In a new study, University of Washington scientists eavesdropped on Cook Inlet belugas, recording more than 1,700 calls representing 21 different behavioral encounters. This work builds on a 2023 study showing that noise from commercial shipping, the primary industry in the region, masks common beluga calls. Although many marine mammals rely more on sound than sight, our understanding of acoustic communication among these animals is limited. 

SAFS undergraduate Callie Murakami and others are featured in this month’s Viewpoint Magazine. The cover article, written by Hennelor Sudermann, details how SAFS and other UW undergraduates are learning through community engaged partnerships.  Sudermann writes: “the classroom doesn’t end at the edge of campus. For students across disciplines, it extends into communities, ecosystems and partnerships across the state—places where knowledge is applied, tested and shared, and where education becomes a way to contribute to something larger.” 

The UW Aquatic Sciences Open House is back on Saturday 16 May, offering a free and family-friendly day of hands-on learning to celebrate science and research that relates to water. Visitors can step on board a research boat used for local science, and experience real working science labs here at the university. We also have hands-on activities led by current UW students, staff, postdocs, and faculty across the College of the Environment and by organizations from the greater Seattle area.

Support SAFS on Husky Giving Day, April 23! Make your gift today through early giving or join us as an ambassador to help spread the word.
– Give Now
– Become an ambassador 

Returning on Tuesday, March 31st at 1.30pm, join your fellow SAFS community for hot drinks, tasty treats, and conversation each week during the Spring Quarter.
Are you a student? Staff member? Faculty? Researcher? Take a break from your day and get to know others working at SAFS. All are welcome!
Tuesdays at 1.30pm in the second floor kitchen area near the patio. 

The Washington Applied Sustainability Internship (WASI) program is an undergraduate summer internship program designed to link dedicated engineering, chemistry, sustainability and environmental sciences students with business and industry in Washington. Interns research identified pollution prevention opportunities at a Host Business to analyze, recommend, and/or implement process changes to find and use safer chemical alternatives, reduce hazardous and solid wastes, conserve energy and water, reduce water contaminants and emissions, increase efficiency and cost savings, and improve employee health and safety. 

Do you want to gain hands-on experience in salmon habitat restoration and construction in the Skagit watershed? Join the fish passage construction team for a summer of fun, fish, and learning new skills in a sporty high vis vest and a hard hat! This intern will assist the Habitat Restoration Program with tasks associated with fish passage project planning and construction monitoring. 

King County is launching a new program to prepare two undergraduate students from King County communities for early-career positions at environmental science agencies.
The basics: This is a paid ($24.77/hr), full-time (40 hrs/week) summer job working alongside career environmental scientists to learn hands-on field safety, research, and professional skills. In addition to on-the-job training, you’ll have access to a Career Pathways Coach to turn your goals into future opportunities. 

The UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS) is pleased to announce the availability of scholarships for current and prospective majors in SAFS (includes high school students and transfers applying for admission to UW in 2026-27). 

The Applied Ecology Lab within the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences is hiring two part-time undergraduate research assistants to assist with angler surveys on Lake Sammamish this spring (mid-March to the end of May). This work will contribute to ongoing Kokanee salmon conservation efforts by the Kokanee Work Group and Trout Unlimited through the collection of data on what fish species recreational anglers are targeting and catching in Lake Sammamish.