Coastal Fisheries Ecology Lab

Our capstone team wrote a great piece about their experience of learning about hardrock mines in Alaska and community perspectives on mining... and what it was like to venture 1400 feet below sea level on their trip to Juneau.

Digging Deep into Alaska Hardrock Mines | School of Marine and Environmental Affairs The door slowly slid open as all five of us climbed out of the three-row van—affectionately named the “sassy Sienna”—emerging onto a dark, wet, nearly empty marina. The rain softly fell onto the hoods of our jackets as we surveyed the scene, no one quite awake, looking for our next mode of t...

Congrats to Master's student Adriana Apintiloaiei for receiving the Bonderman Fellowship! We look forward to hearing stories about her upcoming adventures.

bonderman.uw.edu

CFE Lab PI Anne Beaudreau is honored to be joining the Science Advisory Committee for the Northwest Straits Commission! Click the link below and scroll down for a short story about how lingcod and fishing communities connected Anne to Puget Sound many years ago. https://www.nwstraits.org/

We are excited to share a new paper from our team on fishers' knowledge and advocacy in Juneau, Alaska. This study explored ways that commercial fishers and other seafood industry professionals in the Juneau area are caring for their fisheries and working to make them continuously viable. We are so grateful to the dedicated fishers and managers who shared their knowledge and time with us for this project.

The study was led by UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs alum Emma Scalisi as part of her thesis research. Anne Beaudreau (faculty) and Ellie Mason (SMEA alum) are coauthors. You can read it here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40152-024-00364-2

Great work, team!

A group of five SMEA graduate students—Elise Adams, Nika Hoffman, Jess Lechtenberg, Katalin Plummer, and Jack Winterhalter—recently ventured 1400 feet under the earth’s surface to explore one of the largest silver producing mines in North America. The team traveled to Juneau, Alaska, to tour Greens Creek mine and present and discuss their capstone research with diverse audiences, including university students and faculty, and environmental NGO, federal, and tribal government staff.

The students’ research is focused on the processes by which the five operating hardrock mines in Alaska have been transformed through regulatory changes, and the implications of those changes for watershed health and local communities. They are co-advised by Dr. Chris Sergeant and Dr. Anne Beaudreau.

The capstone team is grateful for the generous support of donors who made this enriching experience possible, including the SMEA Fellowship Fund, Ed Miles Memorial Student Support Fund, the Dayton “Lee” Alverson Fellowship, and the Usha and S. Rao Varanasi Endowed Fellowship in Environmental and Marine Stewardship.

Photos courtesy of Chris Sergeant.

Please join us for a special seminar this Thursday, November 9 at noon Alaska time -- Emma Scalisi, a recent graduate from the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, will be sharing results of her thesis research on “Stewardship, advocacy, and knowledge in Juneau-area commercial fisheries.” We look forward to hearing your questions and feedback!

You can find Zoom connection information in the attached image, or send us a direct message for the link.

Emma Scalisi (MMA, ‘23) will be presenting her thesis research on stewardship, advocacy, and knowledge in Juneau-area fisheries at the UW/Fishing Industry Meeting on October 18, 2023!

Her research examined relationships between small-scale commercial fishers and fisheries management agencies in Alaska. This study is part of ongoing work in the Coastal Fisheries Ecology Lab to explore how fishermen are supporting the long-term viability of their fisheries and how these actions can be better supported by management.

Well done and good luck, Emma!

Join us in Sitka tomorrow Thursday, September 21 from 7-8:30 pm at University of Alaska Southeast for a presentation and discussion with University of Washington researchers and ADF&G staff on king salmon sport fishery management. Light refreshments will be provided. The talk will share examples of how selective sport fisheries for marked hatchery salmon have worked on the West Coast, highlighting their benefits and challenges. We invite discussion to hear your feedback, questions, and ideas. These conversations will contribute to a study to understand whether a selective sport fishery for king salmon is possible or desired in Southeast Alaska.

