In a special update from the field, the Alaska Salmon Program shared their excitement at showing University of Washington President, Ana Mari Cauce, and College of the Environment Dean, Maya Tolstoy, around the field camps in Alaska. The Alaska Salmon Program has been running for more than 75 years, conducting research and providing hands on learning for UW students.
“We had a lot of fun showing UW President Ana Mari Cauce and UW College of the Environment Dean Maya Tolstoy why Bristol Bay is such a special place. 

During the summer, UW Marine Biology senior, Ashley Rendon, is working with the Marine Landscape and Ecology Lab, led by Professor Corey Garza at SAFS. Using drones, Ashley has been surveying pinniped distribution along the California coastline and mapping the intertidal zone in British Columbia.

How do people make the decision on where they fish? What factors influence human behavior in fisheries? Terrance Wang is exploring the answers to these questions during his PhD research at SAFS. Fisheries management is an important process across the world, informing international and regional decisions on fishing locations, type of catch, methods used, and more.

In recent years, there has been a global push to expand marine conservation efforts, but the quality of the implemented conservation network has often been neglected in favor of quantity. In a new paper published in Nature Communications, Juliette Jacquemont tackles one of the limitations of marine spatial planning by conducting the first global assessment of the 3D distribution of fishing activities and conservation coverage.

Ever heard of the Pied Piper? What about in the context of fisheries research? Taking the concept embodied by the Pied Piper story of strong but delusive enticement, Maria Kuruvilla applied it to hatchery fish and wild salmon in three Washington State rivers during their migratory journey downriver.

Alongside two student researchers from her lab, SAFS Assistant Professor Amy Van Cise has been out on the Puget Sound for a few days conducting killer whale research. Working with a team comprised of UW students, Wild Orca, and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, they’re assisted in locating fecal samples from the whales by Wild Orca’s poop-sniffing dog, Eba.
Amy Van Cise, with student researchers Sofia Kaiaua and Mollie Ball, were aboard the Wild Orca boat with Research Director Dr. 

Working for more than 15 years in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region, SAFS PhD student Sarah O’Neal, recently published a new paper in BioScience examining the gap between ecological science and environmental management. Sarah’s article focuses on indirect ecological effects and how these are often defined differently in regulatory decisions.

Each year, hundreds of students apply for the competitive NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship. Read our Q&A with SAFS undergrad, Michael Han, who along with three other College of the Environment students, was chosen as a 2024 NOAA Hollings Scholar and attended orientation in the nation’s capital.

We’re happy to announce this year’s Faculty Merit Award winners, given annually to graduating students at all ranks in recognition of exceptional achievement and contributions to the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. This is by far the most prestigious of the many awards conferred by the School to students, where the nominations come directly from SAFS faculty.

Swimming around tropical coral reefs in a colorful array are an ever-changing multitude of fishes, some in schools of hundreds, others in pairs, and ones that prefer their own company. These are the fishes divers see on a heathy coral reef, but they are often only half of the diversity found in the reef’s fishes. The “hidden half” are the cryptobenthic fishes.