News
The latest blog posts and news releases from Alaska Sea Grant
Alaska fellowship program welcomes three new graduate students (6/7/2019) - Alaska Sea Grant has selected three graduate students for its year-long fellowship program. Meredith Pochardt will spend her fellowship working with NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region in Juneau. Pochardt recently graduated with a master of fisheries science degree from Oregon State University. She will be in the Habitat Conservation division assisting researchers with their habitat conservation…
Volunteers trained to respond to whale entanglements (6/4/2019) - When whales get entangled in fishing gear or other marine debris, it’s a potentially life-threatening event that takes a group of trained specialists to provide help. And with whale entanglements on the rise worldwide, it’s becoming an ever-more pressing need. Last month, Alaska Sea Grant teamed up with Ed Lyman of the National Oceanic and…
Sheffield, Ahmasuk honored for seabird mortality response (6/3/2019) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has honored Alaska Sea Grant’s Gay Sheffield and Brandon Ahmasuk of Kawerak, Inc. for leading a coordinated response to seabird mortality events across the Bering and Chukchi region. Since 2013, Sheffield, an associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and Ahmasuk have…
Lack of sea ice sends seal pups and walrus calves to beach (5/21/2019) - Alaska Sea Grant, Kawerak, Inc. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are preparing to place signs along the beaches near Nome, alerting the public about an increasing number of ice-associated seal pups resting along the shore. The signs remind the public not to disturb the animals, unless they are Alaska Native engaged in subsistence…
Seaweed farmers in Alaska gear up for large haul (5/7/2019) - Blue Evolution is collaborating with the University of Alaska and Alaska Sea Grant on seaweed research aimed at developing cost-effective cultivation methods for several native species.
Juneau oyster farmer battles red tape to grow family business (5/1/2019) - Meta Mesdag is a commercial photographer and mom to three young children. More recently, the Southeast Alaska resident added oyster farmer to her resume. Mesdag is the owner of Salty Lady Seafood Company, a small-scale mariculture operation in Bridget Cove, north of Juneau. She launched the company in April 2018 with the goal of having…
Scientists study fate of salmon in a changing Alaska landscape (4/22/2019) - From coastal shores to inland mountains, salmon are part of the fabric of Alaska. Salmon have been harvested by Alaska Natives for thousands of years and remain a critical part of the state’s commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries. As anadromous fish, salmon spend the first months to years of their lives in freshwater before migrating…
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…