What lies beneath?
In a new documentary, Ocean Invaders, on NOVA PBS, join researchers from the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS) as they uncover the hidden secrets of one of the world’s most invasive species: the lionfish. Wreaking havoc on ocean reefs, one of the most popular ways of lionfish population control is spear fishing. However, lionfish have started to venture beyond the depth by which it’s possible to spear fish, presenting a new challenge...
Ted Pietsch awarded Society for the History of Natural History Founders’ Medal 2022
The Founders’ Medal is awarded to persons who have made a substantial contribution to the study of the history or bibliography of natural history through a sustained record of high-quality publications, and a sustained contribution to dissemination of the history of natural history through practice or curation. ...
Citizen Scientists Help Count Deep 7 Bottomfish in Hawaii
The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is launching a new citizen science project called OceanEYEs and is seeking volunteers to help find Deep 7 bottomfish in underwater video...
Improving geoduck aquaculture through “hardening”
Pacific geoducks, among the largest burrowing clams in the world, are native to the Pacific Northwest. Commercially grown only since 1995, farmed geoducks now generate over $20 million in annual sales in Washington State and are among the most valuable farmed shellfish on a per-acre basis. However, hatcheries can be a critical production bottleneck...
Cracking the genetic code of Washington’s eelgrass
In the Pacific Northwest, eelgrass serves an important function in the ecosystem by binding sediments, storing carbon, and providing essential habitat for Pacific herring, juvenile salmon, and many other species. Concerningly, eelgrass populations are susceptible to human impacts related to water quality changes or direct disturbance. Eelgrass mitigation and restoration strategies often result in plants being transplanted to new locations where eelgrass may already be present. However, these efforts often lack information on the genetic population structure in an ever-changing environment. A team of interdisciplinary researchers at the University of Washington is developing baseline data for native eelgrass to make the first comprehensive geographic map of state eelgrass population structure and describe the relationship between eelgrass population structure, phenotypic diversity, and local adaptation and resistance to environmental stressor...
Food for thought: foraging behavior of Washington’s sea otters
Learn how SAFS PhD student Jessie Hale examines patterns in sea otter feeding over time and space along the Washington coast...
Community science effort helps UW researchers understand local seabird populations
For nearly two decades, volunteers on Whidbey Island have been monitoring a curious little seabird—the pigeon guillemot, small in size, black with white patches on the wings and a fire-engine-red mouth and feet. Using binoculars, they observe and record the comings and goings of the island’s resident seabirds along the seaside cliffs. Pigeon guillemots have been identified as a Puget Sound indicator species due to their abundance throughout the region, but what they might indicate is not yet clear...
CoralChange: a project to study and protect threatened coral by global change
The School of Aquatic and Fishery Science together with the University of Barcelona (Spain) are leading CoralChange, a project that will assess for the first time the role of larval reproduction and ecology on the long term dynamics and viability of the threatened coral populations worldwide...
Spotlight on SAFS Research in the Tropics and Arctic
SAFS' global network is one of its greatest strengths, providing nearly limitless opportunities for scientific and personal discovery. Explore some of our research highlights, spread across tropical and northern latitudes, through an interactive map. Deep dive into our new and exciting projects that provide students interdisciplinary study abroad experience...
‘Sushi parasites’ have increased 283-fold in past 40 years
A new study led by the University of Washington finds dramatic increases in the abundance of a worm that can be transmitted to humans who eat raw or undercooked seafood. Its 283-fold increase in abundance since the 1970s could have implications for the health of humans and marine mammals, which both can inadvertently eat the worm...