Posts Tagged ‘Alaska Sea Grant’
Unsolved mystery: the case of the weathervane scallop
Prized by five-star chefs and seafood connoisseurs, weathervanes are a bit of a mystery animal. Major gaps exist in our understanding of the tasty mollusks, which are native to Alaska.
Read MoreSheffield, Ahmasuk honored for seabird mortality response
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…
Read MoreUnraveling the mysteries of spot shrimp
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…
Read MoreJuneau company makes waves with kelp
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…
Read MoreBristol Bay students learn lessons in state politics in Juneau
Alaska Sea Grant is helping lead a group of Bristol Bay students in the state capital this week. Our Dillingham agent Gabe Dunham, together with University of Alaska Fairbanks emeritus professor Mike Davis, is teaching a seminar called “Fisheries and the Legislative Process.” The class is offered annually by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Bristol…
Read More“Now I do a lot of delegating”
Sam Nothstine is an expediter at Kwik’pak Fisheries in Emmonak, a western Alaska village at the mouth of the Yukon River. His job involves seafood quality control, shipping, administration, safety and other aspects of the business. Nothstine stays busy in the winter working at an outdoor gear store in Anchorage. Originally from Emmonak, Nothstine loves…
Read MoreReflecting on the past year; planning for the next
We thank our advisory committee members who took time to convene with us in Anchorage this month. These statewide leaders share our passion for Alaska’s coastal communities, ocean and freshwater resources, applied scientific research, workforce development and marine education. We spent the time reviewing our work over the last year, identifying emerging issues that we…
Read MoreSymposium aims to bridge gaps between fishermen and scientists
Fishing and seafood-industry professionals will join academics at the 32nd Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium in Anchorage next spring. The symposium’s theme is “Cooperative Research — strategies for integrating industry perspectives and insights in fisheries science.” Attendees will explore effective strategies and approaches to integrate industry perspectives and insights in fisheries science. The symposium is scheduled…
Read MoreMarine advisory agents promoted
Julie Matweyou and Gary Freitag of Alaska Sea Grant’s Marine Advisory Program received promotions this month. Matweyou, the marine advisory agent based in Kodiak, received tenure and is now associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, where Alaska Sea Grant and the Marine Advisory Program are housed. Matweyou…
Read MoreEngaging teachers in Northern Gulf of Alaska research
Our marine education specialist, Marilyn Sigman, is developing K–12 education programs for the Northern Gulf of Alaska long-term ecological research site. The NGA-LTER, as it’s called, is a National Science Foundation–funded research area that runs from the mouth of the Copper River to Kodiak Island. Educational outreach to young students as well as undergraduate and…
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