fishery
Unalaska uses teamwork and technology to save whales
Humpback whale sightings are becoming increasingly common in Unalaska, and so are whale entanglements. In late October 2018, Alaska Sea Grant’s Melissa Good helped coordinate efforts to successfully free a humpback that had been caught in commercial fishing gear. Good is the regional lead responder for the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Network. She said…
Read MoreSymposium aims to bridge gaps between fishermen and scientists
Fishing and seafood-industry professionals will join academics at the 32nd Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium in Anchorage next spring. The symposium’s theme is “Cooperative Research — strategies for integrating industry perspectives and insights in fisheries science.” Attendees will explore effective strategies and approaches to integrate industry perspectives and insights in fisheries science. The symposium is scheduled…
Read MoreGraying of the Fleet research wins national award
Alaska Sea Grant-supported researchers won a national award at Sea Grant Week in Portland, Ore., this month for a study on how to boost access to Alaska commercial fisheries by young and rural residents. The Sea Grant Association, comprised of Sea Grant program directors from 33 coastal universities, presented its Research to Application award to…
Read MoreInvestigating threats from invasive species in the Aleutians Islands
Some exciting science detective work is going on in the Aleutian Islands, home to 1,100 miles of remote marine habitat and some of the world’s richest fishing grounds. Because this sensitive region is vulnerable to the introduction of invasive and potentially harmful marine species, Alaska Sea Grant is participating in research to determine the threat…
Read MoreWhy are salmon shrinking? UAF professor tackles the topic at Rainforest Festival
When you hear the word rainforest, people often associate it with something tropical. Residents of Southeast Alaska might think differently though, since they’re surrounded by the 17-million-acre Tongass National Forest, a temperate rainforest. In Petersburg, the gifts of Alaska’s coastal rainforest were celebrated this month in a festival organized in part by Sunny Rice, Alaska…
Read MoreStudy focuses on salmon resilience
Christopher Sergeant is studying Southeast Alaska watersheds as part of his doctoral research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Along with his advisor, Assistant Prof. Jeffrey Falke, and partners at the U.S. Forest Service, Alaska Sea Grant and Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, Sergeant is working on an Alaska Sea Grant-funded project to assess the resilience of Southeast Alaska salmon.
Read MoreSea Grant fellow hired by fishery council
One of the reasons Sara Cleaver likes working for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is that her workmates are as enthusiastic about fish as she is. “It is such a relief to have coworkers who don’t find your obsession with fish to be weird—in fact, it is basically a requirement of the job.” Cleaver said. She has been hired full time by the Council, cutting short her Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship there. Her fellowship would have run until October, but instead she was recruited into a two-year position that started May 21.
Read MoreIs big always better? Maybe not
Over the past 20 years, the South Olga Lakes on Kodiak Island has produced nearly half a million sockeye salmon per year on average. This fishery is historically one of the region’s most productive sockeye systems. But recently, its salmon wealth has plummeted, prompting calls for something to be done. Managers are considering fertilizing the…
Read MoreAlaska Sea Grant helps prevent seafood fraud
Quentin Fong, Alaska Sea Grant’s seafood marketing specialist, assisted federal efforts to crack down on seafood fraud. Scientists are developing a new method for matching protein to particular fish to prevent mislabeling, a problem that affects millions of consumers.
Read MoreSeaweed farming, robot-style
An underwater robot with a custom-built arm may become a useful tool in seaweed farming, an emerging industry in Alaska. Alaska Sea Grant’s Gary Freitag designed and modified the seaweed-plucking arm to help our state’s aquaculture industry expand its reach.
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