Message from the Dean

As we wind up 2022, it is a pleasure to express my sincere appreciation to our students, staff and faculty, and to our captain and crew in ensuring the safe and successful operation of R/V Sikuliaq. Thank you for all your good work, CFOS!

Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

Fall 2022 graduates

Kari Fenski. Ph.D. Fisheries, Advisor: Curry Cunningham
Christopher Sergeant. Ph.D. Fisheries, Advisor: Jeffrey Falke
Lauren Sutton. Ph.D. Marine Biology, Advisor: Katrin Iken
Brian Ulaski. Ph.D. Marine Biology, Advisor: Brenda Konar
Alexis Walker. Ph.D. Marine Biology, Advisors: Sarah Mincks and Mary Beth Leigh (IAB)
Jacob Cohen. MS Oceanography, Advisor: Gwenn Hennon
Elizabeth Hasan. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Brenda Konar
Drew Porter. MS Marine Biology, Advisors: Matthew Wooller and Benjamin Barst (INE)
Michelle Trifari. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Matthew Wooller and Benjamin Barst (INE)
Kortney Birch. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Ocean Sciences

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle for winter maintenance and repairs.

Activities and Accomplishments

Tamamta Fellows Elizabeth Mik'aq Lindley and Kimberly Pikok, along with Peter Westley, facilitated the first Alaska Arctic Salmon Workshop in Anchorage on December 1–2, funded by Alaska Sea Grant and SalmonNet. Twenty-two Western scientists and community members from Kotzebue to Kaktovik came together to co-create questions surrounding the increasing occurrences of Pacific salmon in the Arctic.

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner highlighted work by Natalie Monacci as part of a roundup of UAF research at the American Geophysical Union fall 2022 conference. Natalie’s presentation focused on the need for better monitoring as oceans are increasingly used to store atmospheric carbon.

Publications

Dahle, G., B. Sainte-Marie, S.L. Mincks, E. Farestveit, K.E. Jørstad, A.M. Hjelset, and A.-L. Agnalt. 2022. Genetic analysis of the exploited snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the Barents Sea—possibilities of origin. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac172

Walker, A.M., M.B. Leigh, and S.L. Mincks. 2023. Benthic bacteria and archaea in the North American Arctic reflect food supply regimes and impacts of coastal and riverine inputs. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105224

Grants and Awards for November 2022

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15185 "Cook Inlet Physical Oceanography Data Curation, Visualization and Analyses" - Tyler Hennon - BOEM - $500,000.00 (September 12, 2022)
• Grant G-15186 "Collaborative Fisheries Education Across the Bering Sea" - Megan McPhee - US Russia Foundation - $66,618.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15195 "A Sea-scale Effort to Assess Sensitivity to Change in Nutrients and Ecosystems within the Pacific Arctic" - Thomas Kelly - NPRB - $281,855.00 (October 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15221 "Exploring pelagic biodiversity of the Gulf of Alaska and the impact of its seamounts" - Russ Hocroft - NOAA/CMDL - $749,771.00 (July 1, 2022)

Awards controlled by another department:

• Grant G-15211 "Satellite ocean color remote sensing of water mass dynamics in Cook Inlet" - Mark Johnson - BOEM - IARC - $48,478.00 (September 22, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• G-11616 "LTER: Beaufort Sea Lagoons: An Arctic Coastal Ecosystem in Transition" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - Mod 5 - $112,957.00 (August 1, 2017)
• G-14399 "AccelNet-Implementation: Crustal Ocean Biosphere Research Accelerator (COBRA)" - Geoff Wheat - Bigelow Labs - Mod 2 - $20,000.00 (October 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

Next week, I will join ocean science leaders from across the country at the Fall AGU meeting to discuss future advocacy efforts in support of national priorities in ocean science research and education. This will be an important discussion following the recent dissolution of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership and transfer of its long-standing programs, including the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, to the new Center for Ocean Leadership within the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Now more than ever, we need strong and united leadership to address the most pressing ocean challenges facing Alaska, the nation and the world.

Along these lines, CFOS has committed to host this year's regional Alaska Tsunami Bowl (part of NOSB, which is on hiatus during this transition year). As in prior years, high school students and teachers from across the state will meet in Seward to engage in a spirited competition; the theme of this year’s competition is mariculture. CFOS has been successful in garnering additional funding for this event from several generous supporters—thank you!

The search for a new assistant professor in marine policy has advanced through the internal UA process and will soon be advertised broadly. Please help spread the word for this important new position, and contact search committee chair Keith Criddle if you require any further information.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seward after a successful CY2022 field season. Following crew rotation, fueling and securing gear, Sikuliaq will depart for Seattle for maintenance and repairs.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ginny Eckert’s lab members won accolades for presentations at recent scientific conferences. Graduate student Courtney Hart won best student oral presentation at the U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae in Albany, New York. Ginny Eckert and graduate student Johnson Domke coauthored a poster on kelp with UAS undergraduate student Jessica Whitney that won the award for best undergraduate poster at the https://www.wsn-online.org/ annual conference in Oxnard, California.

CFOS in the News

UAF News mentioned that CFOS partner Alaska Blue Economy Center has hired Tommy Sheridan as its associate director. Sheridan has a background in fisheries and has worked with nonprofit groups, public service organizations and seafood processors.

CFOS research staff member Hank Statscewich was a featured guest on The Ocean News and Technology Magazine's SeaState podcast, where he spoke on the use of UAF's underwater gliders for fishery research.

Trent Sutton gave an interview to KYUK Public Media on the Arctic lamprey subsistence fishery in the Kuskokwim River.

Publications

Fang, Y.C., M. Janout, Y. Kawaguchi, and H. Statscewich. 2022. Semidiurnal internal tides observed on the eastern flank of Hanna Shoal in the northeastern Chukchi Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC018232

Kite-Powell, H.L., E. Ask, S. Augyte, D. Bailey, J. Decker, C.A. Goudey, G. Grebe, Y. Li, S. Lindell, D. Manganelli, M. Marty-Rivera, C. Ng, L. Roberson, M. Stekoll, S. Umanzor and C. Yarish. 2022. Estimating production cost for large-scale seaweed farms. Applied Phycology. https://doi.org/10.1080/26388081.2022.2111271

Wheat, C.G., M.J. Mottl, A.T. Fisher, and S. Hulme. 2022. Formation waters delineate diverse hydrogeologic conditions at a plate scale: eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca ridge. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GC010665

Ulaski, B.P., E.O. Otis, and B. Konar. 2022. How landscape variables influence the relative abundance, composition, and reproductive viability of macroalgal wrack in a high latitude glacial estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2022.108169

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that the 2022 CFOS annual report is now complete and available online. A big thank-you to Alice Bailey for leading this effort, to Jeff Richardson, Sam Bishop and Carol Kaynor for expert editing and attention to detail, and to Molly Putman for final layout and production. Well done, team!

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday season.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in the Beaufort Sea in support of Bob Pickart’s (WHOI) Monitoring Mooring project, which is part of the NSF-funded Arctic Observing Network. Sikuliaq is scheduled to return to Seward on Saturday, December 3.

Activities and Accomplishments

Several CFOS faculty, including Brenda Konar, Gwenn Hennon, and Jessica Glass, as well as students and staff, attended the 27th NSF EPSCOR National Conference last week, hosted by the University of Maine.

CFOS in the News

AP News mentioned Peter Westley among the 10 finalists for the 2022 edX Prize for Exceptional Contributions in Online Teaching and Learning. His free online edX course, Salmon, People and Place, explores the relationships between salmon and people, with an emphasis on the special ties between salmon and Indigenous peoples.

Seth Danielson was interviewed on KNOM’s Ocean Knowledge program to discuss findings of the Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Research Program, which studied changes in the northern Bering and Chukchi seas from 2016 to 2021.

Fortune magazine quoted Schery Umanzor in a story about the “seaweed superfood revolution,” which looks at seaweed’s potential as a food source and climate change mitigator.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror quoted Brenda Konar in a story about ochre sea stars migrating to Kodiak waters.

Publications

Friedlingstein, P., [...], N.M. Monacci, et al. 2022. Global carbon budget 2022. Earth System Science Data. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4811-2022

Mottl, M.J., T.M. McCollom, C.G. Wheat, and P. Fryer. 2022. Chemistry of springs across the Mariana forearc: Carbon flux from the subducting plate triggered by the lawsonite-to-epidote transition? Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2022.10.029

Rabault, J., [...], M. Johnson, et al. 2022. OpenMetBuoy-v2021: An easy-to-build, affordable, customizable, open-source instrument for oceanographic measurements of drift and waves in sea ice and the open ocean. Geosciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12030110

Walsh, J.E., H. Eicken, K. Redilla, and M. Johnson. 2022. Sea ice breakup and freeze-up indicators for users of the Arctic coastal environment. The Cryosphere. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4617-2022

Message from the Dean

The position description for the new assistant professor of marine policy has been drafted. We anticipate that this faculty search will be advertised in the coming weeks. This new search and the ongoing oceanography faculty search are important steps in advancing the mission of the college. A big thank you to those faculty stepping up to serve on these search committees.

This Friday is Veteran’s Day. Please take a moment to reflect on and honor the military veterans who served our country.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Beaufort Sea for Bob Pickart’s (WHOI) Monitoring Mooring project, which is part of the NSF funded Arctic Observing Network. The project aims to quantify upwelling along the Beaufort slope, which appears to be increasing with warming climate.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS graduate student Emily Stidham took second place in the UAF second annual Three Minute Thesis finals held on November 3, 2022.

At the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC) 115th meeting held at UAF October 25–26, Bradley Moran gave a talk on the Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures for R/V Sikuliaq and Peter Westley talked about Yukon river salmon.

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the UAF alumni magazine, Aurora, published “Diving into Alaska’s DNA,” which mentioned CFOS faculty and students working in genomics.

UAF News wrote about a new seamounts exhibit at the University of Alaska Museum of the North with support from the North Pacific Research Board. The exhibit showcases artist Nicholas Bezio's work done in collaboration with Jennifer Questel and other researchers on a 2019 research cruise aboard R/V Sikuliaq, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Brenda Konar was interviewed by the Kodiak Daily Mirror for a story on ochre sea star wasting disease.

The Juneau Empire covered the ninth annual underwater pumpkin-carving event in Juneau, where graduate student Carter Johnson and several other CFOS students participated in the dive to carve jack-o-lanterns underwater.

UAF eCampus released a new video showcasing the CFOS online Fisheries and Marine Sciences undergraduate program.

Local Juneau broadcasting station KTOO aired a piece on the radio about Heidi Pearson’s study on whale stressors.

Publications

Sandy, S.J., S.L. Danielson, and A.R. Mahoney. Automating the acoustic detection and characterization of sea ice and surface waves. 2022. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10111577

Grants and Awards for October 2022

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15115 "Collaborative Research: Zooplankton restarts in a high-latitude marine ecosystem: species-specific recruitment and development in early spring" - Russ Hopcroft - NSF - $335,949.00 (October 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15143 "Oceanographic influences on spotted seal foraging in the Bering and Chukchi seas" - Steve Okkonen - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $10,739.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15157 "Arctic High-Frequency Radar FCC Compliance (HFR Operators)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $19,170.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15161 "AMBON - linking biodiversity observations in the Arctic" - Katrin Iken - NASA - $410,000.00 (September 1, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 11 - $232,667.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12511 "RCN-UBE: The Research of STEM Education Network: Improving Research Inclusivity through a Grassroots Culture of Scientific Teaching" - Trent Sutton - University of Alabama Birmingham - Mod 4 - $14,393.00 (August 1, 2018)
• Grant G-14468 "Demonstrating operational readiness of AUV-based ecosystem monitoring through a field program supporting the International Year of the Salmon (OMAO Glider)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 2 - $45,877.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14485 "National Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NOA-ON) Stations: Gulf of Alaska (GAKOA) and Bering Sea (M2) moorings (M2 & GAK Moorings)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $161,905.00 (July 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

In support of the new Master of Marine Policy degree offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast, it is a pleasure to convey that CFOS will begin a search for a new tenure-track faculty in fisheries and marine policy. Keith Criddle has kindly agreed to serve as search chair, along with CFOS committee members Jessica Glass, Russ Hopcroft, Lara Horstmann, and Andy Seitz, as well as Kasia Polanska from UAS. The committee is currently drafting the position description for approval by the Provost. We anticipate the search to be advertised later this semester, with a projected hire in spring and a start date next academic year.

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the US Arctic Research Commission will hold its 115th meeting at the UAF campus. This in-person meeting will include a number of high-level government officials, senior university leaders, scientists, and speakers from across the university. Peter Westley will discuss the declining population of Yukon River salmon, Justin Sternberg will provide an update on the Alaska Blue Economy Center, and I will present the Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures (CESCOP) for Sikuliaq operations. It is a pleasure to thank USARC Chair Mike Sfraga and Executive Director John Farrell (who is former chair of the CFOS Visiting Expert Committee) for the invitation to participate in this meeting.

With snow now on the ground, the ski season is just around the corner.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq remains in the Beaufort Sea for Luc Rainville’s (UW/APL) Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS) project, funded by the Office of Naval Research Arctic Program, which has thus far serviced four ice stations over 22 days.

CFOS in the News

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) released a short documentary film about Sonia Ibarra and the co-developed sea otter research she and Tribes led in Southeast Alaska from 2012 to 2020, which led to her receipt of the 2022 AISES Indigenous Excellence Award.

Publications

Bellmore, J.R., C.J. Sergeant, R.A. Bellmore, J.A. Falke, and J.B. Fellman. 2022. Modeling coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) population response to streamflow and water temperature extremes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2022-0129

Cheng, M.L.H., S.G. Hinch, F. Juanes, S.J. Healy, A.G. Lotto, S.J. Mapley, and N.B. Furey. 2022. Acoustic imaging observes predator–prey interactions between bull trout and migrating sockeye salmon smolts. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10833

McKinney, G.J., P.D. Barry, C. Pascal, J.E. Seeb, L.W. Seeb, and M.V. McPhee. 2022. A new genotyping-in-thousands-by-sequencing single nucleotide polymorphism panel for mixed-stock analysis of chum salmon from coastal western Alaska. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10805

Singh, R.K., A. Vader, C.J. Mundy, J.E. Søreide, K. Iken, K.H. Dunton, L. Castro de la Guardia, M.K. Sejr, and S. Bélanger. Satellite-derived photosynthetically available radiation at the coastal Arctic seafloor. 2022. Remote Sensing. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14205180

Message from the Dean

Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day, when we honor Alaska Native people, culture, and knowledge. Please note that the University of Alaska Fairbanks will celebrate this important day by hosting a number of celebrations and activities.

One of the goals identified at the January 2022 all-hands faculty retreat was to recruit research faculty in our college. In this regard, Ellen Chenoweth has accepted an appointment as research assistant professor in the Department of Marine Biology. A CFOS alum (Ph.D., 2018), Ellen’s research expertise is in marine foraging ecology with a focus on marine mammals. Ellen will begin her appointment at CFOS in the coming weeks, and will be physically located at the UAS Sitka campus where she will continue her funded research while strengthening our connection to rural Alaska. She can be reached by email at emchenoweth@alaska.edu. Please join me in welcoming Ellen to CFOS!

Next Tuesday, we will host a virtual meeting with the CFOS Advisory Council to discuss priorities and needs of the college. The meeting agenda includes an update on our academic and research programs, diversity and inclusivity efforts, and the Seward Marine Center. I look forward to an engaging meeting with our Council members.

The 2022 CFOS Annual Report has been drafted and edited and is moving on to layout. Kudos to Alice Bailey for producing what promises to be another very nice showcase of some of our instruction, research, and service activities.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in the Beaufort Sea ice in support of Luc Rainville’s (UW/APL) Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS) project, which is expected to run for 45 days.

Activities and Accomplishments

Seth Danielson, graduate student Savannah Sandy, and Peter Shipton reached the North Pole aboard USCGC Healy on September 30, 2022, as part of the NSF Synoptic Arctic Survey research expedition and in support of the AOOS/NPRB–funded turnaround of the Chukchi Ecosystem Observatory mooring. Also aboard were UAF alumni Jackie Grebmeier and Lee Cooper.

Sonia Ibarra received the prestigious 2022 Indigenous Excellence Award from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society for her effort in advancing programs and opportunities for Indigenous students and professionals.

Brenda Konar was an invited speaker, and the Alaskan representative, at the Eastern Pacific Kelp Forest Restoration Workshop organized by The Nature Conservancy on September 3–4, 2022.

CFOS in the News

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) published an article about a recent Q&A session with Courtney Carothers and Jessica Black that discussed supporting Alaska’s next generation of Indigenous scientists.

Too Big To Ignore published an article by graduate student Isaac Nyameke on his reflections on attending the recent UN-FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) 35 meeting held last month in Italy.

The Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON) project led by Katrin Iken was mentioned in an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) article as one of five projects funded by NOAA and partner agencies.

Graduate student Hannah Meyers spoke with Atlas Obscura about killer whale cultural behaviors.

Publications

Jellison, B. M., S. C. Bacus, and B. Gaylord. 2022. Variation in the behavioral tolerance of congeneric marine snails to low-pH exposure. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14144

Kiko, R., M. Picheral, D. Antoine, [...], R. M. Lekanoff, [...], A. McDonnell, D. Niemeyer, M. Noyon, S. O'Daly, M. Ohman, J.L. Pretty, et al. 2022. A global marine particle size distribution dataset obtained with the Underwater Vision Profiler 5. Earth System Science Data. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4315-2022

Rode, K. D., B. D. Taras, C. A. Stricker, T.C. Atwood, N. P. Boucher, G. M. Durner, A. E. Derocher, E. S. Richardson, S. G. Cherry, L. Quakenbush, L. Horstmann, and J.F. Bromaghin. 2022. Diet energy density estimated from isotopes in predator hair associated with survival, habitat, and population dynamics. Ecological Applications. https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eap.2751

Umanzor, S., M. Good, T. Bobrycki, J. K. Kim, and C. Yarish. 2022. Building community capacity in the determination of nutrient removal through kelp farming. World Aquaculture Magazine.

