Fellow spotlight: Harmony Wayner

Harmony Wayner is an Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow based in Anchorage and working with the NOAA Marine Debris Program. During the course of her fellowship, Wayner is developing and implementing the first Alaska state marine debris action plan, a stakeholder and community-driven process to build a framework for marine debris prevention and management that is specific to Alaska’s expansive coastline. The plan will highlight the complexity of debris mitigation in the state, and guide future Alaska funding priorities for mitigation.

Wayner is working with Peter Murphy, the NOAA Marine Debris Program regional coordinator for Alaska. Her fellowship involves leading outreach efforts and facilitating listening sessions to ensure that the marine debris strategy and plan reflect Alaska’s diverse partners and stakeholders. She is collecting feedback from listening sessions at various Alaska conferences, and analyzing the data for drafting the strategic plan. The draft will go through an agency review process this fall. Once the plan is finalized and adopted, it will be evaluated and revised every two to five years to address changing conditions. 

Growing up, Wayner spent time in the communities of Naknek, Unalaska, and Anchorage. At age ten, she began commercial fishing in Bristol Bay with her family, and credits the experience with instilling in her a strong work ethic.

Wayner received her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Alaska Southeast, and her master’s degree in resource management from the University Centre of the Westfjords in Iceland. Wayner explains, “I love that the Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship has allowed me to come back home to be professionally and personally connected to the state, after a few years abroad.”

“I am excited about this opportunity because of the chance to work with Western Alaska communities and the fishing industry in clean-up efforts,” Wayner said. “Marine debris is a multifaceted issue that allows me to work in many maritime industry sectors along with science. The many hats of my identity as an Indigenous fisherwoman-scientist are happy in this field.”

Harmony Wayner is an Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow based in Anchorage and working with the NOAA Marine Debris Program. During the course of her fellowship, Wayner is developing and implementing the first Alaska state marine debris action plan, a stakeholder and community-driven process to build a framework for marine debris prevention and management that is specific to Alaska’s expansive coastline. The plan will highlight the complexity of debris mitigation in the state, and guide future Alaska funding priorities for mitigation.

Wayner is working with Peter Murphy, the NOAA Marine Debris Program regional coordinator for Alaska. Her fellowship involves leading outreach efforts and facilitating listening sessions to ensure that the marine debris strategy and plan reflect Alaska’s diverse partners and stakeholders. She is collecting feedback from listening sessions at various Alaska conferences, and analyzing the data for drafting the strategic plan. The draft will go through an agency review process this fall. Once the plan is finalized and adopted, it will be evaluated and revised every two to five years to address changing conditions. 

Growing up, Wayner spent time in the communities of Naknek, Unalaska, and Anchorage. At age ten, she began commercial fishing in Bristol Bay with her family, and credits the experience with instilling in her a strong work ethic.

Wayner received her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Alaska Southeast, and her master’s degree in resource management from the University Centre of the Westfjords in Iceland. Wayner explains, “I love that the Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship has allowed me to come back home to be professionally and personally connected to the state, after a few years abroad.”

“I am excited about this opportunity because of the chance to work with Western Alaska communities and the fishing industry in clean-up efforts,” Wayner said. “Marine debris is a multifaceted issue that allows me to work in many maritime industry sectors along with science. The many hats of my identity as an Indigenous fisherwoman-scientist are happy in this field.”