washington CoastSavers have been awarded $299,965 from the National Sea Grant Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions ...

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More than just a cute face: What otters can tell us about the health of the environment

December 27, 2022

The River Otter Project used community science to shed light on contamination in the Lower Duwamish River

By Andrea Richter-Sanchez, WSG Science Communications Fellow

“Otters are an easy way to engage people to care about the environment. If there is one thing that almost everyone can agree on, it’s how cute otters are,” says Michelle Wainstein, a conservation biologist and lead of Otter Spotter at the Woodland Park ...

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DEC

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Monitoring the Damage in the Heat Wave’s Wake

From the Autumn 2022 Sea Star

Washington Sea Grant rapidly provided funding to two projects to survey the impacts of the historic June 2021 heat wave on intertidal marine life

By Samantha Larson, WSG Science Writer

In June 2021, the peak of an unprecedented heat wave coincided with extremely low tides in the Salish Sea, wreaking havoc on intertidal ecosystems. As a “heat dome” settled above the Pacific Northwest for several days and the temperatures climbed well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, many ...

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Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Recognizes Crab Team

June 30, 2022

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife named Washington Sea Grant Crab Team the Organization of the Year. Made up of Kate Litle, Dr. Emily Grason, Dr. P. Sean McDonald, Jeff Adams, Alex Stote, and Amy Linhart, Crab Team was launched in 2015 in response to a WDFW request to lead an early detection monitoring ...

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JUN

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Community Science Volunteers Discover Invasive European Green Crab in Hood Canal

May 19, 2022
Original post: https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/community-science-volunteers-discover-invasive-european-green-crab-hood-canal

WDFW and Washington Sea Grant to deploy rapid response trapping efforts

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has received confirmation that volunteers with Washington Sea Grant have captured a male European green crab in Nick’s Lagoon near Seabeck in Kitsap County. This is the first detection of ...

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MAY

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Green Crab Monitoring, WSG News Blog

State Parks Clean Vessel Act Grant Program Funds $700K in New Pumpout and Floating Restroom Project

April 10, 2022

CONTACTS:
MaryAnn Wagner, Washington Sea Grant, 206-371-7656, maryannb@uw.edu
Catherine Buchalski Smith, CVA Grant Program, Catherine.BuchalskiSmith@parks.wa.gov
Christina Rohila, Pierce County, christina.rohila@piercecountywa.gov
Jeff Barney, Pierce County, jeff.barney@piercecountywa.gov
Paul Henriksen, Port of Lopez, paulh@portoflopez.com

It will now be easier for recreational boaters to safely pump out vessel sewage and keep Washington’s waters clean with an expansion of mobile pumpout services in South Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. The State Parks Clean ...

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New Staff: WSG Welcomes Michelle Lepori-Bui

March 30, 2022

Washington Sea Grant is thrilled to welcome Michelle Lepori-Bui, marine water quality specialist, to the team.

Michelle partners with Native tribes, aquaculture businesses, natural resource managers, environmental education centers, and other community groups and volunteers to monitor and address marine water quality issues in Washington. She provides technical assistance and support to the SoundToxins program, which focuses ...

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MAR

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