blog
New Alaska aquaculture permitting portal and guidance document
Current and prospective aquatic farmers in Alaska have a valuable new resource to guide them through submitting, amending, renewing or transferring an aquatic farm application. NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region and Alaska Sea Grant have launched a web portal and printable manual to assist applicants with the aquatic farm leasing and permitting process. The complex multi-agency…
Read MoreApplications open for Knauss Fellowship
The John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship is a competitive paid professional opportunity for graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. Alaska Sea Grant nominates graduate students from Alaska schools who are interested in the fellowship. Named after a Sea…
Read MoreSupport Alaska Sea Grant on Giving Day
The second annual UA Giving Day takes place over 49 hours from November 9–10. Show your support for the University of Alaska by participating in this statewide campaign and making a gift to Alaska Sea Grant. Alaska Sea Grant projects enhance and sustain Alaska’s healthy coastal resources, strong economies and vibrant communities through applied research,…
Read MoreStudent interns from Kake contribute to local climate change studies
Elizabeth Figus, PhD, contributed to this story. During the summer of 2021, two students from Kake participated in Alaska Sea Grant’s Community Engaged Internship (CEI). The internship is designed for undergraduate students from underrepresented and Indigenous communities, with the goal to engage students in place-based projects that respect and integrate local ways of knowing. Simon…
Read MoreState Fellow spotlight: Ashley Bolwerk
Jesse Gordon contributed to this story. Ashley Bolwerk describes her professional path as one that has “meandered between science and education.” After spending six years working for the Sitka Sound Science Center as education manager and contributing to various research projects, Bolwerk decided that she wanted to focus on a science-driven career. She hopes to…
Read MoreThere are 90 harbors in Alaska. How clean is yours?
Tav Ammu, Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow, contributed to this story. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) and Alaska Sea Grant are asking Alaskan boaters, harbor users, and community members to participate in a survey aimed at improving pollution prevention in Alaska’s marine environment. Since 2010, the Alaska Clean Harbors program has sought to…
Read MoreNew podcast explores solutions to warming ocean
Ocean acidification and ocean warming are growing concerns of coastal Alaskans and the seafood industry. As carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere due to fossil fuel burning and deforestation, about one-third gets absorbed by the ocean, making it more acidic. The ocean also absorbs most of the excess heat resulting from greenhouse gas emissions,…
Read MoreState Fellow spotlight: Becca Cates
Jesse Gordon contributed to this story. Becca Cates recently began her Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Cates earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from Western Washington University, where she developed an interest in marine ecology. After completing her undergraduate degree, she moved to the Florida Keys, where she worked…
Read MoreRemembering Judy McDonald
A long time University of Alaska Fairbanks employee and contributor to marine science and education, Judy McDonald, has died. Judy worked at the UAF Seward Marine Center with her husband, Dr. A.J. Paul, a biological oceanographer. The couple collaborated on researching commercially important Alaskan fishes and invertebrates, and their work led to better understanding and…
Read MoreCause of seabird die-offs still unknown
For the fifth year in a row, Gay Sheffield has been investigating unusual seabird deaths in Western Alaska in collaboration with Bering Strait residents, Kawerak Inc., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others. Sheffield is a marine mammal biologist and Alaska Sea Grant’s Marine Advisory Program agent in Nome. Part of her work involves…
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