News
The latest blog posts and news releases from Alaska Sea Grant
Alaska Sea Grant efforts result in over $8.5 million in economic benefits to Alaska in 2019 (6/29/2020) - Alaska Sea Grant projects and programs produced over $8.5 million in economic benefits to the state last year, as reported to National Sea Grant. These benefits were the result of our work in marine safety training, seafood safety classes, seafood technology programs, professional consultations, and other activities. The creation and support of jobs and business…
Alaska Seafood School moves online in response to COVID-19 (6/29/2020) - In May, Alaska Sea Grant conducted its first ever fully-online Seafood Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification class. This class satisfies the training requirement of the US HACCP regulation, instituted in 1997 to make sure the seafood people purchase in stores or eat in restaurants is as safe as possible. Assuring seafood safety requires…
New tools track freshwater fish in changing climate (6/29/2020) - A salmon life cycle model developed by Alaska Sea Grant-supported researchers will predict how salmon populations in Alaska may fare as freshwater ecosystems change. The model will be online, allowing anyone to run it with various climate scenarios.
Alaska fellowship program welcomes four new graduate students (6/22/2020) - NOAA AFSC has participated in the fellowship program as a host for several years. Alba will be the third fellow the agency has hosted since the program began. “The fellowship program has been a way for the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center to explore areas of research that it would not have been able to…
Unalaska’s “Dockside Discovery” for kids reaches a national audience (5/26/2020) - The 10th annual Dockside Discovery was held recently in Unalaska at the Robert Storrs Small Boat Harbor. The event was coordinated by Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program agent Melissa Good for all elementary students from the Unalaska City School District. In past years, area students from grades 1–6 met at the harbor to ask questions…
Alaska Sea Grant survey reveals challenges to mariculture industry caused by COVID-19 pandemic (5/4/2020) - Alaska Sea Grant recently surveyed the Alaska mariculture industry to shed light on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and response on their businesses in February and March. Survey respondents reported that revenue was down, with 43 percent reporting losses of more than half of their revenue. More than a third had laid off employees. …
New training program for aspiring fishing crew in Western Alaska (4/30/2020) - Alaska’s commercial fishing industry employs more people than any other industry in the state. Yet fewer young people are entering the industry, and resources are scarce to help aspiring crew members succeed, a concern that Alaska Sea Grant has addressed with the development of a new “Crew Class” training program. The industry has traditionally relied…
Young fishermen learn the business and management side of commercial fishing operations (4/23/2020) - Fifty fishermen from around the state gathered in Juneau in January for the eighth Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit (AYFS) for three days of training, networking and interacting with the Alaska State Legislature. Participants of the Alaska Sea Grant event were self-selected or sponsored by their fishing organization, skipper or CDQ group and came from Atka,…
Change in reporting structure for Alaska Sea Grant (3/11/2020) - The University of Alaska Fairbanks recently announced change in reporting structure for Alaska Sea Grant. 
Mourning the loss of UAF graduate Sean Brennan (1/15/2020) - Alaska Sea Grant’s faculty and staff are mourning the loss of Sean R. Brennan, a PhD graduate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. A father of three, Brennan was killed in a ski accident in Alta, Utah, on January 2, 2020. The Seattle resident was 37. At UAF, Brennan focused his PhD research on tracing…