In an effort to establish a better understanding of the foraging habits of rhinoceros auklets and pigeon guillemots on Protection Island, Liam Pendleton’s seabird research has involved GPS tagging and monitoring of these seabird species to delineate key foraging locations in the waters surrounding the island. Rhinoceros auklets migrate all along the West Coast of the US and Canada, and nest on the same island as pigeon guillemots, featured in a previous article by SAFS. 

Fishery-independent survey data represents essential information for stock assessment, ecosystem-based fishery management initiatives, and applied ecological research. These data refers to information collected over space and time about populations of marine organisms, such as population abundance and biomass. The data can be used to fit statistical models to obtain multiple products for the assessment and management of marine populations. and can provide a comprehensive and standardized picture of marine populations when collected consistently over time, particularly with respect to gear selectivity and sampling design. 

The use of eDNA methods is a new and exciting area of research. Tania Valdivia, a post-doctoral student in the Whale and Dolphin Ecology Lab, is working on a large marine project under the guidance of Amy Van Cise from SAFS, and Ryan Kelly from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA).
The project focuses on the application of eDNA methods to detect and identify the spatial distribution of marine mammals and their prey in the California Current. 

Spending the summer at Friday Harbor Labs (FHL), SAFS grad student Chris Mantegna mentored four students – two as part of the NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergrads-Blinks (REU) program and two as part of the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP). During the program, students get to collaborate on a research project with their scientist-mentor to build marine research skills.
Specifically geared towards enhancing diversity within the marine sciences, the program welcomes students from underrepresented groups. 

Claire Vaage, a masters student in the Freshwater Ecology and Conservation Lab advised by Julian Olden, spoke with us about her summer field season in Central Oregon.
Spending 5 weeks during this summer in Oregon, I led a research team of two to four people at a time. Each day we conducted snorkel surveys and collected samples of freshwater macroinvertebrates and vegetation. 

In the world of fisheries management systems, many do not account for predator-prey interactions that scientists know can have big impacts on the dynamics and available biomass of commercially targeted species.
For his dissertation work as part of the Gulf Of Alaska Climate Integrated Modeling Project (GOA-CLIM), Grant Adams from the Punt Lab at SAFS, has been developing multi-species population dynamics models for the Gulf of Alaska. 

Welcoming the newest SAFS Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the College of the Environment, we spoke with Corey Garza. He shares his plans to enhance College diversity, what he’s most excited about by joining SAFS, and insight into his world of research using drones.
What plans do you have for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as Associate Dean? 

Known as the canaries of the sea for their highly vocal nature, beluga whales are found across the Arctic and sub-Arctic. There are 21 beluga populations worldwide, with five populations found in Alaska. Of these, the Cook Inlet beluga population is the most endangered, with current estimates hovering around the 300 mark. A highly diverged population, the Cook Inlet belugas are geographically and genetically isolated, remaining in Cook Inlet year-round. 

Nesting season on Protection Island is a busy time for SAFS Masters student, Liam Pendleton. Home to tens of thousands of pigeon guillemots and rhinoceros auklets, Liam travels to Protection Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca every week from May to September to conduct research and monitoring of these seabirds.
Working in the Quantitative Conservation Lab, led by Sarah Converse, Liam is studying the link between breeding success, and marine environmental conditions. 

In a post-doc focused on modeling climate change effects in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), Alberto Rovellini is part of the Punt Lab at SAFS. Beginning in 2020, Alberto’s work is on this area of Alaska which is facing big implications as a result of climate change, from negative economic implications for important fisheries to adverse ecological impacts on plankton, fish, mammals, and seabirds.