news – Alaska Sea Grant

Finding a new life for marine plastics

By Kyle Kolda | November 5, 2026

A woman hoists a messy pile of rope into a large white bag on a beach.

Jutting out into the Gulf of Alaska, Kayak Island collects a lot of seaborne trash. But an organization called the Ocean Plastics Recovery Project (OPR) is working to make the…

Faces of Alaska Sea Grant: Gay Sheffield

By Kyle Kolda | October 29, 2026

A woman in a purple down jacket and orange Alaska Sea Grant hat stands in front of the ocean, with distant industrial equipment behind her.

Gay Sheffield is Alaska Sea Grant’s Marine Advisory Program Agent for the Bering Strait region, based in Nome. Gay works alongside the people and communities of Western Alaska to share knowledge, connect people and research, and support the region’s marine ecosystems, wildlife, food security and way of life. Learn more about her in this video.

Share your community’s research priorities

By Alaska Sea Grant | October 21, 2026

Two men stand on a high riverbank and look across the river, where a motorboat is moving and creating a wake. They are dressed for cool fall weather and the grass and shrubs are all brown.

We want to hear from you. Alaska Sea Grant invites partners to share research topics and questions that matter to them. Why? Alaska Sea Grant supports applied research to enhance…

A banner year for Coastal Connections Camps

By Tom Moran | October 14, 2026

One student and two teachers stand outside over a table with water in the background. One student is peeling apart a salmon. A salmon filet sits next to it.

In 2026, Coastal Connections Camps added another coast. The Alaska Sea Grant-supported summer camp program expanded to a new site in Bethel, marking the first time it offered activities along…

Hi, Sierra!

By Tom Moran | October 8, 2026

Sierra Greene may be a new employee at Alaska Sea Grant, but for some of us she’s already a familiar face. For the past three years, Greene has worked as…

One fellowship after another

By Tom Moran | October 6, 2026

A young woman smiles and holds up an award certificate.

An Alaska Sea Grant Community-Engaged Fellowship was only the beginning for Willow Jackson. Five years after serving as a Community-Engaged fellow in her hometown of Kake, Jackson is midway through…

Sailing into the sunset

By Tom Moran | September 29, 2026

A photo of a sunset taken from the deck of a fishing boat. A buoy is in the foreground.

For decades, Alaska Sea Grant has trained people to enter the commercial fishing workforce. Now the organization will also help people take the proper steps to get out. Clearing the…

Revised oyster manual hits the shelves

By Alaska Sea Grant | September 22, 2026

The front cover of a book entitled The New Alaska Oyster Growers Manual. The main image on the cover is a pile of oysters.

Alaska Sea Grant has once again written the book on oyster cultivation in Alaska. Literally. We’ve released The New Alaska Oyster Growers Manual, the definitive guide to cultivating oysters in…

Fellowship spotlight: Sydney Almgren

By Tom Moran | September 17, 2026

A young woman smiles in front of a field of fireweed. She has freckles and long blond hair.

Sydney Almgren is an Alaska State Fellow working with the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation. Almgren collaborates with industry members, agencies, and fishermen to meet requirements to have Alaskan fisheries certified as sustainable. Hear from Almgren in this video short.

Before her J.D., working on HABs

By Tom Moran | September 15, 2026

A woman stands in a laboratory holding a small plastic tray filled with small vials of blue liquid.

Tessa Davis didn’t have to leave her home in Kodiak to take part in an Alaska Sea Grant Community-Engaged Fellowship. But for the aspiring human-rights lawyer, spending the summer helping…