News
The latest blog posts and news releases from Alaska Sea Grant
Carbon dioxide sample from Utqiaġvik provides wake-up call on climate (4/18/2019)- How does the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere measured at Hawai‘i’s Mauna Loa volcano over the last six decades compare with the air above Alaska? During a recent spring trip to Utqiaġvik, I had a chance to find out by visiting the farthest-north atmospheric observatory operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration…
Unraveling the mysteries of spot shrimp (3/26/2019)- Northern spot shrimp are an important species in Alaska, for commercial, sport and personal use. But in Alaska’s southeast panhandle, their numbers are declining for reasons that are not at all clear. In the Juneau area, the spot shrimp fishery has been closed to sport and personal use since 2013 due to low abundance. Could…
Juneau company makes waves with kelp (3/26/2019)- Wild salmon, king crab and halibut are hallmarks of Alaska cuisine. But another ocean product is increasingly making it way onto store shelves and dinner plates. It’s a sea vegetable called bull kelp—a salty, crisp plant packed with vitamins and nutrients such as calcium, iodine and iron. A small but growing company in Alaska’s state…
Water samples detect low levels of Fukushima-related contamination (3/13/2019)- A slightly elevated level of radioactive contamination connected to the Fukushima nuclear disaster has been detected in the northern Bering Sea. The level of cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, is extremely low and not considered a health concern, according to state epidemiologists. The sampling, conducted by residents of Saint Lawrence Island, documents the Fukushima plume’s northern…
Kodiak agent works with tribes to keep residents safe from PSP (3/6/2019)- Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is a significant concern in Alaska, where many residents harvest clams, mussels and other bivalves for food and recreation. PSP is of particular concern in the Kodiak region, where it is prevalent. Since 2012, Julie Matweyou, a Marine Advisory agent with Alaska Sea Grant, has been working with the communities of…
Public comments sought for Alaska Sea Grant review (3/5/2019)- Alaska Sea Grant is preparing for a program review by a team convened by the National Sea Grant Program. The review will be conducted April 9–11, 2019, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and will consider all aspects of Alaska Sea Grant’s programs, including management and organization, performance, stakeholder engagement and collaborative activities, including those with…
Marilyn Sigman honored for marine science outreach (3/1/2019)- Kudos to our marine education specialist Marilyn Sigman, who recently took home an Alaska Ocean Leadership Award at the Alaska Marine Gala in Anchorage. The award program is run by the Alaska SeaLife Center and covers five categories. Sigman won for marine science outreach, awarded to “a person, team or organization that has made an…
Cordova uses friendly competition to promote marine safety (2/27/2019)- The Prince William Sound fishing community of Cordova celebrated its 58th annual Cordova Iceworm Festival this winter, and as usual, Alaska Sea Grant was there to help. One of the festival’s main events is the survival suit race, where teams of four people run down a dock to where their suits are placed. They don…
Sen. Lisa Murkowski recognizes Sea Grant’s work in speech to Alaska Legislature (2/26/2019)- In her address to Alaska lawmakers on Tuesday, Feb. 19, Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced her staff, including 2018 NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship recipient Ann Robertson. Ann is from Juneau and recently completed her Masters of Environmental Management at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she focused on fisheries, marine policy…
An interview with Alaska Sea Grant-funded graduate student Ashley Rossin (1/28/2019)- The Alaska Ocean Acidification Network recently profiled Ashley Rossin on her research interests, her Alaska Sea Grant research project looking at the effects of ocean acidification on clams, and her advice for other young scientists interested in the field.