A global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where “people and nature can thrive”, The Nature Conservancy was founded in the U.S. through grassroots action in 1951, and has more than a million members, staff and over 400 scientists, driving conservation efforts in 81 countries and territories.
The ESAB was established to ensure that TNC’s science remains aligned with the latest advancements in science, particularly in areas directly relevant to their research and conservation goals.
Selected based on his demonstrated global expertise and leadership in freshwater conservation, Julian Olden shared: “I’m very excited to help inform the science and conservation practices of TNC, including progress towards their goal to protect 30% of the planet’s land and water by 2030.”
The board will also provide independent oversight and guidance on critical science-related topics, help shape the next phase of the One Conservancy Science (OCS) program and serve as an essential resource for the OCS leadership team and science staff around the organization.
Hunted nearly to extinction during 20th century whaling, the world’s largest animal, the Antarctic blue whale, went from a population size of roughly 200,000 to little more than 300. The most recent abundance estimate in 2004 put Antarctic blue whales at less than 1% of their pre-whaling levels.
But is this population recovering? Is there just one population of Antarctic blue whales, or multiple? Why do these questions matter for conservation?
Antarctic blue whales are the world’s largest animal, and are still recovering from being hunted nearly to extinction during 20th century whaling.
Antarctic blue whales are listed as an endangered species, and understanding their population structure is essential for their conservation. Conservation at the population-level increases biodiversity, and this diversity helps the species adapt better to environmental changes and increases chances of long-term survival.
During the whaling years, biologists began the Discovery marking program. Foot-long metal rods with serial numbers were shot into the muscles of whales. When these whales were caught, the metal rod was returned, and information about the whale’s size, sex, length, and where they were caught, was collected. Looking at where whales were marked compared to where they were caught can shed valuable insight into the movement of Antarctic blue whales, but this data has never been used before to look at population structure.
International Whaling Commission
Historical mark that was placed in the muscles of whales and then recovered during whaling.
In this new study, this historical data was used alongside contemporary survey data in Bayesian models to calculate inter-annual movement rates among the three ocean basins that make up the Southern Ocean (Atlantic, Indian, Pacific), which are the feeding grounds for Antarctic blue whales. They found frequent mixing among the ocean basins, suggesting that whales do not return to the same basin every year. This points to Antarctic blue whales being one single circumpolar population in the Southern Ocean.
These results are consistent with evidence from Antarctic blue whale songs, heard throughout the Southern Ocean. Only one song type has been recorded amongst the Antarctic blue whales. In comparison, pygmy blue whales have five different songs corresponding to five different populations. These results are also consistent with genetic studies which found that Antarctic blue whales are similar genetically.
Paula Olson
Antarctic blue whales are listed as an endangered species, and understanding their population structure is essential for their conservation.
This is the first time that historical mark-recovery data from the Discovery marking program has been analyzed using modern quantitative methods. This data exists for many other hunted whale species, such as fin and sei whales, so it could provide a framework for similar analyses for those whale species too.
There is still a lot we don’t know about the Antarctic blue whale. Acoustic data and their movement on the feeding grounds, suggests there is just one population in the Southern Ocean. Even though they do not appear to be separated geographically on their feeding grounds, they could still have population structure because of differences in breeding habitats or the timing of migration. However, almost nothing is known about Antarctic blue whale breeding behavior. Using historical data from whaling alongside contemporary data such as satellite tagging, and photo-identification is our best hope for uncovering the secrets of the largest animal on earth.
Preliminary data shows that the team captured more fish in sampling efforts this year than they did in 2021 when comparing fish densities within the nets.
Monitoring efforts measure fish presence and density, insect abundance, and fish feeding habits within the newly restored area. The team also monitors nearby Jack Block Park, which represents a more natural shoreline not being restored to use as a reference and comparison for the team’s measurements. Similar monitoring efforts were conducted in 2021, before the new habitat was constructed, so the team would have a baseline to compare to.
The goal of restoring habitat is to provide higher quality food for juvenile salmon as they migrate to the ocean, enabling them to grow larger and have a better chance of survival. If the results show that salmon are using the habitat for resting and feeding, it will be a good indication that more “salmon rest stops” could help salmon in the Duwamish estuary.
Deadline to Apply: NOVEMBER 6, 2024. Priority consideration given to applications received by this date. Applications will be accepted after this date if the position remains unfilled
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Explores the structure and function of Arctic ecosystems, life history, and adaptations of vertebrates, and how species are affected by climate warming. Emphasizes upper-level trophic interactions, evolutionary drivers, food chains, energy transport paths, and influence of sea ice. Case studies provide background on Arctic conservation and management. Prerequisite: BIOL 180.
