Director’s Message – Spring 2026
We are nearing the end of the academic year, a time that naturally leads us to reflect the past year, and to look ahead to the next. Doing so fills with deep pride and admiration for SAFS, as our faculty, staff, and students have achieved so much despite numerous challenges. They continue to make important scientific breakthroughs on so many topics: unraveling equity in seafood trade, decoding whale vocalization, identifying threats of climate change to kelps and steelhead, documenting gaps in river conservation and much more.
Our academic programs are thriving. We’ve completed the first year of offering our new and immensely popular undergraduate degree in Aquatic Conservation and Ecology (ACE). We are thrilled that so many undergraduate students are discovering this degree and becoming part of the SAFS community. Between ACE, our legacy Aquatic and Fishery Sciences degree, and the co-delivered Marine Biology degree, the School now is home to over 600 students. Our graduate students continue to impress, winning national awards such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the David H. Smith Conservation Fellowship, and the College of the Environment’s Mentoring Award
Of note this year was an especially moving Bevan Seminar series convened in Winter. This seminar series – supported by an gift made Tanya Bevan in tribute to Donald Bevan, and by NOAA-Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center and Alaska Fishery Science Center — celebrated the careers of former NOAA employees and heard their perspectives on the future of fisheries management. Hearing topics from salmon to killer whales and everything in between, the School was inspired by the achievements of these 10 exceptional individuals.
Thank you to donors who have made gifts to the program over the year – including during the recent Husky Giving Day. Your gifts make a meaningful difference in support of our students and faculty, and we are incredibly grateful for your generosity.
And of course, this time of year leads us to think of our remarkable graduating students, their many achievements, and our well wishes for the next steps on their professional careers. Congratulations to the class of 2026 – we can’t wait to see the impact you’ll have on the world!
