Washington Sea Grant, the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS), and the University of Washington College of the Environment invite you to attend a preview of this year’s assessment for
Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) pollock — the target of one of the world’s largest fisheries. The purpose of this forum is to provide fishery stakeholders and the public the opportunity to learn about the status of the EBS pollock stock and to ask questions and discuss the science underlying the assessment. 

Impacts of ocean acidification on marine seafood.
Trends Ecol Evol. 2012 Nov 1;
Authors: Branch TA, Dejoseph BM, Ray LJ, Wagner CA
Abstract
Ocean acidification is a series of chemical reactions due to increased CO(2) emissions. The resulting lower pH impairs the senses of reef fishes and reduces their survival, and might similarly impact commercially targeted fishes that produce most of the seafood eaten by humans. 

The paper, “Elevated pCO2 causes developmental delay in early larval Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas“, is included in an upcoming special issue on ocean acidification in the journal Marine Biology.  I did the research  in Emily Carrington’s lab in Friday Harbor during the summer of 2011 with the help of researcher Michael “Moose” O’Donnell.  Other co-authors and contributors are SAFS professors Carolyn Friedman and Steven Roberts.   

Related Articles

Trade-offs in the design of fishery closures: management of silky shark bycatch in the eastern Pacific Ocean tuna fishery.
Conserv Biol. 2009 Jun;23(3):626-35
Authors: Watson JT, Essington TE, Lennert-Cody CE, Hall MA
Abstract
Bycatch–the incidental catch of nontarget species–is a principal concern in marine conservation and fisheries management. In the eastern Pacific Ocean tuna fishery, a large fraction of nonmammal bycatch is captured by purse-seine gear when nets are deployed around floating objects. 

Synchronous Cycling of Ichthyophoniasis with Chinook Salmon Density Revealed during the Annual Yukon River Spawning Migration
Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, Volume 141, Issue 3, 2012
May 4, 2012
by Stanley Zuray, Richard Kocan & Paul Hershberger
Abstract
Populations of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Yukon River declined by more than 57% between 2003 and 2010, probably the result of a combination of anthropogenic and environmental factors. 

Pattern and process of biotic homogenization in the New Pangaea.
Proc Biol Sci. 2012 Oct 10;
Authors: Baiser B, Olden JD, Record S, Lockwood JL, McKinney ML
Abstract
Human activities have reorganized the earth’s biota resulting in spatially disparate locales becoming more or less similar in species composition over time through the processes of biotic homogenization and biotic differentiation, respectively. Despite mounting evidence suggesting that this process may be widespread in both aquatic and terrestrial systems, past studies have predominantly focused on single taxonomic groups at a single spatial scale. 

In this month’s issue of the Journal of Shellfish Research, results from a research project carried out in the lab section of FISH441: Integrative Environmental Physiology was published. David Metzger and Paul Pratt (now both SAFS alum) are primary authors on the paper entitled: Characterizing the Effects of Heavy Metal and Vibrio Exposure on Hsp70 Expression in Crassostrea gigas Gill Tissue. 

SAFS Professor Ray Hilborn was co-author of “a new study [revealing] that small, unassessed fisheries are in even worse shape than we thought. But the research also provides hope that smarter management could stop the bleeding—and provide more sustainable seafood.”

Read more in Time Magazine. 

Related Articles

Characterizing short read sequencing for gene discovery and RNA-Seq analysis in Crassostrea gigas.
Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics. 2012 Jun;7(2):94-9
Authors: Gavery MR, Roberts SB
Abstract
Advances in DNA sequencing technology have provided opportunities to produce new transcriptomic resources for species that lack completely sequenced genomes. However, there are limited examples that rely solely on ultra-short read sequencing technologies (e.g. 

The Washington Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit will be celebrating its 45th Anniversary and hosting its annual student presentation this Thursday, Sept. 27. The event will have a great line-up of student presentations–something for everyone.  Students will be competing for the Gilbert and Pat Pauley Award for best presentation.

A Keynote Address will be given by Dr. Brian Kertson, a recent Unit graduate and the Large Carnivore Specialist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.