News
The latest blog posts and news releases from Alaska Sea Grant
Tracking bird flu in Western Alaska (6/30/2022) - The United States is in the midst of a bird flu outbreak first detected in December 2021. Alaska Sea Grant’s Gay Sheffield has been closely monitoring the situation in the Bering Strait region as part of her work as the Marine Advisory Program agent based in Nome. Avian influenza, or bird flu, is a disease…
Intertidal drawing workshop brings coastal residents closer to nature (6/27/2022) - Homer artist Kim McNett helped Petersburg residents get up close and personal with life on the coast in mid-May, teaching them how to create a nature journal. After spending a week in the Petersburg elementary school as part of the Artist in the Schools residency program through the Alaska State Council on the Arts, McNett…
Alaska Sea Grant Director elected Chair of Marine Debris Foundation Board (6/23/2022) - Alaska Sea Grant director, Ginny Eckert, was elected Chair of the Marine Debris Foundation Board. The nonprofit charitable foundation was authorized by the federal Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, which addresses the global crisis of plastic waste in our oceans. Twelve individuals were appointed to the inaugural Board of Directors in April, and Eckert was…
Five new Alaska Sea Grant research projects get underway (6/21/2022) - Work has begun on five research projects competitively selected for Alaska Sea Grant funding over the next two years. More than $500,000 will support research involving ocean environmental changes, Pacific salmon in the Arctic, fish responses to environmental change, seaweed cultivation, and sea otter-oyster farm interactions. The research will advance Alaska Sea Grant’s priority focus…
State Fellow spotlight: Jamie Musbach (6/15/2022) - Jesse Gordon contributed to this story The 2021–2022 cohort of Alaska Sea Grant State Fellows are wrapping up their fellowships this summer. This month we introduce you to Jamie Musbach, who has been working with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Protected Resources Division in Juneau. Jamie earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor…
Alaska Sea Grant at ComFish (6/9/2022) - Every year, Alaska Sea Grant participates in ComFish, Alaska’s largest and longest running commercial fisheries trade show. This year, fisheries specialist Gabe Dunham, marine advisory agent Sunny Rice and Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow Tav Ammu represented Alaska Sea Grant at the Kodiak event. Dunham and Rice shared preliminary findings of an assessment of training…
Seaweed processing and handling workshop provides workforce training (5/24/2022) - Seaweed farming is a major industry worldwide, and the United States imports more than 95%—19 million tons—of its edible seaweed. Alaska has an ideal environment for producing home-grown seaweed to meet a greater share of the domestic market and as a potential export to meet international demand. Interest in seaweed farming is growing in Alaska,…
Supervisor training for seafood processors (5/23/2022) - Alaska Sea Grant and the Applied Business program at the UAF Community and Technical College are collaborating to offer leadership and supervisory skills training for workers in the seafood processing industry. The first workshops were hosted at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center in April. Nineteen participants attended the initial trainings, which covered the…
Conference shares science in Western Alaska (5/20/2022) - The annual Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference (WAISC) was held last month, hosted by Alaska Sea Grant and the UAF Bristol Bay Campus. The 14th installment drew online participation from around the region and state, with 43 presentations across five sessions: Education in Rural Communities; Sustainable Energy; Climate, Environment and Influences on Society; Natural Sciences…
Alaska aquaculture permitting support bolsters new aquatic farm applications (5/18/2022) - Alaska’s burgeoning mariculture industry, which includes shellfish and seaweed farming, has substantial economic potential for coastal communities. The path to establish an aquatic farm is challenging, as prospective farmers are required to file multiple permits with four or more state and federal agencies. This confusing and time-consuming multi-agency permitting process was identified by the state’s…