Grants and Awards for September 2022

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-15034 "To Provide Personnel to Assist With Oceanographic Data Processing and Analysis-Elson Lagoon Moorings" - Steve Okkonen - North Slope Borough - $24,298.00 (June 14, 2022)
• Grant G-15037 "Distribution, Habitat Use, and Life History of Pacific Lamprey in the Susitna River Drainage, Alaska" - Trent Sutton - US Fish & Wildlife Service - $25,000.00 (August 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15041 "Genetic composition of Bering Sea Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) aggregations" - Andres Lopez - UA Foundation PCCRC - $69,935.00 (August 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15047 "Tamamta (All of Us): Transforming Western and Indigenous Fisheries and Marine Sciences Together" - Courtney Carothers - UA Foundation - $9,500.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15056 "Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri) foraging habitat in Izembek Lagoon, Alaska" - Anastasia Maliguine (Tuula Holmen) - $14,965.00 (April 22, 2022)
• Grant G-15074 "AMBON - linking biodiversity observation in the Arctic" - Katrin Iken - ONR - $500,000.00 (September 1, 2022) Grant G-15078 "Influence of an environmental cascade on high-latitude intertidal communities'' - Madeline McArthur (Brenda Konar) - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - $15,892.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15087 "Port Valdez PAH Sediment Research Paper" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $12,000.00 (September 15, 2022) Grant G-15110 "Pelagic-benthic decoupling? Ecosystem restructuring in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas" - Katrin Iken - NPRB - $92,615.00 (July 1, 2022)

Awards set up on assumption:

• Grant G-15079 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line: 2019-2024" - Russ Hopcroft - NPRB - $256,572.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15104 "Investigating impacts of Alaskan shellfish and finfish mariculture on soft sediment benthic ecosystems" - Sarah Mincks - NOAA - $119,962.00 (August 1, 2022)

Awards controlled by other departments:

• Grant G-15015 "Shifting patterns in phytoplankton blooms" - Seth Danielson - IARC - NPRB - $16,407.00 (September 1, 2022)
• Grant G-15020 "FY23 State Economic Development Mariculture R&D" - Schery Umanzor - Alaska State Legislature Senate Finance Committee - $500,000.00 (July 1, 2022)

Awards receiving incremental funding:

• Grant G-3163 "Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation - $216,000.00 (April 1, 2006)
• Grant G-9796 "Ladd Macaulay Fisheries Research Fellowship" - Andy Sietz - UA Foundation - $62,000.00 (September 1, 2014)
• Grant G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcorft - NSF - Mod 6 - $1,126,927.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-13041 "Collaborative Oceanographic Monitoring in Southeast Alaska Parks" - Seth Danielson - National Park Service - $110,000.00 (September 25, 2019)
• Grant G-13193 "CY2019 Navy-funded cruises on R/V Sikuliaq" - Doug Baird - ONR - Mod 4 and Mod 5 - $1,400,000.00 and $1,299,339.00 (August 5, 2019)
• Grant G-13543 "NASA IPA August 2020 - July 2022" - Geoff Wheat - NASA - MOd 2 - $77,281.60 (August 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13683 "NRT: NNA: Tamamta (All of Us): Transforming Western and Indigenous Fisheries and Marine Sciences" - Courtney Carothers - NSF - $300,000.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13911 "Advancing Remote Sensing Insight into Coastal Sea Ice Ecosystems" Steve Okkonen - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - Mod 1 - $52,321.00 (July 20, 2020)
• Grant G-14378 "Collaborative Research: Elucidating Brine-Dominated, Segment-Scale Hydrothermal Discharge Along The Cleft Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge" - Geoff Wheat - NSF - Mod 2 - $153,741.00 (September 15, 2021)

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that Jeff Richardson has accepted the position of CFOS Public Information Office/Sikuliaq Science Liaison. Jeff brings a wealth of experience from his prior work as a news reporter and currently as PIO at UAF University Relations, as well as his work with Alaska communities. Jeff’s first day at CFOS will be October 26, 2022. He will be based at the Dean’s Office in Fairbanks. Jeff can be reached by email at jarichardson6@alaska.edu. Please join me in welcoming Jeff to CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Beaufort Sea for Luc Rainville’s (UW/APL) Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS) project to service the autonomous, moored, and ice-based sensors. The AMOS project is looking to develop a year-round observing system for better forecasting in the Arctic environment.

Earlier this month, Sikuliaq wrapped up a unique staffing experiment: CFOS/SMC signed a secondment agreement with Oregon State University to have crew from the recently retired R/V Oceanus work aboard Sikuliaq as relief crew. This effort has benefited both parties—Sikuliaq benefited from an experienced relief crew, and the Oceanus crew had the opportunity to upgrade their Merchant Marine Credentials (MMC) by sailing aboard an unlimited horsepower and unlimited tonnage vessel.

Activities and Accomplishments

Keith Criddle co-convened a theme session titled Operationalizing Resilience For Climate Change Impacts at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) 2022 Annual Science Conference in Dublin, Ireland.

CFOS in the News

A UAF News press release mentioned the contributions made by Russell Hopcroft and R/V Sikuliaq in a recently released report about the effects of climate change at dozens of long-term research sites around the world.

Franz Mueter appeared on Ocean Knowledge, a new series on KNOM Mission Radio hosted by Megan Onders from the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) that seeks to promote ocean stewardship.

Matthew Wooller was among the researchers mentioned in an Alaska Native News article about the storm that hit St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea last week.

Publications

Copeman, L.A., C.D. Salant, M.A. Stowell, M.L. Spencer, D.G. Kimmel, A.I. Pinchuk, and B.J. Laurel. 2022. Annual and spatial variation in the condition and lipid storage of juvenile Chukchi Sea gadids during a recent period of environmental warming (2012 to 2019). Deep Sea Research II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105180

Pickett, B.D., J.R. Glass, T. P. Johnson, P.G. Ridge, and J.S.K. Kauwe. 2022. The genome of a giant (trevally): Caranx ignobilis. Gigabyte. https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.67

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that active searches for the Sikuliaq Science Liaison/Public Information Officer position and new tenure-track oceanography faculty are progressing well. My thanks to both search committees for their time and effort in helping to advance the mission of the college.

I hope you take some time to enjoy the wonderful fall colors—winter is now just around the corner.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored at the Port of Nome preparing for Luc Rainville’s (UW/APL) Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS) project to service autonomous, moored, and ice-based sensors. As part of AMOS, a year-round observing system will be deployed to improve forecasting of the Arctic environment. Sikuliaq is scheduled to get underway on September 14 for the 45-day cruise.

Activities and Accomplishments

Over a two-week period in August, R/V Nanuq hosted Golder, a consulting firm investigating mine tailings from the Beatson Mine on Latouche Island in Prince William Sound.

CFOS graduate student Genoa Sullaway was selected for the 2022 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship.

CFOS graduate students James Currie, Karen Grosskreutz, Drew Porter, and Michelle Trifari were selected as 2022–2023 Alaska Sea Grant Fellows—congratulations!

CFOS graduate student Taylor Cubbage was awarded the John E. Skinner Memorial Fund Award and Best Student Paper Award at the annual 2022 meeting of the American Fisheries Society.

Schery Umanzor received the 2021–2022 Inspiration Award for her “Mariculture Site Assessment Toolkit” as part of the UAF Innovative Disclosures and Entrepreneurial Activities (IDEAs) awards.

CFOS in the News

CFOS graduate student Drew Porter was featured in an Alaska Native News article on copper toxicity in the Bristol Bay watershed and its effects on Alaska salmon.

A new project led by CFOS faculty Matthew Wooller was covered by UAF news.

Publications

Horst, A.M., A.P. Hill, and K.B. Gorman. 2022. Palmer Archipelago penguins data in the palmerpenguins R Package - an alternative to Anderson’s Irises. The R Journal. https://doi.org/10.32614/RJ-2022-020

Schaefer, A.L., K.B. Gorman, and M.A. Bishop. 2022. Light-level geolocation reveals the short-distance non-breeding movements and distribution of tufted puffins throughout the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.999461

Message from the Dean

Today marks the first day of classes; wishing our students a warm welcome back and a successful semester. In that regard, please mark your calendars for CFOS meet and greet events in Fairbanks and Juneau to welcome back students, faculty and staff. The Fairbanks Meet & Greet BBQ will take place on Wednesday, September 7, from 3 to 5 pm, and the Juneau Meet & Greet BBQ will be held on Thursday, September 8, starting at 5:30 pm at the Auke Recreation Raven Shelter. Additional details will follow.

Last week, Katrin Iken, Courtney Carothers, Keith Criddle and Seth Danielson were invited to present some highlights of CFOS research and education activities in marine biology, fisheries, marine policy and oceanography to NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad; and ABEC director Justin Sternberg provided an overview of current and future activities related to Alaska’s Blue Economy. That evening, I had the pleasure of hosting Rick for dinner to discuss regional and national ocean priorities. What a treat to have been invited to meet with such a thoughtful ocean leader—a big thank you to Rick and his team!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the western Gulf of Alaska to support Glenn Sasagawa’s (UCSD/SIO) Aleutian project to recover transponders near the Shumagin Islands. The transponders were deployed two years ago to measure the motion of the seafloor near the Aleutian Trench and help assess the risk of seismic events leading to tsunamis.

Activities and Accomplishments

Brenda Konar gave an invited talk, entitled "Glacial influence on nearshore communities in high latitude estuaries,” at the Ecological Society of America meeting in Montreal, Canada.

Last week, the Tamamta program held a retreat for faculty, students and invited guests at the Howard Luke Gaalee’ya Spirit Camp on the Tanana River.

CFOS in the News

Alaska Business magazine and the American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter summer 2022 newsletter mentioned the Master of Marine Policy degree offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast.

Anchorage Daily News published an op-ed by CFOS undergraduate student Rachel Heimke on how kelp farming contributes to Alaska’s economic independence and food security.

CFOS professor Shannon Atkinson was quoted in a New York Times article titled “Revelry and unease in Alaska as cruises return.”

Publications

Hugh D., M. Cimino, K.H. Dunton, W.R. Fraser, R.R. Hopcroft, R. Ji, A.J. Miller, M.D. Ohman, and H.M. Sosik. 2022. Marine pelagic ecosystem responses to climate variability and change. BioScience. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac050

Holleman, W., G. Gouws, J.R. Glass, and B.Q. Mann. 2022. Resurrection of Lethrinus scoparius Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908 (Perciformes: Lethrinidae), from South African waters. Zootaxa. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5174.5.4

Godfrey, G.L., L. Horstmann, J. Snyder, and S.J. Trumble. 2022. Toxic and essential trace element concentrations in Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) skeletal muscle varies by location and reproductive status. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03069-6

Danielson, S.L., T.D. Hennon, D.H. Monson, R.M. Suryan, R.W. Campbell, S.J. Baird, K. Holderied, and T.J. Weingartner. 2022. Temperature variations in the northern Gulf of Alaska across synoptic to century-long time scales. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105155

Hennon, T.D., S.L. Danielson, R.A. Woodgate, B. Irving, D.A. Stockwell, and C.W. Mordy. Mooring measurements of Anadyr Current nitrate, phosphate, and silicate enable updated Bering Strait nutrient flux estimates. Geophysical Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098908

Li, Y., S. Umanzor, C. Ng, M. Huang, M. Marty-Rivera, D. Bailey, M. Aydlett, J. Jannink, S. Lindell, and C. Yarish. 2022. Skinny kelp (Saccharina angustissima) provides valuable genetics for the biomass improvement of farmed sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima). Journal of Applied Phycology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-022-02811-1

Message from the Dean

Today marks the beginning of the new academic year—welcome back everyone! As we kick-off the fall semester, there are many exciting research, academic and outreach activities that are actively being advanced by our outstanding faculty, staff and students.

On that note, and to highlight just a few items, this semester marks the official start of the new Masters of Marine Policy degree program which, as noted previously, is being offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast. We are moving forward with our search to hire several oceanography faculty, with on-campus interviews expected to take place in September and October. We look forward to hosting the next CFOS Advisory Council meeting in the coming weeks. And, on August 22 and 23, CFOS will be part of a larger UAF group hosting Dr. Rick Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator (and, as many will recall, a former CFOS keynote speaker). Once again, welcome back and thank you for all your good work CFOS!

Congratulations to our summer 2022 graduates:
Taylor Cubbage. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Jeffrey Falke
Carolyn Hamman. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Trent Sutton
Molly Payne. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Peter Westley
Mary Spanos. M.S. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Trent Sutton
Amy Kirkham. Ph.D. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Shannon Atkinson DeMaster
James Currie. M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Amanda Kelley
James Schloemer. M.S. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Katrin Iken
Josianne Haag. M.S. Oceanography, Major Advisor: Amanda Kelley
Anthony Jaster. B.A. Fisheries, Concentration in Fisheries Business and Social Sciences
Roger Maldonado. B.S. Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration in Fisheries Science
McKenna Slivensky. B.A. Fisheries, Concentration in Fisheries Business and Social Sciences

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Jeff Donnelly’s (WHOI) Bering Sea Storms project, collecting data near the central Aleutian Islands.

Activities and Accomplishments

Jennifer Tusten, an undergraduate student in fisheries, was awarded an URSA Student Research Grant for the Fall 2022 semester.

CFOS in the News

Jessica Glass’ research article on the feasibility of seafood labeling programs in Small Island Developing States, originally published in Frontiers of Marine Science, was picked up by the Seychelles News Agency.

The new Master of Marine Policy degree program was featured by the Juneau Empire and Pacific Fishing.

CFOS’s fully online asynchronous Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Marine Sciences degree program was featured in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Alaska Native News and Phys.org picked up the Geophysical Institute story about R/V Sikuliaq underway in the Bering Sea.

CFOS researcher Hank Statscewich was a guest speaker in Teledyne Marine’s podcast Marine Tech Talk.

Publications

Beatty, D.S., L.R. Aoki, B. Rappazzo, C. Bergman, L.K. Domke, J.E. Duffy, K. Dubois, G.L. Eckert, et al. 2022. Predictable changes in eelgrass microbiomes with increasing wasting disease prevalence across 23° Latitude in the Northeastern Pacific. Systems. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msystems.00224-22

Grants and Awards

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14833 "Second-generation consequences of hatchery enhancement of sockeye salmon in Auke Creek, Alaska, Year 2" - Megan McPhee - Pacific Salmon Commission - $10,910.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14854 "Adaptive Behaviors of Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Rapidly Changing Estuarine Rearing" - Andrew Rothenberger (Andy Seitz) - UA Foundation NGOA Award - $5,000.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14862 "Comparison of Beluga Acoustic Presence in Critical River Foraging Habitat Between Years of Diminished Commercial Fishing Zones" - Sonia Kumar (Lara Horstmann) - UA Foundation NGOA Award - $5,000.00 (July 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14950 "The Early Spring Zooplankton Communities in the Northwestern Alaska Gyre Project" - Alexei Pinchuk - North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission - $7,719.00 (July 5, 2022)
• Grant G-14930 "The Seward Line: Marine Ecosystem monitoring in the Northern Gulf of Alaska" - Russ Hopcroft - Prince William Sound Science Center - $216,613.00 (June 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14947 "Oceanographic Station GAK1 Long Term Monitoring of the Alaska Coastal Current" - Seth Danielson - Prince William Sound Science Center - $125,080.00 (June 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14948 "Pacific herring and pink salmon trophic interactions in Prince William Sound, Alaska" - Kristen Gorman - $30,360.00 (June 1, 2022)

Grant that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-14378 "Collaborative Research: Elucidating Brine-Dominated, Segment-Scale Hydrothermal Discharge Along The Cleft Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge" - Geoff Wheat - NSF - $153,991.00 (September 15, 2021)

Message from the Dean

With the start of fall semester just weeks away, we will soon welcome back many new and current students to our college. We can take pride that enrollment has been strong over the past few years, and we anticipate another solid enrollment for the coming academic year. We also welcome our most recent tenure-track faculty, Kristen Gorman, who will start her first academic year in the Department of Marine Biology.

Thank you all for your continued dedication to our mission to deliver excellence in fisheries and ocean sciences research, education and outreach for the benefit of Alaska and the nation.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Bering Sea for Dr. Jeff Donnelly’s (WHOI) Bering Sea Storms project.

Activities and Accomplishments

MS Marine Biology student, Lindsey Stadler (advisor Katrin Iken), was selected for the 2023 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program.

CFOS in the News

The University of Alaska’s new Masters of Marine Policy program was featured by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

CFOS’s fully online Bachelors of Science in Fisheries and Marine Sciences was announced by UAF News.

R/V Sikuliaq was featured in the UNOLS July 2022 newsletter.

R/V Sikuliaq was mentioned in a UAF News press release about an upcoming cruise with UAF researchers studying Bering Sea storms.

Alaska Public Media featured the study coauthored by Chris Sergeant and Megan McPhee about the impacts of mining on salmonid species.

Publications

Ghezelayagh, A., R. C. Harrington, E. D. Burress, M. A. Campbell, J. C. Buckner, P. Chakrabarty, J. R. Glass, W. T. McCraney, C. E. Thacker, M. E. Alfaro, S. T. Friedman, W. B. Ludt, P. F. Cowman, M. Friedman, S. A. Price, A. Dornburg, B. C. Faircloth, P. C. Wainwright, and T. J. Near. 2022. Prolonged morphological expansion of spiny-rayed fishes following the end-Cretaceous. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01801-3

Glass, J. R., K. Belle, G. Berke, N. Bodin, A. J. Burt, M. I. Duncan, S. K. Morgan, P. Pillay, and S. Talma. 2022. Evaluating the feasibility of sustainable seafood labeling programmes in Small Island Developing States: A pilot study of artisanal fisheries in Seychelles. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.931407

Gerard, T., J. T. Lamkin, T. B. Kelly, A. N. Knapp, R. Laiz-Carrión, E. Malca, K. E. Selph, A. Shiroza, T. A. Shropshire, M. R. Stukel, R. Swalethorp, N. Yingling, M. R. Landry. 2022. Bluefin Larvae in Oligotrophic Ocean Foodwebs, investigations of nutrients to zooplankton: overview of the BLOOFINZ-Gulf of Mexico program. Journal of Plankton Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbac038

Message from the Dean

In November 2020, the CFOS Diversity Committee was established to promote a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible community for our students, faculty and staff. Building on that committee's work, this fall we will kick-off a new strategic planning process focused on inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) for the college. This is an important opportunity for our community to set the direction for IDEA efforts. Further details will soon follow.

Alice Bailey has tendered her resignation as the Sikuliaq Science Liaison and CFOS Public Information Officer, effective November 4, 2022. Over the past three years, Alice contributed many wonderful news articles on our research, education and outreach activities, produced the CFOS Annual Reports, and worked closely with the National Science Foundation and partners to revise the Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures (CECSOP) for Sikuliaq science operations. Please join me in thanking Alice for all her good work in support of CFOS, and wishing her the very best in her new role at the Alaska Ocean Observing System.

Please note the email address to submit information to C-Notes is now cnotes@cfos.uaf.edu.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Gulf of Alaska for the second leg of the 2022 Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research project, with Seth Danielson (UAF/CFOS) as chief scientist.

Activities and Accomplishments

Reed Mariculture recently licensed the Site Assessment Toolkit for kelp farming, which was developed by Schery Umanzor and funded by UAF’s Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship.

CFOS in the News

A study coauthored by Chris Sergeant and Megan McPhee about the impacts of mining on salmonid species gained international attention from media outlets including The Globe and Mail, Canadian Mining Journal, Sciencemag.com, Science Daily, yahoo!news, phys.org the Environmental News Network, earth.com, and Nature World News. Alaskan coverage included the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, KTOO, Peninsula Clarion, and SIT News.

The University of Alaska’s new Master of Marine Policy program was featured by UAF News, KINY radio and Tom Gemmell’s Alaska Fish Notes.

