News
The latest blog posts and news releases from Alaska Sea Grant
Why are salmon shrinking? UAF professor tackles the topic at Rainforest Festival (9/13/2018) - When you hear the word rainforest, people often associate it with something tropical. Residents of Southeast Alaska might think differently though, since they’re surrounded by the 17-million-acre Tongass National Forest, a temperate rainforest. In Petersburg, the gifts of Alaska’s coastal rainforest were celebrated this month in a festival organized in part by Sunny Rice, Alaska…
Clams and climate change — new Alaska study examines the connections (9/13/2018) - SEWARD, Alaska — July fourth in Seward is known for its fireworks, festivities and the grueling Mt. Marathon race that draws elite athletes from around the world. But for a University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) graduate student, the holiday took on a whole different meaning this year. “It was the first time I was able…
Dillingham agent shares fish knowledge at Salmon Camp (9/7/2018) - Our Dillingham agent, Gabe Dunham, spent time with Bristol Bay area students this summer, teaching them about the human dimensions of fisheries. The students were participating in the annual Salmon Camp, sponsored by Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation. Located on the shores of Lake Aleknagik, the camp provides high school and middle school students the…
Support for Alaska’s blue economy signed into law (8/28/2018) - Alaska’s emerging mariculture industry is getting a boost. Gov. Bill Walker signed a bill this week making it easier for shellfish hatchery owners to access loan funds to grow their businesses. House Bill 76 amends the Alaska Mariculture Revolving Loan Fund so that non-profit hatcheries, not just individual farmers, can apply for loans to market seeds to grow seaweed,…
UAF student completes salmon predation study (8/28/2018) - Very few juvenile salmon return to spawn. Many are consumed by larger fish who eat them as they migrate from rivers or hatcheries to the ocean. That’s a problem for hatcheries that release millions of young salmon, called smolts, into the waters of coastal Alaska. Alaska Sea Grant funded research on chum salmon predation by…
Building resilience in the Y-K Delta (8/27/2018) - The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of western Alaska is one the most rural parts the United States. With 56 villages scattered across some 50,000 square miles, the Y-K Delta region is rich with wild fish and game upon which its predominately Yup’ik residents heavily depend. As in other parts of coastal Alaska, the Delta is being hit…
Fall classes set to begin (8/27/2018) - Fall is just around the corner, and with it comes a new suite of classes offered by Alaska Sea Grant. The Alaska Seafood School offers trainings and classes for fishermen, seafood processing employees and all Alaskans who like to smoke fish and can food. They’re listed on our website and below. Most are offered by…
Navigating the Gulf of Alaska (8/23/2018) - The Gulf of Alaska is an essential travel route for vessels seeking passage to and from Southeast Alaska and locations further west, such as Prince William Sound, Kodiak, the Aleutian Islands and beyond. It’s a wild place that lures some of the world’s most adventurous boaters. At some 2,500 nautical miles, the Gulf of Alaska…
Petersburg Pilot: Summer science camp introduces kids to scientific careers in the community (8/16/2018) - The Petersburg Marine Mammal Center is hosting a summer science camp this week to expose middle school aged kids to the scientific jobs available in the community. "We're excited," said Sunny Rice, Petersburg Marine Mammal Center board member and marine advisory agent with the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences/Alaska Sea Grant. "It'll be fun. It's always lots fun. Lots of energy. It's good to expose them to things they might want to do later on in life."
Heather Brandon to lead Alaska Sea Grant (8/13/2018) - The University of Alaska Fairbanks has chosen Heather Brandon as Alaska Sea Grant’s new director. Brandon is an environmental policy leader with experience in fisheries issues on a broad geographic scale, ranging from Alaska to the Arctic and Russian Far East. The Juneau resident was selected after a competitive national search.