News
The latest blog posts and news releases from Alaska Sea Grant
New podcast shares stories from coastal communities (8/30/2021) - National Sea Grant has launched a new podcast called On My Coast. The podcast shares the stories of people on America’s coasts and how Sea Grant brings science together with communities for solutions that work. Host Amara Davis is a Knauss Fellow. This first episode, titled Resilient Island Communities, features Alaska Sea Grant’s Sunny Rice,…
Marine Advisory Program’s Gabe Dunham taking statewide role (8/29/2021) - A few changes are taking place within Alaska Sea Grant’s Marine Advisory Program (MAP). Gabe Dunham, the MAP agent in Dillingham, will shift his focus from regional to statewide and is moving to Juneau. Alaska Sea Grant is recruiting a new Dillingham MAP agent to fill the vacancy Dunham will leave in Bristol Bay. As…
Pacific Shellfish Institute works with Alaska shellfish growers to address emergency rainfall closures (8/27/2021) - Many Alaskan shellfish farms are located far from population centers in pristine coastal waters. In June of 2016, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) implemented a blanket emergency closure policy for remote shellfish growing areas any time two or more inches of rain falls within a 24-hour period. It rains quite often in Southeast Alaska,…
From Germany to Alaska to D.C., a Knauss fellow charts a new path through the pandemic (8/25/2021) - The John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship offers a professional opportunity to graduate students with an interest in national policies that affect ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. Every year, successful applicants from around the country are matched with hosts in the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government for a one-year paid fellowship…
Updated guide helps communities facing man-made disasters (7/28/2021) - The Exxon-Valdez oil spill captured worldwide attention with its devastating environmental impacts. Less attention was paid, however, to the social and economic effects the incident had on local communities in the immediate aftermath as well as over the long term. For years following the spill, local residents needed help understanding, managing, and recovering from the…
Kodiak local gets research experience through new internship (7/26/2021) - Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in coastal and marine science, education, policy and decision-making is an important priority for Alaska Sea Grant. One way we are advancing this priority is through the Community Engaged Internship program (CEI), a 10-week paid summer internship for undergraduate students from underrepresented and Indigenous communities. The program provides training and…
Aquatic farmers wanted for collaborative research (6/24/2021) - Alaska Sea Grant and the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation are seeking aquatic farmers to join a 10-year, $25 million mariculture research proposal to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Trustee Council. Aquatic farmers from Prince William Sound, Kachemak Bay, and the Kodiak area are invited to submit an application. The proposed project is expected to…
Rockfish study adds local ecological knowledge to inform fisheries management (6/23/2021) - Over 35 species of rockfish live in the waters off the coast of Alaska. Rockfish have been harvested for subsistence for thousands of years, and commercially and recreationally fished since the early 1800s. Because rockfish are slow to reproduce, they are vulnerable to overfishing and require sound management to keep populations healthy. Some rockfish populations…
Ketchikan agent Gary Freitag to retire (6/22/2021) - Gary Freitag, Alaska Sea Grant’s Marine Advisory Program agent in Ketchikan, will retire this month after 13 years of providing educational and technical assistance and marine-related outreach for Southeast Alaska communities. His expertise, coupled with his passion for teaching and skill at making complex information understandable and interesting, has made him a valuable and respected…
2021–2022 Alaska Sea Grant State Fellows announced (6/18/2021) - Alaska Sea Grant has selected eight fellows for the Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship Program in 2021–2022. The twelve-month fellowship offers soon-to-graduate or recently finished graduate students the opportunity to explore marine science and policy-related professional opportunities in Alaska. Hannah-Marie Garcia Hannah-Marie Garcia will join the Alaska Conservation Foundation in Anchorage to improve collaborative efforts…