Publications

Han, S., J.S. Park, S. Umanzor, et al. 2022. Effects of extraction methods for a new source of biostimulant from Sargassum horneri on the growth of economically important red algae, Neopyropia yezoensis. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16197-0

Traiger, S.B., J.L. Bodkin, H.A. Coletti, B. Ballachey, T. Dean, D. Esler, K. Iken, B. Konar, M.R. Lindeberg, D. Monson, B. Robinson, R.M. Suryan and B.P. Weitzman. 2022. Evidence of increased mussel abundance related to the Pacific marine heatwave and sea star wasting. Marine Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/maec.12715

Message from the Dean

As we have now closed out the first half of the year, it is worth reflecting on some of our key accomplishments to date. Since January, we held the third all-hands faculty retreat, supported the first CFOS student mentorship retreat, hosted the Consul General of Portugal in the Alaska Blue Economy Roundtable, continued to expand our asynchronous course delivery, received approval from the UA Board of Regents and Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities to offer a new Master of Marine Policy degree jointly with our colleagues at the University of Alaska Southeast, and welcomed new faculty, staff and students to the college. Thank you for all your good work.

It is a great pleasure to convey that Kristen Gorman has accepted an appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Marine Biology. Kristen’s research and teaching interests focus on the intersection of the evolution, ecology and physiology of marine vertebrates, primarily seabirds and fishes. Please join me in congratulating Kristen on her tenure-track faculty appointment!

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Today Sikuliaq arrived in Seward and will remain there over the holiday weekend. Next week, the ship will embark on the second leg of the 2022 Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research project, with Seth Danielson as chief scientist and participants from several collaborating institutions. The NGA LTER project is a multi-disciplinary study of the physical and biogeochemical variability of the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Activities and Accomplishments

At the global UseR 2022 conference, Kristen Gorman presented a manuscript about palmerpenguins, R programming that uses Antarctic penguin data to teach data wrangling, exploration, and visualization in data science courses. 

Peter Westley and Matt Wooller were involved in producing a new management plan for invasive Northern pike recently published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

A study about sea otter population collapse in southwest Alaska coauthored by Brenda Konar and CFOS alum Ben Weitzman won first place in the monograph category of the Wildlife Society’s publication awards.

CFOS in the News

Megan V. McPhee and graduate student Chris Sergeant were featured in UAF News and University of Montana News press releases about a new study that links the impacts of metal and coal mines on salmon to mining policy.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror featured Shackleton, an autonomous underwater vehicle operated by CFOS, in a story about using the glider to track Tanner crabs.

Publications

Arthur, D. E., J. A. Falke, B. J. Blain-Roth, and T. M. Sutton. 2022. Alaskan Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) fecundity revealed through an automated egg count and digital imagery method. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10768.

Deemer, B. R., C. B. Yackulic, R. O. Hall Jr., M. J. Dodrill, T. A. Kennedy, J. D. Muehlbauer, D. J. Topping, N. Voichick, and M. D. Yard. 2022. Experimental reductions in sub-daily flow fluctuations increased gross primary productivity for 425 river kilometers downstream. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac094.

Dunker, K. J., P. Bradley, C. Brandt, T. Cubbage, T. Davis, J. Erickson, J. Jablonski, C. Jacobson, D. Kornblut, A. Martin, M. Massengill, T. McKinley, S. Oslund, O. Russ, D. Rutz, A. Sepulveda, N. Swenson, P. Westley, B. Wishnek, A. Wizik, and M. Wooller. 2022. Technical Guidance and Management Plan for Invasive Northern Pike in Southcentral Alaska: 2022-2030. Alaska Invasive Species Partnership.

Gordon J. Y., A. H. Beaudreau, E. M. Saas, and C. Carothers. 2022. Engaging formal and informal institutions for stewardship of rockfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska. Marine Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105170.

Klenz, T., H. L. Simmons, L. Centurioni, J. M. Lilly, J. J. Early, and V. Hormann. 2022. Estimates of Near-Inertial Wind Power Input Using Novel in situ Wind Measurements from Minimet Surface Drifters in the Iceland Basin. Journal of Physical Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-21-0283.1.

Lynch, A. J., B. E. J. Myers, J. P. Wong, C. Chu, R. W. Tingley, and J. A. Falke, et al. 2022. Reducing uncertainty in climate change responses for inland fisheries management: a decision-path approach. Conservation Science and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12724.

Sergeant, C. J., E. K. Sexton, J. W. Moore, A. R. Westwood, S. A. Nagorski, J. L. Ebersole, D. M. Chambers, S. L. O’Neal, R. L. Malison, F. R. Hauer, D. C. Whited, J. Weitz, M. Capito, M. Connor, C. A. Frissell, G. Knox, E. D. Lowery, R. Macnair, V. Marlatt, J. K. McIntyre, M. V. McPhee, and N. Skuce. 2022. Risks of mining to salmonid-bearing watersheds. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abn0929.

Grants and Awards for June 2022

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 10 - $412,294.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-13543 "NASA IPA August 2020-July 2022" - Geoff Wheat - NASA - Mod 1 - $194,554.00 (August 1, 2020)
• Grant G-14380 "Arctic High-Frequency Radar Operations and Maintenance (Arctic HRF)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $156,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14451 "Seward Line Monitoring (Seward Line)" - Russ Hopcroft - AOOS - Mod 1 - $116,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14471 "Alaska Ecosystem Observatory Network Build-Out, Operations and Maintenance (Eco-Moorings)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $85,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14472 "Measuring Ocean Currents in Bering Strait with High Frequency Radars (Bering Strait HFR)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $115,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14473 "Alaska Region Glider Missions Supporting an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM Gliders)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $240,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14482 "An Arctic Marine Mammal Observing System (Chukchi Glider)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $65,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14484 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska (OA Timeseries)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - Mod 1 - $29,000.00 (July 1, 2021)

CFOS graduate students that received funding through the Coastal Marine Institute's Student Awards for FY22/FY23:

• Hannah Myers "Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the northern Gulf of Alaska" - $25,000.00 (April 15, 2022)
• Sonia Kumar "Comparison of Cook Inlet Beluga Acoustic Presence in Critical Foraging Habitat Between Years of Reduced Commercial Salmon Fishing Zones" - $25,000.00 (June 1, 2022)
• Sydney Wilkinson "Resource Use of Arctic fishes along Beaufort Sea coastal Lagoons" - $12,126.00 (April 15, 2022)

Message from the Dean

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities has approved the addition of the Master of Marine Policy (MMP) degree program, effective June 12, 2022. This is the final level of approval for the MMP, which may now be officially advertised and recruited for. Congratulations to all involved in crossing the finish line with this new degree offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast.

Summer solstice is tomorrow—time to get out and enjoy Alaska’s warm weather.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the North Pacific Ocean for the OA-Fe Availability cruise with chief scientist Mark Wells (University of Maine). The ship is scheduled to arrive in Seward on July 1, after which the crew will mobilize for the second leg of the 2022 NGA LTER project.

CFOS in the News

Bering Science featured CFOS graduate students Connie Melovidov (cover), Luke Henslee and Austin Flanigan.

Research supported by R/V Nanuq was featured on the Greek television station Alpha News.

Shannon Atkinson and Kendall Mashburn appeared in the “Humpback Health” episode of the Changing Seas television series, with videography by graduate student Courtney Pegus.

The journal Arctic published a multiauthor tribute to CFOS professor emeritus John Joseph Kelley, which includes anecdotes from David Norton and professors and deans emeriti Vera Alexander and Michael Castellini.

Publications

Beaudreau, A.H., C.A. Bergstrom, E.J. Whitney, D.H. Duncan, and N.C. Lundstrom. 2022. Seasonal and interannual variation in high-latitude estuarine fish community structure along a glacial to non-glacial watershed gradient in Southeast Alaska. Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01241-9

Gordon, J.Y., A.H. Beaudreau, B.C. Williams, and S.C. Meyer. 2022. Bridging expert knowledge and fishery data to examine changes in nearshore rockfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska over fifty years. Fisheries Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2022.106333

Muth, A.F., A.L. Kelley, and K.H. Dunton. 2022. High-frequency pH time series reveals pronounced seasonality in Arctic coastal waters. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12080

Message from the Dean

The UA Board of Regents recently approved the Master of Marine Policy (MMP) degree program, which will be offered jointly by CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast. Set to commence in fall 2022, the MMP continues to generate considerable interest from state and federal agencies and industry. As expressed by the UA Regents, this joint effort will help meet a growing demand for fisheries and marine policy experts to manage Alaska’s vast marine resources. It is a pleasure to acknowledge Keith Criddle for leading this effort, as well as UAS Professor LJ Medenica, UAS Dean Carin Silkaitis, and many others for their important contributions. I would like to personally thank UA President Pitney and UAS Chancellor Karen Carey for their strong support in developing this new graduate degree.

As noted in last week’s UAF Friday Focus, the Alaska Blue Economy Center (ABEC) has been moved from its founding location in CFOS to the office of the UAF Vice Chancellor for Research. This strategic central location of ABEC within UAF will best serve the broader university community in driving innovation and industry engagement in support of Alaska’s growing blue economy enterprise. It is a pleasure to welcome and support Justin Sternberg’s continued close collaboration with CFOS in his role as ABEC director.

Lastly, after a decade of service at UAF, Andrew McDonnell has tendered his resignation as associate professor of oceanography, effective the end of this month. Andrew’s expertise in marine particle dynamics is widely acknowledged, and he will now focus on the deployment of renewable energy and supporting technologies in the private sector. Please join me in thanking Andrew for his good work at CFOS and wishing him the very best in his future endeavors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the North Pacific Ocean conducting the OA-Fe Availability cruise with chief scientist Mark Wells (University of Maine). The science team is investigating the role of ocean acidification on iron chemistry.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Shelby Bacus was awarded the 2022 Kathryn E. and John P. Doyle Scholarship from the Alaska Community Foundation.

The following CFOS students were elected as officers of the American Fisheries Society student subunit for 2022-2023:

• Garrett Dunne, President
• Lilian Hart, Vice President
• Linnaea Doerner, Treasurer
• Sam Rosenbaum, Communications/li>
• Madeline Lee, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Liaison

CFOS in the News

In UAF News, Vice Chancellor Nettie La Belle-Hamer described how the Alaska Blue Economy Center contributes to UAF’s goal of driving innovation in Alaska’s economy.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner mentioned CFOS in a short story about UAF’s Arctic Research Open House in May.

A wide array of media outlets, including MSN, The Washington Post, AP News, Phys.org and UAF News, mentioned Andrew McDonnell and Nanuq after McDonnell and his colleagues used the research vessel to measure carbon dioxide with an unoccupied underwater vehicle last month.

Publications

Aoki, L.R., B. Rappazzo, D.S. Beatty, L.K. Domke, G.L. Eckert, et al. 2022. Disease surveillance by artificial intelligence links eelgrass wasting disease to ocean warming across latitudes. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12152

Guo, C., B.H. Konar, K.B. Gorman, and C.M. Walker. 2022. Environmental factors important to high-latitude nearshore estuarine fish community structure. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105109

Shelamoff, V., S. Umanzor, C. Layton, M. Tatsumi, M.J. Cameron, J.T. Wright, and C.R. Johnson. 2022. Ecosystem engineering kelp limits recruitment of mussels and microphytobenthic algae. Marine Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-022-04072-5

Grants and Awards for May 2022

New awards:

• Grant G-14796 "Implications AK Snow Crab Industry" - Shelby Bacus (Amanda Kelley) - UA Foundation NGOA - $5,000.00 (May 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14810 "Improving the Stock Assessments of Pacific Sleeper Shark (Somniosus pacificus) and Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi) in Alaska" - Garrett Dunne (Andrew Seitz) - UA Foundation NGOA - $5,000.00 (May 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14811 "Lowell Wakefield Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences" - Peter Westley - UA Foundation - $80,000.00 (November 3, 2021)

Awards that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcroft - NSF - Mod 5 - $134,906.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 12 - $1,896,777.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-13024 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NOAA - Mod 6 - $73,000.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-14680 "Life history variability and mixed-stock analysis of Dolly Varden in the Noatak River" - Andrew Seitz - AK Department of Fish & Game - $7,786.73 (July 1, 2021)

Awards set up for assumption:

• Grant G-14786 "Gulf Watch Alaska Long-Term Research and Monitoring Program: Nearshore Component" - Katrin Iken - Prince William Sound Science Center (February 1, 2022)

Message from the Dean

By all accounts the UAF Arctic Research Open House last Thursday was a great success. CFOS did a fantastic job showcasing a variety of our research programs and field equipment; the survival suit competition and inflatable life raft were a big hit with the many budding young scientists. A big thank you to Alice Bailey and the many faculty, staff and students who helped prepare such a wonderful public display of CFOS research.

It is a pleasure to welcome Jonathon Baugher as CFOS IT Lead. Jonathan will oversee desktop support, video conference, and other IT services. His office is located at O’Neill 209C and he can be reached by email at jbbaugher@alaska.edu.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the OOI Papa and Waves at Papa projects in the Gulf of Alaska. Led by chief scientist Kris Newhall (WHOI), the science team will be deploying a dual profiler mooring, two flanking subsurface moorings, three gliders, a waverider surface mooring and some expendable drifters during the cruise.

Activities and Accomplishments

Franz Mueter and CFOS alumna Sherri Dressel were elected to co-chair the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

As announced by the UA News Center, graduate student Annie Maliguine was awarded the Angus Gavin Migratory Bird Research Grant for her research on Steller's eiders.

CFOS in the News

UAF News and the Seward Journal highlighted Andrew McDonnell and his wife, Claudine Hauri (IARC), in a story about how research is integrated into their family life.

An aquatic insect citizen science project in the Grand Canyon coordinated by Jeff Muehlbauer and colleagues, was featured in a White House Office of Science & Technology Policy press release.

R/V Sikuliaq was featured on the cover of the National Science Foundation’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide.

Publications

Abernethy, E.F., J.D. Muehlbauer, T.A. Kennedy, K.E. Dziedzic, H. Elder, M.K. Burke, and D.A. Lytle. 2022. Population connectivity of aquatic insects in a dam-regulated, desert river. River Research and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3972

Hudson, K., M.J. Oliver, J. Kohut, J.H. Cohen, M.S. Dinniman, J.M. Klinck, C.S. Reiss, G.R. Cutter, H. Statscewich, K.S. Bernard, and W. Fraser. 2022. Subsurface eddy facilitates retention of simulated diel vertical migrators in a biological hotspot. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021jc017482

Metcalfe, A.N., T.A. Kennedy, G.A. Mendez, and J.D. Muehlbauer. 2022. Applied citizen science in freshwater research. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1578

Oke, K.B., F.J. Mueter, and M.A. Litzow. 2022. Warming leads to opposite patterns in weight-at-age for young versus old age classes of Bering Sea walleye pollock. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0315

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to recognize CFOS staff who were honored last week during the UAF Staff Recognition and Development Day. These individuals and all our hardworking staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the university: Anthony Mello, Richard Null, and Mark Teckenbrock (5 years); Pat Church (10 years), Hans Pedersen (15 years); Katherine Hedstrom and Christina Sutton (20 years); Gabrielle Hazelton (30 years).

Spring is finally here with warmer temps and trees budding—I hope everyone is able to enjoy some time in our spectacular outdoors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seward preparing for the Waves at Papa and OOI Papa projects with chief scientist Kris Newhall (WHOI). At Ocean Station Papa, the science team will deploy a dual profiler mooring, subsurface moorings, gliders, a waverider surface mooring and drifters.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Kyle Dilliplaine received the "Two Petes" award from the Oil Spill Recovery Unit and a tuition award to attend the Biogeochemical Exchange Processes at the Sea-Ice Interfaces (BEPSII) Sea Ice School this May.

At the National Science Board meeting, the Office of Integrated Activities highlighted UAF Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) researchers.

CFOS in the News

Andrew McDonnell and his wife Claudine Hauri (IARC) were featured in a UAF News story about how their research is integrated into family life, including their recent ocean acidification work using R/V Nanuq.

Alaska Native News highlighted Amanda Kelley and graduate student James Currie in a story about monitoring ocean acidification in Kachemak Bay.

In their newsletter, the Alaska Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence featured Shannon Atkinson and her research using drones to collect blow samples from humpback, blue and killer whales.

The Bureau of Reclamation featured Jeff Muehlbauer in a press release about a “Bug Flow” experiment that will be conducted this summer at Glen Canyon Dam. The experiment is designed to improve egg-laying conditions for aquatic insects that are the primary food source for fish in the Colorado River.

Publications

Danielson, S.L., J.M. Grebmeier, K. Iken, et al. 2022. Monitoring Alaskan Arctic shelf ecosystems through collaborative observation networks. Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2022.119.

Lu, K., S. Danielson and T. Weingartner. 2022. Impacts of short-term wind events on Chukchi hydrography and sea-ice retreat. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105078.

Stricker, C.A., K.D. Rode, B.D. Taras, J.F. Bromaghin, L. Horstmann and L. Quakenbush. 2022. Summer/fall diet and macronutrient assimilation in an Arctic predator. Oecologia. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-022-05155-2.

Whitmore, L.M., A.M. Shiller, T.J. Horner, Y. Xiang, et al. 2022. Strong margin influence on the Arctic Ocean Barium cycle revealed by pan-Arctic synthesis. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017417.

Grants and Awards for April 2022

New awards for CFOS researchers during the month of April are as follows:

• Grant G-14728 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation 2022" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $70,062.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14766 "FY22 Acoustic Tracking of Tanner Crab Using an AUV Glider Near Kodiak, Alaska" - Seth Danielson - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14750 "Reducing Chinook Salmon Bycatch" - Andrew Seitz - UA Foundation PCCRC - $69,099.00 (April 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14751 "Potential of Pollock Roe Peptides" - Quentin Fong - UA Foundation PCCRC - $55,058.00 (April 1, 2022)

Grants that received incremental funding during the month of April:

• Grant G-11291 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study (UA Foundation)" - Trent Sutton - UA Foundation - $101,550.00 (January 1, 2017)
• Grant G-13303 "Collaborative Research: A High Resolution Multi-Tracer Biogeochemical Study of the Pacific Arctic" - Dean Stockwell - NSF - Mod 2 - $109,862.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13354 "Nutritional Consequences of Changes in Phytoplankton Community Structure" - Sarah Mincks - UA Foundation PCCRC - $3,624.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13545 "Evaluation of Spatio-temporal Methods for Standardizing Data from Multiple Fishery-Independent Surveys in the GOA and BSAI" - Curry Cunningham - UA Foundation PCCRC - $50,572.00 (August 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

As we conclude the spring 2022 semester, I would like to convey my appreciation to our dedicated students, staff and faculty for your perseverance and energy in advancing the mission of CFOS.

As many of you may know, Milo Adkison has tendered his resignation as Professor of Fisheries, effective May 9, 2022. For the past 25 years, Milo has been an integral part of the CFOS fisheries program, having served on 20 MS and PhD committees and published over 60 peer-reviewed papers. A member of the Curyung Tribe of Dillingham, Milo has served as Chair of the Department of Fisheries, on numerous university committees, and on many state and national fisheries science councils and committees. In 2018, Milo testified before the US Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard on The State of our Salmon. Chancellor White recently awarded Milo the rank of UAF Emeritus Professor of Fisheries. Please join me in congratulating Milo on a productive career at UAF and wishing him the very best in his future endeavors.

