Vol. 32, No. 8
August 2012
Possible future routes for ship traffic.Gay Sheffield and representatives of Kawerak Inc. set dates for the Bering Strait Maritime Symposium: February 5–6, 2013. The symposium will link Nome area residents with federal and state agencies and industry involved in planning for increased industrial use of the Bering Strait transportation corridor.
Sheffield and Kawerak leaders set up a steering committee and sent invitations and questionnaires to IRA (Indian Reorganization Act) Tribal Councils, seeking their top concerns about potential increases in shipping traffic. The steering committee will use the feedback to determine the topics to be covered, partners to bring into the discussion, and speakers to be invited. The symposium is funded by a NOAA Regional Team Collaboration Grant.
Auke Creek, AlaskaMaster's graduate student Christopher Manhard defended his thesis, A Test of Local Adaptation in Hybridized Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha).
Manhard's research focused on differences in fitness-related traits between genetically isolated early and late run pink salmon, and a first generation hybrid of the two. All of the fish studied were from Auke Creek, near Juneau, and cultured in a common freshwater environment, released to sea together, and collected from their natal stream as adults. In even-numbered years, the survival of the control lines exceeded that of the hybrids, but in the odd years there was no difference. The results indicate that removal of the fine temporal genetic barrier between the natural populations may disrupt local adaptation and potentially reduce biodiversity and productivity.
Manhard will analyze second generation salmon returns as he continues his research in a Ph.D. program. His major professor is Tony Gharrett, and his master's work was funded by Alaska Sea Grant.
Torie BakerTorie Baker, Prince William Sound Marine Advisory agent based in Cordova, has taken on the duties of Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory leader from August 2012 to January 2013. Paula Cullenberg is on sabbatical leave during this time.
The grade 8 teaching investigation, Ch-ch-ch-changes, in Alaska Sea Grant's Alaska Seas and Rivers online curriculum, was selected as a Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) educational resource. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the award recognizes the highest quality programs after a rigorous review process. Ch-ch-ch-changes teaches about decreasing sea ice and possible rising sea levels. Go to http:/seagrant.uaf.edu/marine-ed/curriculum/grade-8/investigation-1.html to see the CLEAN logo highlighting the investigation.
Arctic cod. Photo by Elizabeth Calvert Siddon (NOAA/UAF).Alaska Sea Grant has announced the call for abstracts for the 28th Wakefield symposium—Responses of Arctic Marine Ecosystems to Climate Change, March 26–29, 2013. Abstracts are due November 30, 2012.
The symposium will advance understanding of present and future responses of arctic marine ecosystems to climate change at all trophic levels. Speakers will include Sue Moore, NOAA Office of Science and Technology; Edward Itta, Barrow, Alaska; and Kate Moran, Ocean Networks Canada.
Organizers encourage contributions that focus on collaborative approaches to understanding and managing living marine resources in a changing Arctic, and to managing human responses to changing arctic marine ecosystems.
Sharing strategies and resources was the goal at the 2012 National Marine Education Association (NMEA) conference, held June 24–28. Over 350 educators from around the globe gathered at the University of Alaska Anchorage to boost their resources for educating students in marine and freshwater ecosystems.
This year's conference themes included science and art, science and culture, and science and technology. Innovative educational resources, with a heavy focus on Alaska themes, were presented during 120 talks, 40 scientific posters, and seven plenary sessions. Alaska Lieutenant GovernorMead Treadwell gave a keynote address, and special presentations included Yup'ik storyteller Jack Dalton, the Yup'ik and Canadian Inuit group Pamyua, a showing of the Bristol Bay film Day in Our Bay, and field trips related to the conference themes.
Alaska Sea Grant, the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and Alaska Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE Alaska) sponsored the conference, provided planning support, and were instrumental in bringing this national conference to Alaska for the first time. Other sponsors were BOEM (U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management), Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators (NAME), and North Pacific Research Board. Co-chairs of the conference steering committee were Marilyn Sigman, Alaska Sea Grant marine education specialist; Robin Dublin, COSEE Alaska executive director; and the late Bill Hastie of NAME. SFOS Dean Mike Castellini gave opening remarks at the welcome reception and introduced Yup'ik storyteller Jack Dalton. Alaska Sea Grant associate director Paula Cullenberg introduced plenary speakers Reid Brewer, Marine Advisory agent; and Julia Parrish, associate director, University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences.
See http://www.pacname.org/conf.shtml for the complete program. Next year's NMEA Conference will be held in Mobile, Alabama; for more information see http://nmea.disl.org/.