Sustainable Seafood

All Eyes on ARG: Bodega Marine Lab’s Best-Kept Secret

What does it take to study the ocean? It’s a lot harder than you might think, considering most marine research happens in a lab instead of the ocean itself. Imagine you are starting a project at Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML) and given only two weeks with limited funding to set up your study and collect all of the data you need to answer your research question. Data collection is an enormous task, but have you ever thought about the time it takes to replicate ocean environments on land?

The Native Oyster Restoration Project

 

The UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory's Aquatic Resources Group offers a glimpse into the world of oyster aquaculture. See the hatchery, where tiny Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) - the only oyster species native to the west coast of the US - are prepared for outplanting into the ocean.

This video was filmed and produced by Sam Briggs and features Joe Newman. Want to see more of Sam's work? Check out his science-meets-art photography on Instagram.

Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries Announce 2021 Joint Fellowship Program Awardees

Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries recently announced the 2021 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Five population and ecosystem dynamics fellowships and two marine resource economics fellowships were awarded through this national program.

The fellowships offered within this program are aimed at training the next generation of specialized experts in fisheries management. The program addresses the critical need for future fisheries scientists with expertise in stock assessment and related fields.

Ecosystem-based Management of Forage Fish Could Benefit Ocean and Communities

Taking a holistic, ecosystem-based approach to managing small prey species known as forage fish could yield several economic and ecological benefits, a new study has found. The research, which focused on forage fisheries off the coast of California, modeled a management strategy for two forage fish species—anchovy and sardine—while also considering populations of halibut and brown pelicans, both of which feed upon forage fish.

Gauging the Impacts of Fisheries on Local Communities

How do we gauge the impacts of fisheries on communities that rely on them? A recent study from researchers at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, the University of California, Davis, and NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center demonstrates measurable increases in resident income linked to increases in fishery earnings, illustrating the impact of fisheries and the importance of local resource ownership in coastal economies.