2022 Dean’s Recognition Awards

Outstanding Advisor: Brenda Konar
Outstanding Instructor: Curry Cunningham
Outstanding Researcher: Gwenn Hennon
Outstanding Public Service: Alice Bailey
Outstanding Staff: Michelle Warrenchuck
Outstanding R/V Sikuliaq Crew: Sean Gardiner
Outstanding Graduate Student: Lauren Sutton
Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Sadie Oswald

Spring 2022 graduates

Rebecca Cates. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Delaney Coleman. MS Oceanography, Advisor: Russ Hopcroft
William Dokai. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Megan McPhee
Erika King. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Megan McPhee
Savannah Sandy. MS Oceanography, Advisor: Seth Danielson
Brittany Charrier. PhD Marine Biology, Advisor: Sarah Mincks
Veronica Padula. PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Anne Beaudreau and Doug Causey (UAA)
Sadie Oswald. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science
Emily Williamson. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Ocean Science
Brian Zhang. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science

2022 Student Awards

Outstanding graduate student/Dean's Recognition Award: Lauren Sutton
Outstanding overall undergraduate student/Dean's Recognition Award: Sadie Oswald
Outstanding Senior: Brian Zhang
Outstanding Junior: Rachel Heimke
Outstanding Sophomore: Linnaea Doerner
Outstanding Freshman: Kilie Jacques

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Lindsey Call has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, for her research on the effects of glacial coverage on the ecology of stream-rearing juvenile salmon. The NSF GRFP is one of the top graduate student fellowship awards in the nation. Congratulations Lindsey!

CFOS had a strong presence at the University of Alaska Mariculture Conference in Juneau. With CFOS as a sponsor, Bradley Moran helped organize the event. Justin Sternberg, Ginny Eckert and Schery Umanzor gave oral presentations and/or facilitated panel discussions. Natalie Monacci and graduate students Becca Cates, Courtney Hart, Tamsen Peeples and Muriel Dittrich presented posters.

Undergraduates Bryce Bateman, Feyne Elmore, Amy Whitney and Kimberly Williams presented their research at URSA’s Research and Creative Activities Days. Williams won the Dean’s Choice Award and Elmore received an Honorable Mention.

At the Alaska Space Grant Symposium, Sonia Kumar was recognized for giving the best graduate student oral presentation. The honor included a travel award.

CFOS in the News

UAF News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner recognized Susan Henrichs as a recipient of UAF’s Meritorious Service Award. Henrichs began her career as a faculty member in marine science and retired as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Alice Bailey and Franz Mueter were mentioned in a UAF News article about the Arctic Encounter Symposium.

Publications

Bucklin, A., P. Batta-Lona, J.M. Questel, et al. 2022. COI metabarcoding of zooplankton species diversity for time-series monitoring of the NW Atlantic Continental Shelf. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.867893

Mayer, L.A., M.R. Abbott, [...], S.B Moran, et al. 2022. Cross-Cutting Themes for U.S. Contributions to the UN Ocean Decade. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26363

Message from the Dean

Please mark your calendars for Friday, May 13, when CFOS will host Pedro Pinto, Consul General of Portugal, and his delegation to participate in the Alaska Blue Economy Roundtable: A Dive into the UN Decade for Ocean Science and Sustainable Development. Ocean issues are a strategic foreign policy priority for Portugal, where the 2022 UN Ocean Conference will take place in Lisbon. The roundtable is part of a larger effort by the Government of Portugal to raise awareness of the UN Ocean Decade with key entities involved in fisheries and ocean sciences research and education, including UAF. The roundtable will take place on the UAF campus and will be accessible in person and virtually; details will be forthcoming.

Speaking of the blue economy, the University of Alaska Mariculture Conference takes place this week in Juneau. With over 100 participants registered, this 3-day conference will focus on the continued development of mariculture in Alaska through consideration of opportunities in industry, policy, research, and education.

Today marks the beginning of Student Employee Appreciation Week. CFOS employs over 40 students who play an important role in support of the college's education, research, and operational excellence. It is a pleasure to acknowledge our student employees’ dedication and commitment to the CFOS mission.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway transiting from Newport, Oregon, to Seward. During this transit, Sikuliaq will host a STEMSEAS group and conduct an equipment test for Russ Hopcroft’s Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research project.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS presence at the Arctic Encounter Symposium last week in Anchorage included Franz Mueter, who participated in a panel discussion about the future of fisheries management in the Arctic, and Alice Bailey, who represented CFOS and R/V Sikuliaq at the UA research table.

Tuula Hollmen received the Alaska SeaLife Center’s 2022 Alaska Ocean Leadership Award for Marine Research.

Graduate student Matthew Cheng was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program Fellowship, which will provide support for his research on fisheries catch rates. The NSF GRFP is one of the top graduate student fellowship awards in the nation. Congratulations Matthew!

The Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit hosted their annual Research Review and Cooperators Business Meeting, where fourteen CFOS graduate students presented their research to an audience of students, research faculty and staff, and state and federal agency personnel.

Seventeen graduate students presented their research at the 25th Alaska Fisheries Society Student Symposium, with awards going to:

• Matthew Cheng: winner, best long talk
• Kevin Fitzgerald: runner-up, best long talk
• Carter Johnson: winner, best short talk
• Aaron Lambert and Joseph Spencer: tied for the runner-up, best short talk

Graduate students Shelby Bacus, Garrett Dunne, Andrew Rothenberger, and Sonia Kumar received Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research awards through UA Advancement.

CFOS in the News

Alexei Pinchuk was featured in a Washington Post story about the mystery of where salmon travel in the Pacific Ocean during the winter. The story also appeared in Reporter Wings.

The 'Can We Connect?' podcast on Spotify featured the research of graduate students Shelby Bacus and Marina Washburn.

National Fisherman magazine mentioned CFOS in an article about how environmental DNA metabarcoding can be used to characterize nearshore fish communities in Southeast Alaska.

Publications

Leppi, J.C., J.A. Falke, D.J. Rinella, M.S. Wipfli, A.C. Seitz, and M.S. Whitman. 2022. Landscape geomorphology and local-riverine features influence Broad Whitefish (Coregonus nasus) spawning habitat suitability in Arctic Alaska. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. https://doi.org/10.1111/eff.12657.

Clawson, C.M., J.A. Falke, J. Rose, A. Prakash, A.E. Martin, and L.L. Bailey. 2022. High-resolution remote sensing and multistate occupancy estimation identify drivers of spawning site selection in fall chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) across a sub-Arctic riverscape. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0013.

Smith, M., L. Horstmann, and R. Stimmelmayr. 2022. Stable isotope differences of polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea. Journal of Wildlife Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22225.

Umanzor, S., S. Han, H.I. Song, J.S. Park, A.T. Critchley, C. Yarish, and J.K. Kim. 2022. Ascertaining the interactions of brown seaweed-derived biostimulants and seawater temperature on spore release, germination, conchocelis, and newly formed blades of the commercially important red alga Neopyropia yezoensis? Algal Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2022.102692.

Zinkann A.C., M.J. Wooller, M.B. Leigh, S.L. Danielson, G. Gibson, and K. Iken. 2022. Depth distribution of organic carbon sources in Arctic Chukchi Sea sediments. Deep Sea Research II. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105076.

Grants and Awards for March 2022

New awards:

• Grant G-14701 "Cook Inlet HF Radar Data Recovery" - Seth Danielson - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - $19,552.00 (January 31, 2022)
• Grant G-14702 "Alaska Mariculture Cluster - Developing a viable and sustainable mariculture industry for the long-term benefit of Alaska's economy, environment, and communities Phase 1" - Justin Sternberg - Southeast Conference - $25,000.00 (December 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14727 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Shipboard Scientific Equipment (SSSE)- 2022" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $130,356.00 (March 15, 2022)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11744 "Synthesizing Optically - and Carbon Export-Relevant Particle Size Distribution for the EXPORTS Field Campaign" - Andrew McDonnell - University of California Santa Barbara NCEAS - Mod 5 - $36,635.00 (September 15, 2017)
• Grant G-13129 "Impacts of Sedimentation and Drivers of Variability in the Boulder Patch Community, Beaufort Sea" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - Mod 2 - $46,158.00 (September 18, 2019)
• Grant G-13303 "Collaborative Research: A High Resolution Multi-Tracer Biogeochemical Study of the Pacific Arctic" - Dean Stockwell - NSF - Mod 2 - $109,862.00 (April 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

Last week the UAF Graduate Academic and Advisory Committee voted to approve the Master of Marine Policy (MMP) degree proposal. The next step is for the UAS Graduate Committee, UAS Faculty Senate and UAF Faculty Senate to review and vote on the proposal. We have received strong external support for this new program from the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Board of Fisheries, North Pacific Fishery Management Council and Pacific Seafood Processors Association. There have also been constructive discussions with the U.S. Coast Guard to address domestic and international resource management, policy, and security issues as part of this graduate degree. Kudos to Keith Criddle and his UAS colleagues for all their good work on what promises to be a nationally recognized marine policy graduate program.

We have officially launched the search for two tenure-track assistant professor positions in oceanography. Thank you to Mark Johnson for leading this search and to the search committee for their time and effort; please spread the word to potential candidates.

We are in the final stages of organizing the University of Alaska Mariculture Conference, which will take place April 12–14 at the Centennial Hall Convention and Civic Center in Juneau. The conference will highlight industry, policy and research opportunities and challenges related to the burgeoning mariculture industry in Alaska. This conference has benefited from considerable time and effort of many organizations and individuals, including the Juneau Economic Development Council, Southeast Conference, Alaska Fisheries Development Fund, Alaska Sea Grant, UAS and CFOS, and importantly, strong support from UA President Pitney.

Please mark your calendars for the 2022 CFOS State of the College, which will be held virtually at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 21. In addition to highlighting our research, academic and outreach activities over the past year, we will present the annual Dean’s Recognition Awards to our faculty, staff and students.

Finally, since 2015 the state of Alaska has provided $500,000 annually to support research and education programs conducted by UAF-based researchers and collaborators aboard R/V Sikuliaq. As operator of Sikuliaq, CFOS facilitates the allocation of these state funds through the Alaska Sikuliaq Program. The deadline for the CY2023 proposal submission is this Wednesday, March 31.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Ed Dever’s (OSU) Ocean Observatories Initiative Endurance Array maintenance voyage. Photos and cruise updates are posted on the OOI Expedition Blog.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Tamamta program hosted a dialogue about racial equity in fisheries education, research and governance at the American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter annual meeting. Courtney Carothers, Peter Westley and Sonia Ibarra participated in the discussion.

Including the eleven students that completed the 2022 Scientific Diving class over spring break, CFOS has now trained more than 500 divers since Brenda Konar first taught the course in 2000.

CFOS in the News

A photograph of Sikuliaq was used in an Anchorage Daily News opinion editorial by UAF Vice Chancellor for Research Nettie La Belle-Hamer about embracing research as an important part of U.S. national security in the changing Arctic.

Seth Danielson was mentioned in a National Park Service news release about humpback whale declines caused by the Northeast Pacific marine heatwave.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror featured a CFOS glider named Gretel that is collecting data on salmon in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Alaska Sea Grant featured ocean acidification research by Amanda Kelley and graduate student James Currie on their website and in the Fishlines newsletter.

Tamsen Peeples and Michael Stekoll discussed seaweed mariculture on KMXT radio as part of the Alaska Fisheries Report.

Publications

Gabriele, C.M., C.L. Amundson, J.L. Neilson, J.M. Straley, C.S. Baker, and S.L. Danielson. 2022. Sharp decline in humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) survival and reproductive success in southeastern Alaska during and after the 2014–2016 Northeast Pacific marine heatwave. Mammalian Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00187-2

Hossain, A.I., B.S. Baghirzade, [...], S. Umanzor, et al. 2022. Symbiotic engineering: A novel approach for environmental remediation. ACS ES&T Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.1c00333

Pickett, B.D., S. Talma, J.R. Glass, D. Ence, T.P. Johnson, P.D. Cowley, P.G. Ridge, and J.S.K. Kauwe. 2022. Genome assembly of the roundjaw bonefish (Albula glossodonta), a vulnerable circumtropical sportfish. Gigabyte. https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.44

Message from the Dean

I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing and safe spring break last week—welcome back!

On Thursday, March 17, we will welcome President Pitney to our monthly faculty meeting. She will discuss her vision for a greater presence of fisheries and ocean science research and education in Southeast Alaska. Please mark your calendars for this important discussion.

Last week, the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL) held its spring trustees and members meetings in Washington, DC. Discussions centered on plans already underway to strengthen COL’s mission, including the need to advocate for sound national ocean policy, plans, programs and budgets, to sustain existing COL programs, and to foster growth of new programmatic opportunities. In addition, Nicole LeBoeuf, Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, gave an update on the recent and rather sobering 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report, and NOAA’s vision to promote the New Blue Economy. Roberta Marinelli, Director of NSF’s Office of Polar Programs, presented an exciting overview of the new Antarctic Research Vessel, including envisioned vessel capabilities and construction timeline. As COL Board Chair, I am heartened that the mission and vision of CFOS aligns with these national priorities.

Yesterday marked daylight savings time, and one can feel that spring is now just around the corner.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is scheduled to arrive in Newport, Oregon, this week to demobilize Bob Cowen’s (OSU) Plankton Size Spectra cruise and then mobilize Ed Dever’s (OSU) OOI Endurance Array voyage.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS alum Terril Efird, who is now the Operations Officer of NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada, discussed NOAA Corps opportunities with students in UA’s Scientific Diving Program.

CFOS in the News

UAF News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner featured a CFOS glider named Gretel that is currently looking for salmon in the Gulf of Alaska. Data collected by the autonomous instrument can be viewed in near real-time at a web portal managed by the Alaska Ocean Observing System.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner published an article by Andrés Lopez about a project at the University of Alaska Museum of the North that is investigating how changes to fish species in the northern Pacific ocean affect parasites.

Shannon Atkinson was mentioned in a SIT News story about a humpback whale named Flame.

Publications

Bluhm, B.A., K. Brown, L. Rotermund, W. Williams, S.L. Danielson, and E.C. Carmack. 2022. New distribution records of kelp in the Kitikmeot Region, Northwest Passage, Canada, fill a pan-Arctic gap. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03007-6

Britton, K., B. Crowley, C.P Bataille, J.H. Miller, and M.J. Wooller. 2022. Editorial: A Golden Age for Strontium Isotope Research? Current Advances in Paleoecological and Archaeological Research. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.820295

Lundstrom, N.C., A.H. Beaudreau, F.J. Mueter, and B. Konar. 2022. Environmental Drivers of Nearshore Fish Community Composition and Size Structure in Glacially Influenced Gulf of Alaska Estuaries. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-022-01057-x

Mueter, F.J. 2022. Chapter 14: Arctic Fisheries in a Changing Climate. In: M. Finger and G. Rekvig (eds.), Global Arctic. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81253-9_14

Rabault, J., M. Johnson, et al. 2022. OpenMetBuoy-v2021: An Easy-to-Build, Affordable, Customizable, Open-Source Instrument for Oceanographic Measurements of Drift and Waves in Sea Ice and the Open Ocean. Geosciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12030110

Siegert, D., B. Konar, M.R. Lindeberg, S. Saupe, and K. Iken. 2022. Trophic structure of rocky intertidal communities in two contrasting high-latitude environments. Deep-Sea Research II. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105050

Grants and Awards for February 2022

New awards:

• Grant G-14669 "2022 Beaufort Sea Fish Monitoring Project" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC - $40,485.00 (January 1, 2022)
• Grant G-14680 "Life history variability and mixed-stock analysis of Dolly Varden in the Noatak River FY22" - Andrew Seitz - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $3,854.76 (July 1, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-13745 "Dynamics of Contemporary Genomic Evolution in Replicate Threespine Stickleback Populations" - Krista Oke - Stony Brook University - Mod 1 - $77,655.00 (September 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

The UA Board of Regents meeting last week presented goals and measures to advance the university’s mission, and two points are particularly notable for CFOS: Chancellor White recognized the recent development of our fully asynchronous BS degree, and President Pitney identified an opportunity to increase fisheries and ocean sciences research and teaching in Southeast Alaska. It is heartening to have our senior leaders highlight programs and opportunities that are relevant to the future success of CFOS. In that regard, President Pitney has agreed to attend the next CFOS faculty meeting to discuss her vision and how CFOS can assist with implementation.

And, on behalf of CFOS, it is a great pleasure to congratulate President Pitney on her official appointment as President of the University of Alaska System—the first-ever woman to hold this prestigious position!

It is a pleasure to welcome Tendai Shambare as our new student worker in support of CFOS IT capabilities. Welcome aboard!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the first science voyage of 2022. Bob Cowen’s (Oregon State University) Plankton Size Spectra project will use a towed imaging system, plankton nets, and CTD casts to investigate plankton size distributions along the Oregon and Washington coasts.

Activities and Accomplishments

Gwenn Hennon and Jessica Glass recently gave presentations as part of the Geophysical Institute’s Science for Alaska lecture series.

Lindsey Stadler was awarded third place in UAF’s inaugural Three Minute Thesis competition. Josianne Haag was another finalist, and Jonah Bacon, Emily Stidham, Stephanie O’Daly, Liza Hasan, and Madeline Lee represented CFOS in the preliminary rounds.

CFOS in the News

The upcoming University of Alaska Mariculture Conference was featured by UAF News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

R/V Sikuliaq was mentioned by UAF News, KTVF, and Alaska’s News Source regarding a project in which UAF researchers aim to reconstruct the Bering Land Bridge during the last ice age.

Shannon Atkinson was mentioned in an Alaska Native News story about a humpback whale named Flame.

Chemistry World mentioned Geoff Wheat’s geochemical research as part of the Deep Sea Drilling Program.

Publications

Boothman, W.S., L. Coiro, and S.B. Moran. 2022. Molybdenum accumulation in sediments: A quantitative indicator of hypoxic water conditions in Narragansett Bay, RI. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107778.

Priest, J.T., F.J. Mueter, S.W. Raborn, and T.M. Sutton. 2022. Effects of environmental variables on a nearshore Arctic fish community, 2001–2018. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-022-03013-8.

von Biela, V.R., C.J. Sergeant, M.P. Carey, Z. Liller, C. Russell, S. Quinn-Davidson, P.S. Rand, P.A. Westley, and C.E. Zimmerman. 2022. Premature mortality observations among Alaska’s pacific salmon during record heat and drought in 2019. Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10705.

Message from the Dean

With this being the first C-Notes edition in February, it is opportune to acknowledge Black History Month. Established in 1926, Black History Month recognizes and celebrates the achievements of the African American population in the nation’s history. Please take a moment to reflect on the many important contributions from our Black community.

The following key priorities emerged from our all-hands faculty retreat held last month: continue development of asynchronous instruction modality, support student success and well-being, and reinvest in our research enterprise. It is a pleasure to convey that we are making progress on each of these priorities.

