news – Alaska Sea Grant

A seafood success story

By Tom Moran | August 13, 2026

A smiling middle-aged man with big black and gray hair and a graying beard, in a blue shirt and black baseball cap.

A 14-hour shift can’t dampen Jake Merzoian’s enthusiasm for Alaska Sea Grant. “I’m really aspiring to get into upper management, and here’s this program that’s been able to help me…

Fellowship spotlight: Ana Velasquez

By Kyle Kolda | August 6, 2026

Ana Velasquez smiling with mountain and water in background. Her shirt says "Rip Curl-California"

Ana Velasquez is an Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow working with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Ana works on ocean policy and mariculture initiatives, supporting Indigenous stewardship and collaborative efforts to sustain healthy marine ecosystems in Southeast Alaska. Hear from Ana in this video short.

Alaska Sea Grant announces 2026 State Fellows

By Tom Moran | August 4, 2026

Fifteen recent graduates from across the country will spend a year working with Alaskan agencies and organizations through the Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship program. This year’s fellows will be…

Alaska Oyster Voyage sets sail

By Alaska Sea Grant | July 30, 2026

If you’re an oyster aficionado in Alaska or just curious about oysters, there is a new website just for you. Alaska Sea Grant recently partnered with the Alaska Shellfish Growers…

A little kelp with our friends

By Alaska Sea Grant | July 28, 2026

A colorful array of kelp lie on a blue-green cloth.

For a week in June, kelp was on people’s minds in Kodiak—and in many of their stomachs as well. Alaska Sea Grant was the main sponsor and organizer of the…

Fellowship spotlight: Kyle Kolda

By Alaska Sea Grant | July 23, 2026

Kyle Kolda smiling. He has sunglasses on top of his head and water is in background.

Kyle Kolda is an Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow working with Alaska Sea Grant’s communications team. Kyle helps share the work behind Alaska’s marine science by creating videos, writing research stories and highlighting the people and communities working to better understand and steward Alaska’s coastal ecosystems. Hear from Kyle in this video short.

A Seward sojourn for new fellows

By Alaska Sea Grant | July 16, 2026

Six people lean on a large log and smile at the camera. Behind them is verdant forest.

Alaska Sea Grant’s 2026 cohort of Community-Engaged Fellows kicked off their summer fellowships in memorable fashion with a three-day retreat in Seward. Four of the six fellows attended the June…

From fungi to foam

By Kyle Kolda | July 14, 2026

A man stands next to a 2.5-foot model of a house wall insulated with wood and mycelium foam.

An innovative alternative to Styrofoam might be growing in your backyard. A team led by University of Alaska Anchorage researcher Philippe Amstislavski is exploring how mycelium, the root structure of…

Enhancing safety culture in mariculture

By Tom Moran | July 10, 2026

Three people sit inside a bulbous orange capsule designed for survival at sea.

There will likely never be a reality show called “Deadliest Kelp.” But even if mariculture in Alaska doesn’t have the same dangerous reputation as commercial fishing, it’s still a hazardous…

Alaska Sea Grant shines at D.C. fish fry

By Alaska Sea Grant | July 9, 2026

Three people pose in an outdoor booth labeled “Alaska Sea Grant.” Various cookware for a fish fry sit on tables in front of them.

Alaskan cod and rockfish don’t generally stray out of the state’s waters, but a select few of them recently made it all the way to Washington D.C. The two Alaskan…