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Sea Star
Washington Sea Grant supported an innovative pilot project repurposing marine debris, transforming it into a useful tool for recreational crabbers
By Benjamin Haagen, WSG Science Communications Fellow
Aquaculture in the Salish Sea brings both benefits and challenges to coastal communities and ecosystems. The yellow aquaculture rope commonly used in shellfish farming is contributing to a key environmental issue facing the world today: plastics pollution. This issue is being addressed in a novel way by Nicole Baker, ...
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The Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group connects fisheries management scientists and resource managers, facilitating collaboration and information sharing
By Samantha Larson, WSG Science Writer
“Male Dungeness, 173, 1-2!” After calling out the specs, Emily Buckner — the program coordinator for the Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group (PCRG) — swiftly tosses the wriggling crab overboard and then reaches back into the pot to pull out another. Today, Buckner’s job entails going out with a small team on ...
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New research finds that rules to protect endangered southern resident killer whales could mean less demand for commercial whale watching — but tour operators have options for making up the difference
Maddie Hansen, WSG Science Communications Fellow
The Salish Sea is a beacon for whale enthusiasts: it is possible to view ...
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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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In the third consecutive summer of pandemic-related closures, NOAA Science Camp brought new programming to the beach during an extreme low tide
By Ashli Blow, WSG Science Communications Specialist
When Puget Sound receded during an extreme low tide in June, Maile Sullivan, Washington Sea Grant education specialist, and a team from ...
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From the winter 2021–2022 Sea Star print newsletter
The Seafarer Collective provides accessible educational programs for aspiring mariners to sustain and diversify the maritime workforce
By Kathleen McKeegan, WSG Science Communications Fellow
For Captain Halee Grimes, all it took was one look at an old wooden boat while she was in college. ...
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From the winter 2021–2022 Sea Star print newsletter
Researchers use Go-Pro cameras to document life beneath the surface on shellfish farms
By Hannah Jeffries, WSG Science Communications Fellow
Shellfish growers spend countless hours on the tideflats each year to produce sustainable seafood for everyone to enjoy. All of this time out on the tideflats gives growers an extensive understanding of the environment around their farms, including the other organisms that live there. But their eyes can only take in what goes on ...
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From the winter 2021–2022 Sea Star print newsletter
How the Cross-Pacific Regional Collaborative Hub for Indigenous Aquaculture fosters student participation, research and communications
By MaryAnn Wagner, WSG Assistant Director for Communications
On an early morning at Kapapapuhi Point Park, one of the few public access points to Puʻuloa (Pearl Harbor)in Oʻahu, Amanda Millin stands knee deep in mud with chainsaw in hand, preparing to remove an invasive mangrove tree with her crew. This is a typical day for Millin since she ...
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From the winter 2021–2022 Sea Star print newsletter
Researchers use UW vessel logbooks to reconstruct historical groundfish populations
To understand how Puget Sound has changed, we first must understand how it used to be. Unlike most major estuaries in the U.S. — and despite the abundance of world-class oceanographic institutions in the area — long-term monitoring of Puget Sound fish populations did not exist until 1990. Filling in this missing information is essential to establishing a baseline that would provide context ...
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From the winter 2021–2022 Sea Star print newsletter
In honor of the program’s golden anniversary, we asked four current and former staff to reflect on what they have accomplished here
By Grace Freeman, WSG Science Communications Fellow
Based in Seattle and housed within the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, Washington Sea Grant (WSG) celebrated 50 years in 2021. The world has changed immensely since its inception, and WSG has continued to adapt. Even with these changes, a few key ...
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