Specifically, CFOS has completed the design of a fully asynchronous BS degree concentration. While we continue to fully support our place-based instruction and research training activities, offering an asynchronous instruction modality addresses evolving workforce and education needs in Alaska and beyond. This effort has involved many faculty and staff, and I would like to acknowledge Associate Dean Trent Sutton for his determination in helping to grow our academic programs. Further, we are actively addressing graduate student pay equity at CFOS, and expect to roll out a plan in the near future. And, we will also soon transmit guidance to increase our research faculty through the postdoctoral investigator pipeline and via external hires.

It is a pleasure to welcome Samara (Sam) Mashal as the new CFOS web manager. Sam has more than two decades of web marketing experience working in the technology industry. Leaving behind a career in Silicon Valley, she now calls Alaska home and looks forward to living the Alaskan experience while working her way into academia and research. Sam can be reached at smashal@alaska.edu. (Note: please continue to email our web group at web@cfos.uaf.edu to request changes to the CFOS website.) Please join me in welcoming Sam to CFOS!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Valentine’s Day!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is scheduled to depart Portland this week for a post-shipyard shakedown cruise, then will transit to Newport to stage the first science voyage of 2022.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS and the Seward Marine Center hosted the 25th annual Tsunami Ocean Sciences Bowl in Seward, where thirteen teams from across the state competed for the chance to represent Alaska in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl finals competition in May. Thank you to Amanda Kelley and her team of graduate students who contributed to the research component of the competition, CFOS staff who volunteered their time, and to SMC staff for ensuring the success of the event! This year’s winners are:

1st place: Locolithophores team, Juneau-Douglas High School
2nd place: Geo Schmucks team, Cordova Jr/Sr High School
3rd place: Tectonic Plates team, Mat-Su Career & Tech High School

Alice Bailey and Seth Danielson presented R/V Sikuliaq research activities to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission at the Annual Whaling Captains' Association Mini-Convention in Anchorage.

Kristen Gorman presented an online talk on her Copper River sockeye research to the Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment.

R/V Sikuliaq was featured in a Science for Alaska lecture by Bernard Coakley that can be viewed on the UAF Geophysical Institute’s Facebook videos page.

CFOS in the News

The upcoming University of Alaska Mariculture Conference was featured by UA News, Alaska Native News and UA Southeast. The conference, titled “Mariculture for Alaska’s Future: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities,” will be held in Juneau this April.

Publications

Chambers, C., T. Henke. B. Barr, D. Cook, B Costa Pierce, N. Einatsson, B. Kaisar, O. Knutsson, M. Kokorsch, N. Nazarova, and T. Sutton. 2022. Marine fisheries and aquaculture in the Arctic. In: Renewable Economies in the Arctic, pp. 224–248. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003172406

Ulaski, M.E., H. Finkle, A.H. Beaudreau, and P.A.H. Westley. 2022. Climate and conspecific density inform phenotypic forecasting of juvenile Pacific salmon body size. Freshwater Biology (cover story). https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13850

Grants and Awards for January 2022

Awards that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-1085 "NOSB Support" - Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $51,500.00 (July 1, 2002)
• Grant G-11133 "Chukchi Sea Ecosystem Mooring" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 9 - $25,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 11 - $4,522,860.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-14468 "Demonstrating operational readiness of AUV-based ecosystem monitoring through a field program supporting the International Year of the Salmon (OMAO Glider)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $7,500.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14548 "Ecosystem monitoring and detection of wind and ice-mediated changes through a year-round physical and biochemical mooring in the Northeast Chukchi Sea" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $8,800.00 (December 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that Tyler Hennon has been appointed as Research Assistant Professor in CFOS. A graduate of the University of Washington and University of Oregon, Tyler most recently held a postdoctoral position working primarily with Seth Danielson’s research group. An observational physical oceanographer, his research focuses on ocean microstructure turbulence, internal gravity waves, spatiotemporal variability of sea surface temperature, as well as topics relating to biogeochemistry. Please join me in congratulating Tyler on his faculty appointment.

Harper Simmons has tendered his resignation to take a position at the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory. I would like to personally thank Harper for his research, teaching and service contributions to the university. We will greatly miss Harper, and wish him all the best going forward.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently in Portland, Oregon, for scheduled regulatory routine maintenance. The ship is scheduled to depart Portland in mid-February for a post-shipyard shakedown cruise and then transit to Newport to stage for the first science voyage of 2022.

Activities and Accomplishments

Numerous CFOS faculty, staff and students participated in the Alaska Marine Science Symposium held in Anchorage last week. Graduate students Marina Alcantar and Shelby Bacus gave Alaska Ocean Acidification Network's lightning talks, and we are proud to say that half of the AMSS Student Awards went to CFOS! Congratulations to the following students:

Brian Ulaski- Best Oral Presentation, Doctorate level

Addie Norgaard- Best Poster Presentation, Doctorate level

Alex Sletten- Best Poster Presentation, Masters level

 

Publications

Etnoyer, P.J., C.G. Messing, K.A. Stanley, T.K. Baumiller, L. Kate and T.C. Shirley. 2022. Diversity and time-series analyses of Caribbean deep-sea coral and sponge assemblages on the tropical island slope of Isla de Roatán, Honduras. Marine Biodiversity. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-021-01255-z

Hennon, G.M.M., J. Sefbom, E. Schaum, S.T. Dyhrman and A. Godhe. 2021. Guidelines for the study of climate change effects on HABs, Chapter 4: Studying the acclimation and adaptation of HAB species to changing environmental conditions. UNESCO-IOC/SCOR. https://doi.org/10.25607/OBP-1692

Huang, M., K.R. Robbins, Y.L., S. Umanzor, M. Marty-Rivera, D. Bailey, C. Yarish, S. Lindell and J.L. Jannink. 2022. Simulation of sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) breeding guided by practices to accelerate genetic gains. G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetic. https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkac003

Menzies, C., R.E. Price, J. Ryan, O. Sissmann, K. Takai, C.G. Wheat. 2022. Spatial variation of subduction zone fluids during progressive subduction: Insights from Mariana Serpentinite Mud Volcanoes. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2021.10.030

Message from the Dean

With the start of the spring 2022 semester last week, it is a pleasure to welcome back our current and new CFOS students. As always, our faculty and staff are here to support you, and we wish you great success. 

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new graduate students:

Muriel Dittrich. M.S. Marine Biology, Advisor: Schery Umanzor

Margaret Harings. M.S. Fisheries, Advisors: Andres Lopez and Erik Schoen

Brendan Higgins. M.S. Marine Biology, Advisor: Tuula Hollmen

Hannah Kepner. M.S. Oceanography, Advisor: Russ Hopcroft

Megan Brauner. Ph.D. Oceanography, Advisors: Gwenn Hennon and Brandon Briggs (UAA)

Sabrina Garcia. Ph.D. Fisheries, Advisor: Andrew Seitz

Andrew Rothenberger. Ph.D. Fisheries, Advisor: Andrew Seitz 

 

Finally, last Friday was Will Burt’s final work day as a CFOS faculty member; we wish him well in his future endeavors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently in Portland, Oregon, for scheduled regulatory routine maintenance. The ship is scheduled to depart Portland in mid-February for a post-shipyard shakedown cruise and then transit to Newport to stage for the first science voyage of 2022.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student James Currie was awarded a Scientists in the Schools fellowship from the Sitka Sound Science Center. 

Justin Sternberg and Bradley Moran coauthored an invited article on climate adaptation in the Arctic Ocean published by the Wilson Center. 

CFOS in the News

KTOO featured Seth Danielson in an article about results from the November 2021 Sikuliaq cruise in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

Publications

Umanzor S., S. Han, H.I. Song, J.S. Park, A.T. Critchley, C. Yarish, J.K. Kim. 2022. Enhancements provided by the use of an Ascophyllum nodosum extract can be transferred through archeospores in the red alga Neopyropia yezoensis (Ueda) L.-E. Yang & J. Brodie. Aquatic Botany. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2021.103481

Message from the Dean

Happy New Year! It is a pleasure to wish everyone a warm welcome after what was hopefully a relaxing winter break spent with friends and family—and here is to a safe and productive 2022.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently docked in Seward preparing for the scheduled regulatory shipyard work this winter. The location of the shipyard has not yet been confirmed. 

CFOS in the News

The cover of Molecular Ecology featured a publication co-authored by Megan McPhee, postdoctoral fellow Yue Shi and graduate student William Dokai about the role of gene flow on fish. 

Seth Danielson appeared in KNOM radio and Nome Nugget stories describing findings from the November 2021 Sikuliaq cruise in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

The Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES) magazine mentioned Natalie Monacci in an article about the Ocean Acidification Research Center’s (OARC) projects monitoring marine carbonate chemistry around Alaska. The Newsletter of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) included a summary of seawater carbon dioxide observations in the eastern Bering Sea collected by a long-term monitoring site led by OARC. 

A Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article about Alaska seaweed mariculture featured Schery Umanzor and Justin Sternberg.

Marine Link mentioned Steve Roberts in a story about satellite imagery produced by the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) on R/V Sikuliaq.

Publications

Berkman, S.A., T.M. Sutton, F.J. Mueter, and B.W. Elliott. 2021. Effects of early life-stage and environmental factors on the marine survival of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in rivers of Southeast Alaska. Fishery Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.7755/FB.119.4.1

Shi, Y., K.L. Bouska, G.J. McKinney, W. Dokai, A. Bartels, M.V. McPhee, and W.A. Larson. 2021. Gene flow influences the genomic architecture of local adaptation in six riverine fish species. Molecular Ecology.  https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16317

Grants and Awards for December 2021

New awards for CFOS:

• Grant G-14548 "Ecosystem monitoring and detection of wind and ice-mediated changes through a year-round physical and biogeochemical mooring in the Northeast Chukchi Sea" - Seth Danielson - NPRB - $88,002.00 (December 1, 2021)
• Faculty Initiative Fund Award "Seabird Biologging at St. Paul Island, Alaska" - Kristen Gorman - UA Statewide - $29,700.00 (December 1, 2021)

Awards that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andrew Seitz - Department of the Navy - Mod 6 - $221,812.00 (April 15, 2020)
• Grant G-14309 "Dynamical downscaling of the submesoscale cascade of turbulence" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 1 - $85,322.00 (August 23, 2021)

New award controlled by another department:

• Grant G-14571 "CICOES Postdoc Fellowships at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks" - Peter Westley - IARC - $94,488.00 (December 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

As we wind up another challenging but rewarding year, it is a pleasure to express my sincere appreciation to our students, staff and faculty, and to our Captain and crew in ensuring the safe and successful operation of R/V Sikuliaq—we can be proud of our collective hard work and many accomplishments this past year—well done CFOS! 

Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently docked in Seward preparing for its scheduled regulatory shipyard period this winter. The location of the shipyard has not yet been determined. 

Activities and Accomplishments

Last week, R/V Nanuq successfully completed GAK-1 sampling and glider testing in wind, waves, freezing spray, and white out snow conditions.

Megan McPhee and faculty from Kamchatka State Technical University, Far Eastern Federal University, and Sakhalin State University recently formed the “Russian Far East-Alaska Salmon Exchange,” a consortium dedicated to sharing research and education on Pacific salmon. As part of this effort, CFOS graduate student Molly Payne presented her thesis research on stream attractiveness to stray hatchery chum salmon at the first “Salmon Mini-Conference.”

Graduate student Hannah Myers was awarded “Best Talk: Observational Ecology” at the 2021 Western Society of Naturalists Conference for her presentation on the distribution and acoustic residency patterns of Gulf of Alaska killer whales. 

CFOS in the News

The Fish Site featured Schery Umanzor and Justin Sternberg in a story about Alaska mariculture. 

Hannah Myers was featured in a KTOO story about listening to the voices of killer whales.

Publications

Horrillo, J., W. Knight and Z. Kowalik. 2022. Numerical Modeling of Tsunami Waves. Advanced Series on Ocean Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1142/12421

Message from the Dean

Plans are well underway for our all-hands faculty retreat on January 7, 2022. Since the last CFOS faculty retreat in January 2019, we have continued to successfully implement our shared vision as outlined in the CFOS Decadal Plan. Specifically, over the past three years we have increased student enrollment, broadened our academic programs and course modality to meet evolving education and workforce needs, hired new and diverse faculty, reinvested in our research enterprise and major facilities, and continued to strengthen communications. The purpose of the 2022 faculty retreat is to provide an opportunity for our faculty to engage in setting near-term priorities to help advance our academic programs, ensure student success, and bolster research. Details of our virtual retreat will be forthcoming.

It is a pleasure to convey that the 2021 CFOS Annual Report is now complete and available online. Every year I wonder—how will we top this with the next report? I believe you will agree that this year’s annual report has achieved that goal. Tip of the hat to Alice Bailey for leading this effort, to Carol Kaynor for expert editing and attention to detail, and to Molly Putnam for final layout and production. Well done, team!

Fall 2021 graduates:

Zane Chapman. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Franz Mueter

Betsy McCracken. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Trent Sutton

Jamie Musbach. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Sherry Tamone

Amy Dowling. MS Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Brenda Konar

Feyne Elmore. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Ocean Science

Thomas House. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science

Elizabeth Kiely. BA Fisheries, Concentration: Fisheries Business and Social Science

Ronald Sheldon. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently docked in Seward preparing for its scheduled regulatory shipyard period this winter. The location of the shipyard has not yet been determined. 

Activities and Accomplishments

Ana Aguilar-Islas was featured in a story about women in oceanography on the NSF Long Term Ecological Research website. 

CFOS professor emeritus Zygmunt Kowalik published a book about numerical modeling of tsunami waves in collaboration with alum Juan Horrillo and former student William Knight. 

CFOS in the News

Schery Umanzor and Justin Sternberg were featured in a UAF News story about Alaska mariculture. 

Jessica Glass appeared in a Scientific American article about mass sardine migrations in South Africa. 

Marine Technology News named Seth Danielson’s photograph of a zooplankton net tow from R/V Sikuliaq as “Photo of the Day.”

Steve Roberts was mentioned in a Marine Technology Reporter story about satellite imagery produced by the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) on R/V Sikuliaq.

Hannah Myers was featured in a SIT News story about listening to the voices of killer whales.

Publications

Westley, P.A.H., J.C. Black, C. Carothers, and D. Ringer. 2021. State of Alaska's salmon and people: Introduction to a special feature. Ecology and Society. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12910-260433

Vershinina, A.O., […], M.J. Wooller, et al. 2021. Ancient horse genomes reveal the timing and extent of dispersals across the Bering Land Bridge. Molecular Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15977

Grants and Awards for November 2021

Grant that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-14172 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line 2019-2024" - Russ Hopcroft - NPRB - Mod 1 - $12,076.00 (July 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

As we look forward to enjoying Thanksgiving Day with friends and family this week, please take a moment to reflect on the many positive aspects of our daily lives. While each of us copes with the very real and often exhausting challenge of living in a pandemic, we are indeed fortunate and blessed in many ways. In that regard, it is my pleasure to thank the faculty, staff and students for all your good work, which provides significant benefits to Alaska and our nation. Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway transiting from Nome to Seward, having completed all scheduled at-sea research projects for calendar year 2021. Once in Seward, Sikuliaq will begin preparations for her scheduled regulatory shipyard period this winter.  

Activities and Accomplishments

Jeff Muehlbauer received an EPSCoR faculty seed grant and travel award to conduct research on woody debris transported to rivers and to present at the 2022 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting.

Graduate student Courtney Hart and postdoctoral researcher Scott Gabara were awarded 2022 Scientist in Residency Fellowships at the Sitka Sound Science Center.

Graduate student Erika King gave a talk about Coho salmon at the American Fisheries Society annual meeting.

Brian Mullaly, Ethan Roth and Natalie Monacci facilitated a research instruction cruise aboard R/V Nanuq, where Seward high school students gained hands-on experience conducting measurements and collecting samples in Resurrection Bay. 

CFOS in the News

Graduate student Hannah Myers’ killer whale research was featured by UAF News.

Hakai magazine and High Country News featured undergraduate student Brooke Woods in a story about subsistence fishing for salmon on the Yukon River. 

Steve Roberts, R/V Sikuliaq’s science systems engineer, was mentioned in a Seward Journal story about satellite imagery produced by the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA).

Publications

Sutton, L., F.J. Mueter, B.A. Bluhm, and K. Iken. 2021. Environmental Filtering Influences Functional Community Assembly of Epibenthic Communities. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.736917

Message from the Dean

The second UA System-wide “Giving Day” is set to begin at noon on Tuesday, November 10. On the CFOS Giving Day website, there will be a 49-hour (consistent with the 49th state) time period to make a donation to two funding areas important to student success: the CFOS Support Fund and the CFOS Graduate Student Support Fund. To help inspire participation in this effort, I have pledged a gift challenge that will be “unlocked” after the first ten donations have been made. I encourage all alumni, friends and supporters to contribute. 

It is a pleasure to announce that Peter Westley has been appointed as the university’s first Lowell A. Wakefield Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. The Wakefield Chair endowment supports the mission of CFOS by expanding the rehabilitation, development and improvement of fishery resources of the State of Alaska. Please join me in congratulating Peter on this prestigious appointment!

Arny Blanchard has announced his retirement at the end of this year. A three-time UAF alum, Arny began his employment at the university in 1986 as a student, and subsequently rose to the rank of CFOS Research Professor. His research focus is on taxonomic studies in Alaska's coastal waters, and he was particularly involved with the Chukchi Sea Environmental Studies Program and the Port Valdez Environmental Studies Program. He also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, and contributed to the success of numerous graduate students. We will miss Arny's thoughtful and collegial manner. Please join me in wishing Arny the very best in his next chapter. 

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Seth Danielson’s (UAF/CFOS) Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) cruise to the Chukchi and Bering Seas. Originally scheduled in late August aboard another vessel, this voyage will collect water column, zooplankton and sediments samples, as well as conduct mooring retrievals and deployments.

Activities and Accomplishments

Bradley Moran was selected to chair the national Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL) Board of Trustees. Based in Washington, D.C., COL is a national nonprofit organization representing the leading public and private ocean research education institutions, aquaria and industry.

Curry Cunningham has been invited to participate in the development of the National Marine Fisheries Service Fisheries Integrated Modeling System (FIMS), as a member of its inaugural Council. FIMS aims to provide a next-generation framework of stock assessment models and related tools, designed to assist fishery managers with the goal of achieving sustainable fisheries.

Pat Church received an EPSCoR Travel Award to attend the 2022 National Council of University Research Administrators in Washington, DC. 

Graduate students Erika King, Lia Domke, and Monica Brandhuber contributed to the creation of the Fisheries for Kids newsletter that was sent to teachers in Juneau schools last week. 

Graduate student Tamsen Peeples won “Best in Show” at the annual Juneau underwater pumpkin carving contest. 

The results are in for this year's CFOS pumpkin carving contest, which was organized by the Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Student Organization. Congratulations to all participants! Winner: Erika King; Runners up: Lindsey Stadler, Feyne Elmore, Emily Ortega, Elizabeth Hinkle.

A newsletter called "Fisheries for Kids" has been created by CFOS graduate students and will be distributed to Juneau schools. If you are interested in receiving future issues, please contact Monica at mebrandhuber@alaska.edu.