Join us in Ketchikan TODAY Monday, September 18 from 7-8:30 pm at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office for a presentation and discussion with University of Washington researchers and ADF&G staff on king salmon sport fishery management. Light refreshments will be provided. The talk will share examples of how selective sport fisheries for marked hatchery salmon have worked on the West Coast, highlighting their benefits and challenges. We invite discussion to hear your feedback, questions, and ideas about selective fisheries for king salmon.

We are back in Juneau to talk with the community about salmon management! Thanks to KTOO public radio for a fun interview. You can listen and learn more at the link below.

July 12, 2023: Selective sports fisheries presentation and Master Gardeners Garden Tour A public presentation and Q&A about an ongoing study about salmon sports fisheries plus the Master Gardeners preview the upcoming Garden Tour

So proud of these graduates and thankful for two wonderful years working together. From left: Gabi Dunn, Rory Spurr, Alana Santana, Anne Beaudreau (faculty), Catalina Burch, Ellie Mason, Emma Scalisi.

They also founded a new lab tradition--each time someone graduates, they will fasten a sea creature to this painted canvas. Over time our ocean will grow and grow!

CFE Lab alum Veronica Padula is giving a talk tomorrow about her new role as research scientist with the Seattle Aquarium! Join us in person or by zoom. Details below.

Join us this Thursday,4/13, for our first Speaker Series of the quarter, which features Veronica Padula from the Seattle Aquarium. You can attend via Zoom or in person from 12-1 in the Marine Studies Building room 268. See you then!

CFE Lab member Gabi Dunn was featured in SMEA's Student Spotlight! In this article, she shares her path to SMEA and highlights from her experience as a Master's student. Gabi will be graduating this quarter and is ready to launch the next stage of her career "as a leader to integrate large-scale ecosystem health, community and culture, environmental justice, and climate adaptation."

Q&A with Gabriela Dunn | School of Marine and Environmental Affairs Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs? After 8 years of working in the environmental sphere—working in ecotourism, high school education, environmental consulting, and in the National Park Service—I felt my skills and knowledge had plateaued and I needed to finally pursue a Mas...

Master's students Catalina Burch and Emma Scalisi presented posters at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium this week in Anchorage. Catalina discussed her research on "Temperature-driven shifts in Gulf of Alaska foods webs" and Emma presented her work on "Stewardship, advocacy, and knowledge in Juneau-area fisheries." Way to go, team! - UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs

It's wonderful to work with great writers! Enjoy this reflective, uplifting piece by CFE Lab Master's student Ellie Mason.

A Love Letter to Running and to Nell | School of Marine and Environmental Affairs Two Decembers ago, I stood in the small kitchen of my best friend’s apartment, leaning against the sink and watching in the mirror as she cut my hair. As the pieces rained down around me onto the kitchen floor, Nell told me about her new job and the past four months of her life that we had spent o...

During these darker fall days, we dream of summer, and of the research experiences that brought us together. We hope you enjoy our reflections on what a trip to “the field” meant for each of us and – more broadly – the ways that fieldwork itself can be challenging and healing.

Notes from the Field We wanted to share our reflections on what a June trip to “the field” meant for each of us and – more broadly – the ways that fieldwork itself can be challenging and healing.

In preparation for the start of our fall quarter, we refreshed the “People” section of our lab website with some new profile pictures and bios. We hope you enjoy getting to know our excellent team and wish everyone a great start to the school year!
https://annebeaudreau.com/people/

People Anne Beaudreau, Associate Professor Anne was raised in Rhode Island and earned an A.B. in Biology with honors from Harvard University. She began her career as a fishery analyst at the New England F…

CFE Lab PI Anne Beaudreau shares what she loves about her work (and sculpins) in this fun post from UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs.

Q&A With Dr. Anne Beaudreau | School of Marine and Environmental Affairs Why did you decide to become a professor? I began applying for faculty positions after a phase of my postdoc that involved a lot of solitary time writing R code. I realized that as much as I enjoyed research, my sense of purpose was in sharing a love of discovery and learning with others. Doing rese...