TO APPLY:
To apply, complete application form* here and upload the following additional documents (under one cover, with course name and number and your full name in the document’s title):
Cover letter – include description of your general background, why you are applying for this ASE position, strengths and any abilities directly related to the specific course(s) that you would bring to the position, etc.
Current resumé
Name, title, and contact information (email, phone number) for three references who are familiar with your teaching abilities and/or knowledge and experience relevant to the content of the course(s) for which you are applying.
In a new video created by the Burke Museum, Fish Collections Manager Katherine Maslenikov takes us behind the scenes to answer questions about the giant bizarre Sunfish washing up on the shores of Oregon. Where are these fish coming from? What do they eat to get so large? Why are they the “pinnacle of fish evolution”?
Almost 25 years ago, an undergraduate took the SAFS “Aquatic Ecological Research in Alaska (AERA)” summer field class, as part of theAlaska Salmon Program (ASP). Always interested in marine mammals, Donna Hauser, a biology student who ended up double majoring in Biology and Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, started a study of the resident harbor seals in Iliamna Lake for her independent research project. Alaska’s largest lake and 7th largest in the US, students from the University of Washington have been conducting research on Iliamna Lake since the early 1960s, and these harbor seals are well-known to people living around the lake, but formal research on the seals was very limited prior to Donna’s work.
Donna Hauser
An Iliamna Lake harbor seal. Research conducted under NOAA scientific research permit 15126-03.
Combined with data collected by a subsequent student in the class, Donnapublished her findings in the Aquatic Mammals scientific journal in 2008, looking into the summer diet and consumption patterns of Iliamna Lake’s resident harbor seals. Going on to complete her MS and PhD at SAFS on killer whales and belugas, respectively, Donna is now a Research Associate Professor working for theUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks. “Interest in these seals increased and after sampling for genetic tissue by Donna and others, a new paper has now been published by Biology Letters”, shared Tom Quinn, SAFS Professor and advisor to Donna for her undergraduate project at SAFS. “The essence of the paper is that these seals, which are easily capable of swimming to and from Bristol Bay and thus integrating with seals there, are highly different from them genetically.”
Peter Westley
FRI crew surveying for seal scats. Research conducted under NOAA scientific research permit 15126-03.
In comparison with other harbor seals, it has been revealed that there is more genetic similarity between harbor seals along their whole Pacific Rim range (e.g., based on samples from California to Japan, including Bristol Bay) than there is between Bristol Bay and Iliamna Lake. “This is a very cool discovery. While geneticists have done the bulk of the work to show how genetically different these seals are from other harbor seals, it was Donna’s opening, back in 2001, that got us thinking about them,” Tom said.
Donna Hauser
Iliamna Lake harbor seals. Research conducted under NOAA scientific research permit 15126-03.
Fast forward to 2012, when another undergraduate, Brian Harmon, headed up to Iliamna Lake for the same AERA class. “Brian’s serendipitous observation of parasites in sculpinsinitiated a study on the genetic status of the parasites, in comparison to the similar ones commonly seen in 3-spine and 9-spine sticklebacks”, Tom shared. Sticklebacks are a family of ray-finned fishes, and are found in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments and consume zooplankton, including copepods which are the source of infection. Sculpins are a primarily benthic species and generally do not appear to consume copepods in these environments, leading researchers to wonder what the mechanism is for widespread infection by the parasites.
Slimy sculpin with the cestode parasite that it contained. (Credit: Tom Quinn)
Three-spine stickleback with the distended belly typical of cestode parasite infection. (Credit: Tom Quinn)
“The study was expanded from Iliamna Lake to Lake Aleknagik, another Alaska Salmon Program site, and included parasites from two sculpin species as well as both stickleback species, and involved collaboration with parasitologists and geneticists,” Tom said. “This study, recently published in Parasitology in May 2024, shows that the parasites in the sculpins are highly different from those in the sticklebacks, and probably should be a distinct species”. After obtaining his BS in 2012, Brian completed his MS in Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Nebraska in 2017, and now works in the sustainability space as a Principal Technical Advisor for LMI.
Brian Harmon
Brian Harmon’s observation of parasites in sculpins initiated a study on the genetic status of the parasites, in comparison to the similar ones commonly seen in 3-spine and 9-spine sticklebacks.