CFOS in the News

KTVF news featured the recent seven-week R/V Sikuliaq cruise led by PI Bernard Coakley (UAF/GI). 

CFOS’s Juneau campus was mentioned in an Alaska Native News story about student interns contributing to local climate change studies. 

Publications

Hudson, K., M.J. Oliver, J. Kohut, M.S. Dinniman,  J. Klinck, C. Moffat, H. Statscewich, K. Bernard, and W. Fraser. 2021. A Recirculating Eddy Promotes Subsurface Particle Retention in an Antarctic Biological Hotspot. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021jc017304

Britton, K., B.E. Crowley, C.P. Bataille, J.H. Miller and M.J. Wooller. 2021. Silver Linings at the Dawn of a “Golden Age” Front. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.748938

Becker. K., R.E. Thomas. E.E. Davis, H. Villinger, and C.G. Wheat. 2021. Geothermal heating and episodic cold-seawater intrusions into an isolated ridge-flank basin near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00297-2.

Grants and Awards for October 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14451 "Seward Line Monitoring" - Russ Hopcroft - AOOS - $116,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14468 "Demonstrating operational readiness of AUV-based ecosystem monitoring through a field program supporting the International Year of the Salmon (OMAO GLIDER)" Seth Danielson - AOOS - $52,136.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14469 "Chukchi Sea beam trawl survey data rescue (Chukchi Data Rescue)" - Franz Mueter - AOOS - $25,270.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14471 "Alaska Ecosystem Observatory Network Build-Out, Operations and Maintenance (ECO-Moorings)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $105,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14472 "Measuring Ocean Currents in Bering Strait with High Frequency Radars (Bering Strait HFR)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $115,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14473 "Alaska Region Glider Missions Supporting an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM Gliders)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $243,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14482 "An Arctic Marine Mammal Observing System (Chukchi Glider)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $65,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14483 "Cook Inlet Radar (Cook Inlet HFR)" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $114,286.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14484 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska (OA Timeseries)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $29,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14485 "National Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NOA-ON) Stations: Gulf of Alaska (GAKOA) and Bering Sea (M2) moorings (M2 & GAK Moorings)" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $161,904.00 (July 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

The 2021 CFOS Annual Report is in the final stages of layout and proofreading. We can look forward to a visually appealing and interesting report on some of our academic, research and service highlights over the past year. My thanks to Alice Bailey for developing the content and assembling the final report, and to Carol Kaynor for expert editing. We expect to distribute the report in December.

As part of our ongoing effort to implement the CFOS Decadal Plan, we are preparing to hold the third CFOS all-hands faculty retreat in January. As with prior retreats, a key objective is to develop actionable priorities for the college over the next two years. In this regard, I encourage faculty to work together to develop a set of goals in support of the CFOS mission to deliver outstanding education, research and service programs focused on Alaska’s aquatic ecosystems. Details regarding this virtual event will be forthcoming.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently underway in the Beaufort Sea supporting Craig Lee’s (UW/APL) AMOS project, which aims to develop a year-round observing system that will be used to better forecast the Arctic environment.

Activities and Accomplishments

Thomas Kelly presented at the prestigious Dissertations in Chemical Oceanography (DISCO) symposium in Kauai. 

CFOS in the News

Seth Danielson and Katrin Iken were featured in the AOOS newsletter for a benthic camera system that they developed, which will provide year-round photos of seafloor organisms. 

UAF News announced the premiere of a documentary film co-produced by CFOS graduate student Jamie Currie, entitled “Olympic Sleepers of the Arctic”, about the physiological adaptations of hibernating Arctic ground squirrels.

The Juneau Empire featured a study by undergraduate student Emily Williamson and graduate student Chris Sergeant that compares climate models to observations made by Southeast Alaska homesteader Allen Hasselborg on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska.

The Seattle Times mentioned the recent R/V Sikuliaq cruise led by Bernard Coakley (UAF/GI) in a story about the journey of USCGC Healy through the Northwest Passage, and a UNOLS newsletter highlighted Sikuliaq’s voyage to nearly 500 nautical miles north of Alaska. 

Publications

Myers, H.J., D.W. Olsen, C.O. Matkin, L.A. Horstmann, and B. Konar. 2021. Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0

Drinkwater, K.F., N. Harada, S. Nishino, M. Cherici, S.L. Danielson, R.B. Invaldsen, T. Kristiansen, G.L. Hunt Jr., F.J. Mueter, and J.E. Stiansen. 2021. Possible future scenarios in the Gateways to the Arctic for Subarctic and Arctic marine systems: I. Climate and physical–chemical oceanography. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab182

Mueter, F.J., B. Planque, G.L. Hunt Jr., I.D. Alabia, T. Hirawake, L. Eisner, P. Dalpadado, K.F. Drinkwater, N. Harada, P. Arneberg, and S.I. Saitoh. 2021. Possible future scenarios in the Gateways to the Arctic for Subarctic and Arctic marine systems: II. Prey resources, food webs, fish, and fisheries. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab122

Mueter, F.J., K. Iken, L.W. Cooper,  J.M. Grebmeier, K.J. Kuletz, R.R. Hopcroft,  S.L. Danielson, R.E. Collins, and D.A. Cushing. 2021. Changes in diversity and species composition across multiple assemblages in the northeast Chukchi Sea during two contrasting years are consistent with borealization. Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.213

Lawley, J.W., E. Gamero-Mora, M.M. Maronna, L.M. Chiaverano, S.N. Stampar,  R.R. Hopcroft, A.G. Collins, and A.C. Morandini. 2021. The importance of molecular characters when morphological variability hinders diagnosability: systematics of the moon jellyfish genus Aurelia (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa). PeerJ. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11954

 

Message from the Dean

Today, UAF celebrates Indigenous Peoples' Day, a day to honor Alaska Native and Indigenous knowledge, culture and wisdom. The past year has brought greater awareness of the challenges that Indigenous communities have faced, which calls upon each of us to renew our focus on supporting social justice. On this Indigenous Peoples' Day, please take a moment to reflect on how working together can help bring an end to the discrimination, exclusion and marginalization of Indigenous people and communities.

UAF will be hosting an event today at noon with keynote speaker Pearl Brower. This year's theme is "Raising Indigenous Voices” to honor and celebrate the many contributions of Alaska Native peoples to UAF and Alaska. I encourage everyone to join on the UAF Facebook page.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq’s crew recently installed a rebuilt diesel engine in less than 5 days while in Nome; Bravo Zulu to the engineering department and Port Engineer Bob Cruise for a job well done! The ship is currently underway to support Craig Lee’s (UW/APL) AMOS project, and will deploy moorings, gliders, floats and UUVs as part of a year-round effort to better understand changing conditions in the Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Marina Washburn received an award for her presentation at the 2021 Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association Annual Shellfish Conference.

Graduate student Zane Chapman gave a presentation to science students at Thunder Mountain High School. 

Sonia Kumar led a Beluga Whale Alliance Instagram Takeover to educate viewers about Cook Inlet beluga whales and fieldwork conducted in the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers. 

CFOS in the News

Chris Seargent and undergraduate student Emily Williamson were featured by UAF News regarding research that compares modern climate modeling software to historic observations of conditions in Southeast Alaska. 

National Public Radio posted an interview with Courtney Carothers about the Tamamta program on the homepage of their website. 

KUAC and KTOO aired an interview with Bernard Coakley while he was underway on R/V Sikuliaq for the Chukchi Edges II cruise. News stories about the cruise appeared in UAF News, Alaska Native News and The Nome Nugget. 

Peter Westley and Krista Oke were mentioned in a WION story about how Alaska’s salmon are getting smaller. 

Seth Danielson and R/V Sikuliaq appeared in a WHOI press release about the growing potential of toxic algal blooms in the Arctic. 

Publications

Adkison M.D. 2021. A review of salmon spawner-recruitment analysis: the central role of the data and its impact on management strategy. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture. https://doi.org/10.1080/23308249.2021.1972086

Bucklin, A., J.M. Questel, L. Blanco-Bercial, A. Frenzel, S.B. Smolenack, P.H. Wiebe. 2021. Population connectivity of the euphausiid, Stylocheiron elongatum, in the Gulf Stream (NW Atlantic Ocean) in relation to COI barcode diversity of Stylocheiron species. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab158

O’Toole, Ciar, K. Phillips, C. Bradley, J. Coughlan, E. Dillane, I.A. Fleming, T.E. Reed, P.A.H. Westley, T.F. Cross, P. McGinnity, and P.A. Prodöhl. 2021. Population genetics reveal patterns of natural colonization of an ecologically and commercially important invasive fish.  Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2020-0255

Deary, A.L., C.D. Vestfals, F.J. Mueter, E.A. Logerwell, E.D Goldstein, P.J. Stabeno, S.L. Danielson, R.R. Hopcroft, and J.T. Duffy-Anderson. 2021. Seasonal abundance, distribution, and growth of the early life stages of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) in the US Arctic. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02940-2

Garcia, S., C.A. Tribuzio, A.C. Seitz, M.B. Courtney, J.K. Nielsen, J.M. Murphy, and D.S. Oxman. 2021. Differential horizontal migration patterns of two male salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis) tagged in the Bering Sea. Animal Biotelemetry. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-021-00260-0

Paukert, C.P., J.D. Olden, A.J. Lynch, D. Brashears, R.C. Chambers, C. Chu, M. Daly, K.L. Dibble, J. Falke, D. Issak, P. Jacobson, O.P. Jensen, and D. Munroe. 2021. Climate change effects on North American fish and fisheries to inform adaptation strategies. Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10668

Grants and Awards for September 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14321 "Development of an In Situ Pore Water Sampler for Scientific Ocean Drilling" - C. Geoff Wheat - NSF - $592,667.00 (September 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14327 "Delineating species and stock boundaries in the Arctic-Bering cisco species pair" - Andres Lopez - BOEM - $32,966.00 (September 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14330 "Building Capacity for Tribal Monitoring of Harmful Algal Toxins in Subsistence Harvested Shellfish" - Shannon DeMaster - US Geological Survey - $199,817.00 (September 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14354 "Extension of Machine Learning Methods to Bristol Bay Run Timing Forecasts" - Curry Cunningham - Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association - $32,000.00 (July 19, 2021)
• Grant G-14372 "Development of a Management Strategy Evaluation Framework for Subsistence Salmon Fisheries of the Kuskokwim River Watershed" - Curry Cunningham - NOAA - $266,186.00 (September 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14378 "Collaborative Research: Elucidating Brine-Dominated, Segment-Scale Hydrothermal Discharge Along The Cleft Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge" - C. Geoff Wheat - NSF - $79,353.00 (September 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14395 "Enhancing ocean color remote sensing tools to better constrain fisheries forecasting models in a critical  subarctic system" - Will Burt - NASA - $138,000.00 (August 23, 2021)
• Grant G-14412 "Estimating escapement of Chilkat River Chinook salmon using trans-generational mark-recapture (tGMR)" - Megan McPhee - AK Department of Fish & Game - $149,508.00 (August 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14420 "Integrating oceanographic research and monitoring efforts in the NE Gulf of Alaska" - Seth Danielson - NPS - $147,898.00 (September 17, 2021)

Grant set up on assumption:

• Grant G-14380 "Arctic High-Frequency Radar Operations and Maintenance" - Seth Danielson - AOOS (July 1, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-2865 "Meek Lecturers" - Andrew Seitz - UA Foundation - $100,000.00 (October 1, 2005)
• Grant G-11616 "LTER: Beaufort Sea Lagoons: An Arctic Coastal Ecosystem in Transition" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - Mod 4 - $181,656.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-13024 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NOAA - Mod 4 - $269,000.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13469 "Zooplankton Monitoring Along Coastal Regions and Tidewater Glacier Fjords of Glacier Bay and Wrangell- St. Elias National Parks & Preserves" - Jennifer Questel - NPS - Mod 1 - $165,002.00 (June 30, 2020)
• Grant G-13646 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NASA - $50,000.00 (September 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey that Jennifer Questel has been appointed as Research Assistant Professor in CFOS. A CFOS alum, Jenn most recently held a UAF Centennial Postdoctoral Fellow, working with Russ Hopcroft and other researchers. Her research expertise focuses on the ecology of zooplankton communities, specifically the assessment of zooplankton biodiversity using molecular techniques for species identification, population genetics, and population connectivity. Please join me in congratulating Jenn on her faculty appointment!

The CFOS Advisory Council will meet tomorrow to discuss priorities and needs of the college. The meeting agenda includes presentations on our academic and research programs; diversity and inclusivity efforts; student activities; AOOS collaborations; OARC; ABEC; and lunch with Chancellor White. I look forward to an engaging meeting with our Council members.

R/V Sikuliaq

Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) Chukchi Edges II cruise will finish in Nome later this week. After Coakley’s gear is unloaded, a rebuilt engine will be installed on the ship and preparations will begin for Craig Lee’s (UW/APL) AMOS cruise. 

Activities and Accomplishments

Geoff Wheat won the Innovative Disclosures and Entrepreneurial Activities (IDEAs) 2021 award for best disclosure from a faculty member for the development of the Multi-Temperature Fluid Sampler. The competition is hosted by the university’s Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization (OIPC).

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ran an obituary for Judy McDonald, who was a research scientist at the Seward Marine Center from 1975 to 2001. She helped manage the wet lab in the Hood Laboratory and was instrumental to Alaska’s participation in the National Ocean Science Bowl. 

Russ Hopcroft was featured in a KDLL radio story about algae blooms in the Gulf of Alaska. 

UAF News and Phys.org mentioned Andrew McDonnell in stories about how natural cycles in the Gulf of Alaska can accentuate ocean acidification. 

Courtney Carothers spoke about CFOS’s Tamamta program on the radio program Alaska News Nightly. 

Andy Seitz was featured in a video made by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power about fish interactions with a hydrokinetic test site on the Tanana River. 

Alaska News Nightly featured Matthew Wooller’s mammoth research at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility. 

Publications

Hauri, C., R. Pagès, A.M.P. McDonnell, M.F. Stuecker, S.L. Danielson, K. Hedstrom, B. Irving, C. Schultz, and S.C. Doney. 2021. Modulation of ocean acidification by decadal climate variability in the Gulf of Alaska. Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00254-z

King, A.L., L. Anderson, M. Abbott, M. Edwards, M.S. Finkenbinder, B. Finney, and M.J. Wooller. 2021. A stable isotope record of late Quaternary hydrologic change in the north-western Brooks Range, Alaska (eastern Beringia). Journal of Quaternary Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3368

Lalande, L., J.M. Grebmeier, A.M.P. McDonnell, R.R. Hopcroft, S. O'Daly, and S.L. Danielson. 2021. Impact of a warm anomaly in the Pacific Arctic region derived from time-series export fluxes. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255837

Mateus, C.S., M.F. Docker, G. Evanno, J.E. Hess, J.B. Hume, I.C. Oliveira, A. Souissi, and T.M. Sutton. 2021. Population structure in anadromous lampreys: patterns and processes. Sea Lamprey International Symposium III, Journal of Great Lakes Research.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2021.08.024

Raymond W.W., J.B. Schram, G.L. Eckert, and A.W.E. Galloway. 2021. Sea otter effects on trophic structure of seagrass communities in southeast Alaska. Marine Ecology Progress Series. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13819

Message from the Dean

Just over two years ago, CFOS established the Alaska Blue Economy Center (ABEC) to serve as a resource and support center for research, instruction, and outreach related to Alaska's vast aquatic resources and ecosystems. In this regard, and in partnership with the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, College of Business and Security Management, and Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization, it is a pleasure to convey that Justin Sternberg has been hired as the Director of ABEC. Justin brings a wealth of experience working to advance Alaska’s burgeoning blue economy sector and energy programs. He is in the process of relocating to Fairbanks, and his office will be located in the CFOS Dean’s Office. His email address is jcsternberg@alaska.edu. Please join me in congratulating Justin on his new appointment!

I hope you take time to enjoy the beautiful fall season colors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq continues to operate in the northern Chukchi Sea for Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) Chukchi Edges II cruise.  They are halfway through the 45-day voyage to investigate the formation, composition and structure of the northern edge of the Chukchi Sea continental shelf. 

Activities and Accomplishments

Jeff Falke was selected as an Agency Coordinating Lead for the Alaska Chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment.

CFOS in the News

A UAF News article announced the first cohort of graduate students in CFOS’s new Tamamta program, which focuses on bridging Indigenous and Western sciences. 

Shannon Atkinson was featured in a NOAA Fisheries article about humpback whale research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mat Wooller was featured in a Scientific American article regarding his work at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility. 

