The beluga whale population in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, which connects Anchorage to the North Pacific Ocean, is listed as endangered and has declined by over 75% from about 1,300 whales in the late 1970’s to fewer than 300 today.
Understanding whether the decline is due to low birth or low survival rates, or a combination of the two, can give scientists clues about the external threats that are impacting the population. 

Taking place on Friday 9 December at 2pm, the agenda for the 2022 Alaska Salmon Program Annual Science Symposium has been announced. The event will be held in FSH 102, in the Fishery Sciences Building.

This symposium showcases the research of the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences’ Alaska Salmon Program undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff and visiting scientists. 

With its unique position spanning marine and freshwater environments, the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science (SAFS) attracts researchers, scientists, scholars and students from a wide sea of disciplines.
The first in a new series of SAFS Spotlight, we spoke with Sarah Converse, Associate Professor at SAFS and Unit Leader of the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. 

Last autumn, SAFS completed its first ever DEI Assessment, which highlighted key areas for SAFS to concentrate its future efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Since that time, the Diversity Specialist and members of the Equity and Inclusion (EI) Committee have used the recommendations of the DEI Assessment and feedback from the SAFS community to draft the latest iteration of the SAFS EI Strategic Plan. 

In September 2022, SAFS welcomed Amy Van Cise, a new assistant professor. Amy’s expertise focuses on the evolutionary ecology of marine mammals, which she studies using integrative approaches, including genomics, acoustics, and environmental DNA.
With a diverse career starting off with bachelor’s degrees in Marine Biology and Journalism, Amy’s previous studies, jobs, and research have taken her from New Hampshire and Peru to the Antarctic and Hawai‘i, and now to Washington. 

We are hosting an information session for the NOAA Hollings Scholarship on Wednesday, November 30th at 4:30pm in FSH 207. Freshmen and Sophomores are encouraged to attend. Sophomores already intending to apply for the Hollings this round may benefit from this information session, though we will have a short series of more targeted workshops to help these students with applications starting December 7th. 

The School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and the College of the Environment hosted the annual live preview of the most recent assessment of Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) pollock—the target of one of the world’s largest fisheries.
Providing fishery stakeholders and the public the opportunity to learn about the status of the EBS pollock stock and discuss the science underlying the assessment, you can watch the recording of the event below. 

[taps microphone]. Um … Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? Can you hear me SAFS community? [awkward cough].
How should one feel after being asked to serve as the 12th director of the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences? Honored to be chosen to promote and enhance the leading program of its kind? Terrified by the responsibility of preserving the School’s rich legacy? 

3 billion people rely on fisheries for nutrition and their livelihoods around the world. As the most traded food in the world, fish and the environments they live in are essential. 
On World Fisheries Day, we take a look at the different research underway at SAFS involving both oceanic and freshwater fisheries, and explore what sustainability means for the ecosystems that support these fisheries. 

Ken was a visionary, a valued colleague, and a mentor and friend to many. His fierce advocacy for sustainable aquaculture has had considerable impacts on industry and on state, regional, and federal agencies and policies. Many of these impacts are based on the relationships that Ken developed with state and federal legislators and regulators, seemingly effortlessly. His passion for shellfish and the achievements of his research program still resonate, and his legacy is reflected in and respected by the vibrant community of shellfish researchers and shellfish growers on the west coast and elsewhere in the United States.