The so-called “cryptic diversity” of both these species – Iliamna’s harbor seals and parasites found in fish in Alaska’s lakes – means that although they are superficially similar, their genetics are very different. “I credit the terrific opportunities of the AERA class and the creativity and hard work by these two students for a couple of major discoveries,” Tom said. “I am very proud of both Donna and Brian, for their insights and eagerness to see the projects through, and the wonderful collaborators inside and outside of the University of Washington, without whom these projects would have died on the vine.”
Join us for the 2024 Preview of the Eastern Bering Sea Pollock Stock Assessment, held live on Wednesday 6 November at 4pm. It will take place on the UW Campus in Room 102 on the first floor of the Fishery Sciences Building (1122 NE Boat Street).
Dr. Jim Ianelli, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) scientist and SAFS affiliate professor, will present the EBS pollock assessment model and the most recent trends in the EBS pollock stock.
The event will be followed by a catered reception. We look forward to you joining us!
Please share with interested parties. We would also ask you to (nonbinding) RSVP to Chris Anderson (cmand@uw.edu) as per UW event policy.
Bitter crab syndrome might sound like an attitude problem, but it’s actually a condition faced by two very valuable fisheries in Alaska: snow crabs and Tanner crabs. So-called for the bitter flavor of crab meat in infected crabs, bitter crab syndrome (BCS) is caused by a parasitic dinoflagellate of the genus Hematodinium and infects a number of crustacean species around the globe.
Aspen Coyle, a SAFS graduate student who is a member of the Roberts Lab, is conducting research which looks more closely at the impact of BCS on Alaska’s snow and Tanner crab fisheries, which have a combined worth of over $44 million. Aspen’s project is examining rates of infection using survey data from specific sub-populations of Southeast Alaska Tanner crab. “From the mid to late 2010s, data from the Bering Sea showed steadily rising rates of bitter crab syndrome. It remains an important area of study as we want to know what factors impact infection and if these are impacted by environmental conditions,” she shared.
Grace Crandall
Hemolymph from an uninfected crab. If it was infected, it would be a milky white.
“In my research, I’ve been measuring all of the physical characteristics of Tanner crabs including carapace, sex, infections, injuries, but also capturing environmental data such as bottom temperature, bottom type silt, latitude, day of the year,” Aspen said. Using generalized linear mixed models, Aspen hopes to try and tease out what factors are associated with the parasite from the genus Hematodinium, which is responsible for BCS.
During experiments designed to simulate changing ocean temperature and the impact of warmer or cooler water temperatures on infection rates, Aspen found that in heatwave episodes, some genes and pathways are differentially expressed in infected crabs. Bitter crab syndrome is a fatal condition, but the timeline between infection and mortality remains uncertain due to the slow-developing rate of infection.
Grace Crandall
Tanner crabs in the NOAA labs in Juneau, Alaska.
Aspen is using a huge amount of Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) survey data from 2005 to 2019 to input into a model, which includes more than 151,000 measurements taken from crabs. “We’ve also found that females are more prone to have visible infections than males,” she said. What exactly does infection in a crab look like? “The legs of healthy snow and Tanner crabs tend to have a pale pink color. As the disease multiplies inside infected crabs, the cells of the parasite get so prevalent that turns their hemolymph – basically their blood – milky and white. This gives the crab a pale, bleached appearance,” Aspen added.
The sex-specific differences between males and females is an interesting insight into bitter crab syndrome. “While females were more prone to having visible infections than males overall, females that were producing more eggs had lower rates of infection,” Aspen said. “The amount of healthy, egg-producing females is critical to the health of these fisheries. And so having deeper insight into the impact of bitter crab syndrome on female populations, and how females may be more resistant or react to BCS differently, is critical information for fishery managers.”
How does the parasite move around crustacean populations? “It hasn’t been confirmed without a doubt, but a consensus is forming that it is waterborne, directly infecting one crab and then moving on to the next,” Aspen shared. “A pattern observed in my model, which matches previous studies, has been that the older the crab shell, the less likely the chance of infection.” Tanner crabs have a terminal molt, which means they stop molting for the final time around seven years old. This shell is the one they have until they die, which slowly degrades over time. “What we have found is that when the crab is in the stages before a new shell is developed – where they have a soft shell immediately post-molt, which is easily penetrated – that’s likely when the parasite infects the host,” Aspen added.
Aspen Coyle
While working for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (unrelated to her current project), Aspen joined a Bering Sea crab survey.
In a related project with NOAA, Aspen is examining gene expression in infected and uninfected crabs held at various temperatures. Keep an eye out for a future story on this topic!
Currently in her fifth year of a master’s program at SAFS, Aspen is in the process of writing up and publishing her research. She is also contributing to a chapter of a book for the American Fishery Society on the experiences of women and femmes in fishery sciences.