Publications

Blanchard, A.L. and D.G. Shaw. 2021. Multivariate analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Port Valdez, Alaska, 1989–2019. Marine Pollution Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112906

Callahan, M.W., A.H. Beaudreau, R.A. Heintz, F.J. Mueter, and M.C. Rogers. 2021. Temporal and age-based variation in juvenile sablefish diet composition and quality: Inferences from stomach contents and stable isotopes. Marine and Coastal Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10173

Clawson, C.M., J.A. Falke, J. Rose, A. Prakash, A.E. Martin, and L.L. Bailey. 2021. High-resolution remote sensing and multistate occupancy estimation identify drivers of spawning site selection in fall chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) across a sub-Arctic riverscape. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0013

Copping, A.E., L.G. Hemery, H. Viehman, A.C. Seitz,  G.J. Staines, and D.J. Hasselman. 2021. Are fish in danger? A review of environmental effects of marine renewable energy on fishes. Biological Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109297 

Galloway A.W.E., A.H. Beaudreau, M.D. Thomas, B.L. Basnett, L.S. Lam,  S.L. Hamilton,  K.S. Andrews, J.B. Schram,  J. Watson, and J.F. Samhouri. 2021. Assessing prevalence and correlates of blue-colored flesh in lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) across their geographic range. Marine Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03936-6.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03936-6

Gorman, K.B., K.E. Ruck, T.D. Williams and W.R. Fraser. 2021. Advancing the Sea Ice Hypothesis: Trophic interactions among breeding Pygoscelis penguins with divergent population trends throughout the western Antarctic Peninsula. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.526092

Jalbert, C., J.A. Falke, J.A. Lopez, K.J. Dunker, A.J. Sepulveda, and P.A.H. Westley. 2021. Vulnerability of Pacific salmon to invasion of northern pike (Esox lucius) in Southcentral Alaska. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254097

Melica, V., S. Atkinson, J. Calambokidis, A. Lang, J. Scordino, and F. Mueter. 2021. Application of endocrine biomarkers to update information on reproductive physiology in gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255368

Shackell, N.L., J.A.D. Fisher, C.E. den Heyer, D.R. Hennen, A.C. Seitz, A. Le Bris, D. Robert, M.E. Kersula, S.X. Cadrin, R.S. McBride, et al. 2021. Spatial ecology of Atlantic halibut across the Northwest Atlantic: A recovering species in an era of climate change. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture. https://doi.org/10.1080/23308249.2021.1948502

Stratton, M.E., H. Finkle, J.A. Falke, and P.A.H. Westley. 2021. Assessing potential stock structure of adult Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in a small Alaska watershed: Quantifying run timing, spawning locations, and holding areas with radio telemetry. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10658

Walther, E.J., M.S. Zimmerman, and P.A.H. Westley. 2021. Landscape attributes explain salmonid ecological neighborhoods across a complex river network. Freshwater Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13801

Williamson E.R. and C.J. Sergeant. 2021. Independent validation of downscaled climate estimates from a coastal Alaska watershed using local historical weather journals. PeerJ. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12055

Grants and Awards for August 2021 

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14270 "Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Cook Inlet Belugas and Links to Salmon Availability" - Lara Horstmann (Sonia Kumar) - UA Foundation Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Student Award - $6,404.00 (May 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14282 "Understanding Spatial Dynamics and Movements of Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) in the Northern Bering Sea" - Andrew Seitz - BOEM - $139,946.00 (August 12, 2021)
• Grant G-14291 "Harnessing the power of eDNA as real-time assessment tool of nearshore Arctic marine communities" - Jessica Glass - BOEM - $200,766.00 (August 17, 2021)
• Grant G-14299 "Annual cycle of upper ocean turbulence in the Nordic Seas: observations and models" - Harper Simmons - ONR - $551,931.00 (August 16, 2021)
• Grant G-14309 "Dynamical downscaling of the submesoscale cascade of turbulence" - Harper Simmons - ONR - $60,109.00 (August 23, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11653 "Coastal hydrographic physical dynamics and oceanography assessments" - Seth Danielson - NPS - Mod 3 - $62,444.00 (August 2, 2017)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 9 - $513,498.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 10 - $2,758,304.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andrew Seitz - Department of the Navy - Mod 5 - $278,347.00 (April 15, 2020)
• Grant G-13562 "Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Oceanographic Assessment" - Tyler Hennon - NPS - Mod 1 - $105,296.00 (August 12, 2020)

Grants controlled by other departments:

• Grant G-14032 "Material and Cost Efficient Modular Riverine Hydrokinetic Energy System" - Andrew Seitz - ACEP - Department of Energy - $71,533.00 (April 12, 2021)
• Grant G-14290 "UAF Drivers and Diversity of Chinook Salmon Pop in the AYK Region" - Curry Cunningham - IARC - AK Dept. of Fish & Game - $129,962.00 (July 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

As we kick off the fall semester, it is a pleasure to welcome our new and current students. While we continue to deal with challenging times due to the pandemic, our faculty and staff are ready to support your education, training and future success. In that regard, this afternoon we will welcome and celebrate our students with a meet and greet BBQ at our Fairbanks location. Many thanks to Christina Sutton and the Dean’s Office and Academic Programs staff for organizing this event.

Wishing everyone a safe and productive semester.

R/V Sikuliaq

In support of Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) Chukchi Edges II cruise, Sikuliaq is sailing further north than ever before. The ship is currently at 79 degrees North latitude in the Arctic Ocean, which is about 475 miles northwest of Point Barrow. 

CFOS in the News

Graduate student Ellen Chenowith’s baleen whale research was featured in a Functional Ecologists article. 

Russ Hopcroft was quoted by the Anchorage Daily News and the Cordova Times regarding phytoplankton in the Gulf of Alaska. 

Mat Wooler’s research at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility was featured by ScienceBlog and the Good News Network. 

Graduate Student Sonia Kumar was on the front page of the Anchorage Daily News as part of a story about the return of beluga whales to Turnagain Arm. 

Publications

Quintella, B.R., Clemens, B.J., Sutton, T., Lanca, M.J., Madenjian, C.P., Happel, A., and Harvey, C. 2021. At-sea feeding ecology of parasitic lampreys. Sea Lamprey International Symposium III, Journal of Great Lakes Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2021.07.008

Zinkann, A.C., Wooller, M.J., O'Brien, D., and Iken, K. 2021. Does feeding type matter? Contribution of organic matter sources to benthic invertebrates on the Arctic Chukchi Sea shelf. Food Webs. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2021.e00205

Message from the Dean

CFOS benefits significantly from its state, federal, tribal, NGO, research and industry partners. In this regard, I recently visited the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, which is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and co-managed with CFOS. K-Bay Lab Director Kris Holderied, staff and CFOS students led me on a tour of the research labs, classrooms, scientific diving capabilities and related infrastructure at this unique and picturesque shoreside facility located near Seldovia. K-Bay supports numerous research projects, including the current EPSCoR Fire and Ice project. This facility is a model for collaboration between the university and NOAA. It is a pleasure to thank Kris and her team and the wonderful staff and students for all their good work.

Congratulations to our summer 2021 graduates:

Talia Davia. BS Fisheries
Jesse Gordon. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
Julia McMahon. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Peter Westley
Amy Darcie Neff. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Brenda Norcross
Patrick Barry. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Tony Gharrett
Kelly Cates. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Shannon Atkinson
Jason Leppi. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Mark Wipfli and Daniel Rinella

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Nome topping off the fuel tanks for Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) cruise into the northern Chukchi Sea. Funded by NSF, the Chukchi Edges II cruise is a 45-day voyage to test hypotheses about formation, composition and structure of the northern edge of the Chukchi Sea continental shelf—aka, the Chukchi Borderland.  This is the longest research voyage ever conducted by Sikuliaq

Activities and Accomplishments

Will Burt was recognized for excellence in reviewing by the American Geophysical Union.

CFOS in the News

The Prince William Sound Science Center featured Kristen Gorman’s Copper River sockeye salmon migration study in their July newsletter.

Congratulations to Mat Wooller, whose research appeared on the cover of Science magazine and in The New York Times, The Daily Mail, CNN, Wired and many other media outlets.

Bernard Coakley’s current Sikuliaq cruise was featured by UAF News and Alaska Native News.

Reliable UK mentioned Peter Westley in a feature story about the impacts of salmon declines on Indigenous subsistence fishermen in Alaska.

Publications

Gonzalez, S., Horne, J.K., and Danielson, S.L. 2021. Multi-scale temporal variability in biological-physical associations in the NE Chukchi Sea. Polar Biology 44(4): 837–855. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02844-1

Haenel, Q., Oke, K.B., Laurentino, T.G., Hendry, A.P., and Berner, D. 2021. Clinical genomic analysis reveals strong reproductive isolation across a steep habitat transition in stickleback fish. Nature Communications 12:4850. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25039-y

Harke, M.J., Frischkorn, K.R., Hennon, G.M.M., Haley, S.T., Barone, B., Karl, D. M., and Dyhrman, S.T. 2021. Microbial community transcriptional patterns vary in response to mesoscale forcing in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15677

Jensen, L.T., Lanning, N.T., Marsay, C.M., Buck, C., Aguilar-Islas, A.M., Rember, R., Landing, W.M., Sherrell, R.M., and Fitzsimmons, J.N. 2021. Biogeochemical cycling of colloidal trace metals in the Arctic cryosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 126(8). https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017394

Kandel, A., and Aguilar-Islas, A.M., 2021. Spatial and temporal variability of dissolved aluminum and manganese in surface waters of the northern Gulf of Alaska. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 189–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2021.104952

Khalsa, N.S., Gatt, K.P., Sutton, T.M., and Kelley, A.L. 2021. Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes. Ecology and Evolution 11(16): 11491–11506. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7940

Krause, J.W., Lomas, M.W., and Danielson, S.L. 2021. Diatom growth, biogenic silica production, and grazing losses to microzooplankton during spring in the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 104950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2021.104950

Miller, C.A., and Kelley, A.L. 2021. Alkalinity cycling and carbonate chemistry decoupling in seagrass mystify processes of acidification mitigation. Scientific Reports 11:13500. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92771-2

Miller, C.A., and Kelley, A.L. 2021. Seasonality and biological forcing modify the diel frequency of nearshore pH extremes in a subarctic Alaskan estuary. Limnology and Oceanography 66(4): 1475–1491. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11698

Miller, C. A., Bonsell, C., McTigue, N.D., and Kelley, A.L. 2021. The seasonal phases of an Arctic lagoon reveal the discontinuities of pH variability and CO₂ flux at the air–sea interface. Biogeosciences 18:1203–1221. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1203-2021

Vestfals C.D., Mueter F.J., Hedstrom K.S., Laurel B.J., Petrik C.M., Duffy-Anderson J.T., and Danielson S.L. 2021. Modeling the dispersal of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) early life stages in the Pacific Arctic using a biophysical transport model. Progress in Oceanography 196:102571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102571

Wooller, M.J., C. Bataille, P. Druckenmiller, G. M. Erickson, P. Groves, N. Haubenstock, T. Howe, J. Irrgeher, D. Mann, K. Moon, B. A. Potter, T. Prohaska, J. Rasic, J. Reuther, B. Shapiro, K. J. Spaleta, and A. D. Willis. 2021. Lifetime mobility of an Arctic woolly mammoth. Science 373(6556): 806–808 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg1134

Grants and Awards for July 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14046 "Stock Assessment of a Valuable Groundfish Species: Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) in Prince William Sound" - Katja Berghaus (Trent Sutton) - UA Foundation NGOA - $8,298.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14155 "Gulf of Alaska Deep-Sea Zooplankton - Morphological and genetic analyses of zooplankton communities for nearshore to deep waters of the Gulf of Alaska" - Jennifer Questel - NPRB - $176,700.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14172 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line 2019-2024" - Russ Hopcroft - NPRB - $120,778.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14179 "MSE for Subsistence Fisheries of the Kuskokwim River Watershed" - Curry Cunningham - Bering Sea Fishermen's Association - $110,710.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14206 "Collaborative Research: Global eddy-driven transport estimated from in situ Lagrangian observations" - Harper Simmons - NSF - $48,256.00 (July 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14207 "Collaborative Research: Taking the Pulse of the Arctic Ocean - A US Contribution to the International Synoptic Arctic Survey" - Seth Danielson - NSF - $246,814.00 (July 15, 2021)
• Grant G-14210 "Second Generation consequences of hatchery enhancement of sockeye salmon in Auke Creek, Alaska" - Megan McPhee - Bering Sea Fishermen's Association - $10,735.00 (July 1, 2021)

Grant set up on assumption:

• Grant G-14241 "Bio-physical drivers of bowhead whale distribution on the Alaskan Beaufort Shelf During a Period of Rapid Environmental Change" - Stephen Okkonen - BOEM - $2,747,838.00 (once awarded) (July 1, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-8633 "Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center Fellowships" - Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $250,000.00 (April 1, 2013)
• Grant G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcroft - NSF - Mod 4 - $1,127,000.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11557 "CAREER: Imaging the global distribution and drivers of the ocean's biological carbon pump" - Andrew McDonnell - NSF - Mod 7 - $79,100.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 9 - $2,157,779.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12804 "CMI Program Administration--Kumar Student Award" - Sonia Kumar (Lara Horstmann) - $25,000.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-12804 "CMI Program Admin--Stadler Student Award" - Lindsey Stadler (Katrin Iken) - $12,175.00 (July 1, 2021)
• Grant G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" - Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 3 - $180,000.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" - Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 4 - $75,000.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12935 "Collaborative Research: Characterization of Subduction Channel Processes - Borehole Sampling at Active Serpentinite Mud Volcanoes on the Mariana Forearc" - Geoff Wheat - NSF - Mod 2 - $94,007.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13397 "Subtidal Habitat Mapping in the Cook Inlet Lease Area for Current and Predictive Sea Otter Associations with Habitat" - Elizabeth Hasan - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - Mod 2 - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

As recently communicated by UA Interim President Pitney, and consistent with recent changes in CDC guidance in response to an increase in the Delta variant of the virus, today marks a return to wearing face masks on campus for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Please ensure that you comply with this updated university policy to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, and thank you for your cooperation as we look forward to the start of the fall semester this month.

A priority for CFOS is to support the growth of our graduate programs and to foster graduate student research. In this regard, a new strategic investment for the college is the CFOS Dean’s Graduate Student Research Assistantship, with the first assistantship being offered in the coming academic year. Details of this competitive research assistantship were recently conveyed by Associate Dean for Academic Programs Trent Sutton, including the application deadline of August 16, 2019. In addition, each of our department chairs was allocated funds to help support graduate student tuition and related scholarly activities for the upcoming academic year. Despite the continued state budget challenges, going forward my goal is to continue to prioritize the success of our students.

It is a great pleasure to convey that Schery Umanzor has accepted an appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Marine Biology. Based at our Lena Point facility, Schery's research and teaching focus on kelp mariculture represents a key opportunity for the university and Alaska in the burgeoning Blue Economy. Please join me in congratulating Schery on her tenure-track faculty appointment!

Finally, after many years working at UAF and CFOS, today is Carol Kaynor's last day working as our web editor. Please join me in thanking Carol for the incredible work she has accomplished in managing the CFOS website and for her expert editorial work. She will continue to provide assistance on a limited basis to address questions and website issues. Please direct future web-related requests and updates to web@cfos.uaf.edu.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward preparing for Bernard Coakley’s (UAF/GI) Chukchi Edges II cruise in the northern Chukchi Sea. The purpose of the cruise is to test hypotheses about formation, composition and structure of the northern edge of the Chukchi Sea continental shelf.

Activities and Accomplishments

R/V Nanuq supported Amy Bishop and her team for drone surveys of bird colonies in the Chiswell Islands and Cape Resurrection. Natalie Monacci will use Nanuq to maintain the GAKOA buoy in Sunny Cove.

CFOS in the News

Shannon Atkinson and Heidi Pearson were featured in a NOAA Fisheries story about humpback whale research in Juneau.

Publications

Larsen Tempel, J.T., S. Wise, T.Q. Osborne, K. Sparks, and S. Atkinson. 2021. Life without ice: Perceptions of environmental impacts on marine resources and subsistence users of St. Lawrence Island. Ocean and Coastal Management 212:105819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105819

Pickett, B.M., J.R. Glass, P.G. Ridge, and J.S.K. Kauwe. 2021. De novo genome assembly of the marine teleost, bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus). G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkab229

Walther, E.J., M. Zimmerman, and P.AH. Westley. 2021. Landscape attributes explain salmonid ecological neighborhoods across a complex river network. Freshwater Biology 00:1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13801

Wright T., R. Davis , H. Pearson, M. Murray, and M. Sheffield-Moore. 2021. Skeletal muscle thermogenesis enables aquatic life in the smallest marine mammal. Science 373:223–225. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abf4557

Message from the Dean

With the start of fall semester now just weeks away, we will soon welcome back many new and current students to our college. We can be proud that, despite the challenges, enrollment has continued to tick up over the past few years, reaching an all-time high last year, and we anticipate another solid enrollment for the coming academic year. We also welcome our new tenure-track faculty hire, Jessica Glass, who will start her first academic year in the Department of Fisheries.

Plans are underway to host the fall meeting of the CFOS Advisory Council, which will be held in person on the Fairbanks campus on Tuesday, September 28. This will be a full-day meeting, and will include meetings with our students, staff and faculty. Please stay tuned for details.

The Dean’s Office and Dean’s Advisory Committee are starting to plan the third all-hands faculty retreat. At this time, we plan to host the retreat for a full day at the Captain Cook Hotel on Sunday, January 23, preceding the start of the 2022 Alaska Marine Science Symposium. The retreat agenda will be developed with input from faculty and staff.

Thank you all for your continued dedication to our mission to deliver excellence in fisheries and ocean sciences research, education and outreach for the benefit of Alaska and the nation.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Kris Newhall’s (WHOI) OOI Papa cruise, which will recover, service and redeploy moorings and gliders at Ocean Station Papa in the North Pacific Ocean.

Activities and Accomplishments

Mark Johnson gave the talk “Opening of the Arctic for Shipping and Resource Extraction and the Role that Alaska Will Play” as part of UAF’s Discover Alaska series.

Gwenn Hennon gave the talk "Diatoms on thin ice: sensitivity and resiliency to anthropogenic change in the Alaskan Arctic" at the Molecular Life of Diatoms 6 conference held July 12–14, 2021.

CFOS in the News

Will Burt, Curry Cunningham and the Tamamta program were mentioned in a UAF News announcement about NASA funding for oceanographic research in the Gulf of Alaska.

The summer edition of UAF’s Aurora magazine highlights CFOS research about warm water in the Arctic, Chinook salmon size, and sea urchins in the Aleutian Islands. The issue also features Mat Wooller’s research at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility.

KDLG radio in Dillingham ran a story about Milo Adkison’s summer field course in fisheries management.

Amanda Kelley and graduate students Shelby Bacus and Marina Washburn were featured in a video produced by AOOS about the impacts of ocean acidification on juvenile pink salmon.

Publications

Chenoweth, E.M., K.M. Boswell, A.S. Friedlaender, M.V. McPhee, J.A. Burrows, R.A. Heintz, and J.M. Straley. 2021. Confronting assumptions about prey selection by lunge‐feeding whales using a process‐based model. Functional Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13852

Jalbert, C.S. J.A. Falke, J.A. López, K.J. Dunker, A.J. Sepulveda, and P.A.H. Westley. 2021. Vulnerability of Pacific salmon to invasion of northern pike (Esox lucius) in Southcentral Alaska. PLoS ONE 16(7): e0254097.>https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254097

Melica, V., S. Atkinson, D. Gendron, J. Calambokidis, and F. Mueter. 2021. Blubber endocrine profiles provide insights into reproductive biology in blue whales from the eastern North Pacific Ocean. General and Comparative Endocrinology 310:113830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113830

Phelps, S.R., G.M.M. Hennon, S.T. Dyhrman, M.D.H. Limón, O.M. Williamson, and P.J. Polissar. 2021. Carbon isotope fractionation in Noelaerhabdaceae algae in culture and a critical evaluation of the alkenone paleobarometer. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 22(7): e2021GC009657. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC009657

Siegel, D., et al. [authors include A.M.P. McDonnell]. 2021. An operational overview of the EXport Processes in the Ocean from RemoTe Sensing (EXPORTS) Northeast Pacific field deployment. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene 9(1): 00107. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2020.00107

van Putten, I., R. Kelly, R.D. Cavanagh, E.J. Murphy, A. Breckwoldt, S. Brodie, C. Cvitanovic, M. Dickey-Collas, L. Maddison, J. Melbourne-Thomas, H. Arrizabalaga, K. Azetsu-Scott, L.E. Beckley, R. Bellerby, A.J. Constable, G. Cowie, K. Evans, M. Glaser, J. Hall, A.J. Hobday, N.M. Johnston, J.K. Llopiz, F. Mueter, F.E. Muller-Karger, K.C. Weng, D. Wolf-Gladrow, and J.C. Xavier. 2021. A decade of incorporating social sciences in the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research Project (IMBeR): Much done, much to do? Frontiers in Marine Science 8:662350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.662350

Message from the Dean

As we have now closed out the first half of the year, it is worth reflecting on some of our key milestones and accomplishments to date. Since January, we held the first CFOS Advisory Council meeting, established a new CFOS Diversity Committee, continued to expand our course delivery through asynchronous modality, are developing a new Master of Marine Policy degree jointly with our colleagues at UAS, appointed the first Frank and Marjorie Meek Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and welcomed new faculty, staff and students to the college.

There is much to be proud of at CFOS, and the recognition of our high-quality academic and research programs and operation of national facilities is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our faculty, staff and students. Thank you for all your good work.

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing Fourth of July holiday weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project.

Activities and Accomplishments

Andy Seitz gave the talk “Can clean energy and fish co-exist?” as part of UAF’s Discover Alaska series.

R/V Nanuq was used to test how unmanned aerial systems might help monitor populations of seabirds in the Gulf of Alaska.

CFOS in the News

KNOM radio featured a story on Robert Mason’s (UCONN) recent Sikuliaq cruise, which explored how climate change may increase levels of mercury in the Arctic Ocean and affect marine mammals and fish.

Publications

Ulaski, B.P., and B. Konar. 2021. Direct release of embryonic sporophytes from adult Nereocystis luetkeana (Laminariales, Ochrophyta) in a high latitude estuary. Algae 36(2): 147–154. https://doi.org/10.4490/algae.2021.36.5.10

Umanzor, S., J.M. Sandoval-Gil, M. Sanchez-Barredo, L.B. Ladah, M.-M. Ramirez-García, and J.A. Zertuche-González. 2021. Short-term stress responses and recovery of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera, Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) juvenile sporophytes to a simulated marine heatwave and nitrate scarcity. Journal of Phycology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13189

Grants and Awards for June 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14101 "Tactical Naval Sensing: Regional 3D Oceanic Conditions" - Harper Simmons - University of California, San Diego - $80,000.00 (June 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14117 "Relaxed Selection in Salmon Hatcheries - Year 2" - Milo Adkison - Pacific Salmon Commission - $112,000.00 (May 15, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11744 "Synthesizing Optically-and Carbon Export-Relevant Particle Size Distributions for the EXPORTS Field Campaign" - Andrew McDonnell - University of California Santa Barbara - Mod 4 - $105,116.00 (September 15, 2017)

Grants controlled by another department:

• Grant G-14145 "PR643395: Tanana River Test Site Use and Support" - Andrew Seitz - AK Center for Energy and Power - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory PNNL - $5,430.00 (June 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

Last Friday was Juneteenth, a date commemorating the end of slavery in our nation—and now an official federal holiday. I again encourage everyone to stand together against all forms of racism.

Please join me in welcoming CFOS fisheries student Katja Berghaus as the Dean’s Office front desk assistant, replacing Mikayla Grunin.

Finally, summer solstice has now passed, which is all the more reason to spend time outside and enjoy the Alaska summer.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward for repairs on the port thruster and to get ready for Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research project. The NGA LTER voyage is scheduled to depart Seward on Sunday, June 27.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ph.D. student Katja Berghaus was awarded the highly competitive Kathryn E. and John P. Doyle Scholarship, which supports female students studying science at the University of Alaska.

Professor Andy Seitz has been appointed the first Frank and Marjorie Meek Endowed Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Congratulations, Andy!

CFOS in the News

KTUU and the Nome Nugget featured Harper Simmons’ research on ocean warming in the Arctic.

Natalie Monacci was recognized in the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network’s Pier Review newsletter for her work mentoring the Nigerian Maritime University Ocean Acidification Team through the Pier2Peer Network.

Publications

Abernethy, E.F., J.D. Muehlbauer, T.A. Kennedy, J.D. Tonkin, R. Van Driesche and D.A. Lytle. 2021. Hydropeaking intensity and dam proximity limit aquatic invertebrate diversity in the Colorado River Basin. Ecosphere 12(6): e03559. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3559

Jiang, L.-Q., R.A. Feely, R. Wanninkhof, D. Greeley, L. Barbero, S. Alin, B.R. Carter, D. Pierrot, C. Featherstone, J. Hooper, C. Melrose, N. Monacci, et al. 2021. Coastal Ocean Data Analysis Product in North America (CODAP-NA)—an internally consistent data product for discrete inorganic carbon, oxygen, and nutrients on the North American ocean margins. Earth System Science Data 13(6): 2777–2799. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2777-2021

Message from the Dean

At the request of UA Interim President Pitney and UAS Chancellor Carey, CFOS and the University of Alaska Southeast have been working together to develop a proposal for a new Master of Marine Policy (MMP) degree program. Keith Criddle, the UAF Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy, has been leading the CFOS effort in conjunction with faculty at UAS. In the coming days, we will solicit input on the draft program from CFOS and UAS faculty, as well as provide an update to the president and Chancellor Carey. While there is still a ways to go in defining the final program and garnering final approval from UA senior leadership and the Board of Regents, our goal is to have this new degree program offered jointly by UAF/CFOS and UAS and open to enrollment by the 2022 fall semester. This is another example of CFOS and UAS faculty and staff working toward a common goal in support of fisheries and marine science research and education for the benefit of Alaska.

Wishing everyone a happy National Ocean Month and World Oceans Day tomorrow.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Dr. Robert Mason’s (UCONN) mercury cycling study, which consists of a transect from open water through the marginal ice zone and into ice-covered regions in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. The voyage is scheduled to end in Seward on June 14.

Activities and Accomplishments

Russ Hopcroft was awarded Alaska Sikuliaq Program funding for Sikuliaq ship-time in support of Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-term Ecological Research program cruises in 2022.

Last Thursday, Dean Moran gave a “Did You Know” presentation to the UA Board of Regents that highlighted CFOS academic and research programs and major facilities, which was part of a larger presentation on Alaska’s Blue Economy. The presentation included a recorded interview with NOAA director and CFOS alum Dr. Robert Foy.

UAF’s underwater glider Shackleton was the first glider to transit from Prince William Sound to Resurrection Bay. After the 20-day journey, the glider was successfully recovered by CFOS’s vessel R/V Nanuq last week.

Graduate student Lauren Sutton was awarded the highly competitive Kathryn E. and John P. Doyle Scholarship. Each year two undergraduate and two graduate students receive the award, which supports female students studying science at the University of Alaska.

CFOS in the News

Lara Horstmann was mentioned in a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner feature story about a bowhead whale skeleton suspended at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

The Mountain Research Initiative featured Gwenn Hennon in a photo essay about the receding Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska.

Katrin Iken was featured in a story published by the Austrian Polar Research Institute regarding her recent paper about the ecology of the Chukchi Borderland marine region.

In their newsletter Ocean News Weekly, the Consortium of Ocean Leadership highlighted Franz Mueter and CFOS alum Casey Clark’s work to enable scientists to better gauge how centuries of fossil fuel emissions could be skewing data collected from the marine environment.

UAF News ran a story on Brenda Konar’s appointment as the new principal investigator and project director of NSF’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) “Fire and Ice” research project.

Harper Simmons talked about ocean warming in the Arctic on KYUK radio.

Publications

Hinkle, E., and N.B. Ford. 2021. Reproductive traits of North American Cajun dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus shufeldtii) from the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge. The Southwestern Naturalist 65(1): 56–60. https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-65.1.56

Moran, S.B. 2021. Workforce development and leadership training for the new blue economy. In: L. Hotaling and R. Spinrad, eds. Preparing the Workforce for the New Blue Economy: People, Products and Policies. Elsevier, pp. 407–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821431-2.00002-0

Vershinina, A.O., P.D. Heintzman, D.G. Froese, G. Zazula, M. Cassatt-Johnstone, L. Dalén, C. Der Sarkissian, S.G. Dunn, L. Ermini, C. Gamba, P. Groves, J.D. Kapp, D.H. Mann, A. Seguin-Orlando, J. Southon, M. Stiller, M.J. Wooller, et al. 2021. Ancient horse genomes reveal the timing and extent of dispersals across the Bering Land Bridge. Molecular Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15977

Zhulay, I., B.A. Bluhm, P.E. Renaud, R. Degen, and K. Iken. 2021. Functional pattern of benthic epifauna in the Chukchi Borderland, Arctic deep sea. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:609956. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.609956

Grants and Awards for May 2021

New awards for CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-14081 "Large Payload Delivery AUV Study" - C. Geoff Wheat - ONR - $199,055.00 (May 11, 2021)
• Grant G-14099 "Life History, variability and mixed-stock analysis of Dolly Varden in the Noatak River FY21" - Andrew Seitz - ADFG - $7,634.00 (April 1, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-2218 "Administration of PCCRC" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation PCCRC - $42,000.00 (January 1, 2005)
• Grant G-3163 "Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation - $220,000.00 (April 1, 2006)
• Grant G-12114 "Inertial and Turbulent Processes in the Iceland Basin: A Proposal to the Near Inertial Shear and Kinetic Energy in the North Atlantic Experiment (NISKINE) Departmental Research Initiative" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 4 - $207,035.00 (April 15, 2018)
• Grant G-13303 "Collaborative Research: A High Resolution Multi-Tracer Biogeochemical Study of the Pacific Arctic" - Dean Stockwell - NSF - Mod 1 - $44,325.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13353 "Spatiotemporal dynamics of chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea" - Megan McPhee - UA Foundation PCCRC - $47,551.00 (May 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13354 "Nutritional consequences of changes in phytoplankton community structure" - Sarah Mincks - UA Foundation PCCRC - $35,775.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13545 "Evaluation of Spatio-temporal Methods for Standardizing Data from Multiple Fishery-Independent Surveys in the GOA and BSAI" - Curry Cunningham - UA Foundation PCCRC - $78,066.00 (August 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

On June 3, CFOS will be featured as part of the Did You Know series of presentations to the UA Board of Regents. As part of this Regents’ meeting, it will be my pleasure to interview one of our outstanding alumni, Bob Foy, Science and Research Director of the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center. This will be followed by presentations focused on the Blue Economy by CFOS, UAS and Alaska Sea Grant, showcasing the depth and diversity of our collective academic, research and outreach programs that bring significant benefits to Alaska and the nation.

Effective June 30, Brenda Konar will step down as associate dean for research and director of the Institute of Marine Science (IMS) and the Coastal Marine Institute (CMI), and will begin work as the project director and lead PI for EPSCoR Fire and Ice. Brenda has served as associate dean for nearly 7 years, providing support for our research enterprise and major facilities. In addition to her own robust research and teaching programs as professor in the department of marine biology, Brenda has played a key role in fostering collaborative research initiatives, securing funding for a new research faculty position in mariculture, recruiting other new research faculty, and working with the National Science Foundation and the university to develop the Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures (CECSOP) for Sikuliaq research operations. Brenda will remain a faculty member in CFOS, and we look forward to her continued success. Please join me in thanking Brenda for her outstanding university service.

I am pleased to announce that Jennifer Reynolds has agreed to serve a one-year term as interim associate dean for research and director of IMS and CMI. Jennifer brings significant experience in research administration as a former director of NURP and IMS. Please join me in congratulating Jennifer on her new appointment.

Finally, it is a pleasure to announce that Laura Frisone is the new CFOS HR coordinator. As a former university employee in the Office of Information and Technology, she brings experience in university and HR operations. Today is her first day on the job. Please join me in welcoming Laura to the CFOS team.

R/V Sikuliaq

Tyler Hennon’s (UAF/CFOS) Bering and Aleutian Internal Tide Mixing (BAIT MIX) cruise, which was supported by the Alaska Sikuliaq Program, has been completed. Sikuliaq is currently underway in support of Dr. Robert Mason’s (UCONN) project, which is investigating how changes in sea-ice conditions are impacting the role of mercury and methylmercury in the Arctic Ocean food web.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS researchers presented flash talks at UAF’s Arctic Research Open House, which was hosted by the International Arctic Research Center. A Facebook Live video recording of the event is available, and UAF’s YouTube channel has a playlist of talks by participating researchers, including Shelby Bacus, Katrin Iken, Mark Johnson, Erika King, Brenda Konar, Natalie Monacci and Lindsey Stadler.

Graduate student Brain Ulaski recently presented an overview of projects conducted at the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory to Lathrop High School.

Gwenn Hennon participated in Joy Elementary School's Earth Week with a presentation and student activity, “The hidden world within sea ice,” which was developed with support from the Coastal Marine Institute.

CFOS in the News

EurekaAlerts and UAF News mentioned Franz Mueter and CFOS alumni Casey Clark in a press release about a new tool that will allow scientists to better gauge how centuries of fossil fuel emissions could be skewing the data they collect from marine environments.

A recent study by Alexei Pinchuk that includes visualizations of how warming waters impact Alaska’s marine ecosystem was featured in Golden Software, Inc.

Mat Wooller’s research was mentioned in a NOAA feature story about information that seal whiskers provide to scientists.

Trent Sutton, CFOS graduate students Kyle Gatt and Carolyn Hamman, and alumni Justin Priest and Duncan Green were featured in the American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter’s newsletter, Oncorhynchus, regarding the Beaufort Sea Long-Term Nearshore Fish Monitoring Program.

Peter Westley was quoted in a story by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner about food retailers that are changing guidelines because of shrinking salmon sizes.

Harper Simmons appeared in a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner story about the importance of warm Pacific water in melting sea ice in the Arctic.

Publications

Bucklin, A., K.T.C.A. Peijnenburg, K.N. Kosobokova, T.D. O'Brien, L. Blanco-Bercial, A. Cornils, T. Falkenhaug, R.R. Hopcroft, A. Hosia, S. Laakmann, C. Li, L. Martell, J.M. Questel, D. Wall-Palmer, M. Wang, P.H. Wiebe, and A. Weydmann-Zwolicka. 2021. Toward a global reference database of COI barcodes for marine zooplankton. Marine Biology 168:78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-03887-y

Clark, C.T., M.R. Cape, M.D. Shapley, F.J. Mueter, B.P. Finney, and N. Misarti. 2021. SuessR: Regional corrections for the effects of anthropogenic CO₂ on δ¹³C data from marine organisms. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13622

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to recognize the CFOS staff members who were honored last week at the annual UAF Staff Recognition event. These individuals and all of our hardworking staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the university: Caitlin Smoot, Jonathan Pierce, Paul St. Onge and Sarah Spanos (5 years of service); John Pender (10 years of service).

Spring is here with warmer temps and trees budding—I hope everyone is able to safely enjoy some of our spectacular outdoors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Tyler Hennon’s (UAF/CFOS) Bering and Aleutian Internal Tide Mixing (BAIT MIX) project, a pilot study on the bottom-up and top-down controls on fish populations in order to ensure the health and sustainability of fisheries.

Activities and Accomplishments

The underwater glider Shackleton, part of the UAF glider fleet, was deployed in Cordova and is currently performing the first crossing of the Gulf of Alaska. Hank Statscewich will retrieve it using R/V Nanuq.

Graduate student Courtney Hart was selected as a Goering Family Fellowship recipient with a $1,000 scholarship for the 2021–2022 academic year.

Samuel May has received Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystem Studies funding to join CFOS and the lab of Peter Westley as a postdoctoral researcher to work on modeling the reproductive success of hatchery and wild salmon.

CFOS in the News

KOTZ radio and the Nome Nugget featured Harper Simmons in a story about warm water melting sea ice in the Arctic. Simmons, Seth Danielson and Thilo Klenz were mentioned in UAF News and Arctic Sounder stories about the research.

Bloomberg Green quoted Peter Westley in an article about how shrinking salmon body sizes have impacted the food industry.

Shannon Atkinson was mentioned in an Eos article about the lingering effects of the Pacific marine heatwave from 2014 to 2016 in the Gulf of Alaska.

The Bulletin of Marine Science featured a paper by Jessica Glass about predatory trevally in the Indo-Pacific.

Publications

Alabia, I.D., J. García Molinos, T. Hirata, F.J. Mueter, T. Hirawake, and S.-I. Saitoh. 2021. Marine biodiversity refugia in a climate-sensitive subarctic shelf. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15632

Courtney, M.B., M. Evans, K.R. Shedd, and A.C. Seitz. 2021. Understanding the behavior and ecology of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) on an important feeding ground in the Gulf of Alaska. Environmental Biology of Fishes 104:357–373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01083-x

Glass, J.R., S.R. Santos, J.S.K. Kauwe, and B.D. Pickett. 2021. Phylogeography of two marine predators, giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) and bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus), across the Indo-Pacific. Bulletin of Marine Science 97(2): 257–280. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2019.0114

Johnson, M.A., A.V. Marchenko, D.O. Dammann, and A.R. Mahoney. 2021. Observing wind-forced flexural-gravity waves in the Beaufort Sea and their relationship to sea ice mechanics. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 9(5): 471. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9050471

Smith, A.N., G.M.M. Hennon, E.R. Zinser, B.C. Calfee, J.W. Chandler, and A.D. Barton. 2021. Comparing Prochlorococcus temperature niches in the lab and across ocean basins. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11777

Vestfals, C.D., F.J. Mueter, K.S. Hedstrom, B.J. Laurel, C.M. Petrik, J.T. Duffy-Anderson, and S.L. Danielson. 2021. Modeling the dispersal of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) early life stages in the Pacific Arctic using a biophysical transport model. Progress in Oceanography 102571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102571

Grants and Awards for April 2021

New awards:

• Grant G-13997 "US Science Support Program Office associated with the International Ocean Discovery Program (USSSP-IDOP)" - Geoff Wheat - Columbia University - $79,816.00 (April 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14007 "2021 NGOA Award for Lee" - Peter Westley (Madeline Lee) - UA Foundation - $11,000.00 (March 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14016 "Evaluating Factors Adult Mortality CRSS" - Kristen Gorman - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $64,999.00 (March 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14031 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study 2022" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC - $41,560.00 (January 1, 2021)
• Grant G-14040 "Shifting the Baseline for Salmon Escapement Goals: Causes and Solutions" - Milo Adkison - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $74,648.00 (March 1, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11400 "Long Term Monitoring: Ecological Communities in Kachemak Bay, Phase 2" - Katrin Iken - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 4 - $52.930.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11408 "Environmental Drivers: Seward Line" - Russ Hopcroft - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 4 - $134,400.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11485 "Long-Term Monitoring of the Alaska Coastal Current" - Seth Danielson - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 4 - $116,900.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11625 "Modeling of Near Surface Stratification Processes in the Bay of Bengal: A proposal to the MISO-DRI" - Harper Simmons - Office of Naval Research - $114,055.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12804 "Coastal Marine Institute Program Administration 2019-2024" - Brenda Konar - BOEM - Mod 2 - $89,702.00 (May 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 8 - $863,401.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-13193 "CY2019 Navy-funded cruises on R/V Sikuliaq" - Douglas Baird Jr. - Office of Naval Research - Mod 2 - $2,294,800.00 (August 5, 2019)
• Grant G-13323 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation" - Ethan Roth - Mod 1 - $340,000.00 (April 1, 2020)

Grant and grant fund controlled by another department:

• Grant G-12834 "Alaska INBRE-4 One Health" - Amanda Kelley - AK INBRE CD Award - $46,500.00 (March 1, 2021)
• Grant G-13079 "Landfast Ice Climatology within the Arctic OCS" - Seth Danielson - GI - BOEM - Mod 2 - $127,226.00 (September 24, 2019)

Message from the Dean

As we conclude the spring 2021 semester, I would like to reiterate my appreciation to our dedicated students, staff and faculty for your perseverance and collective energy in advancing the mission of CFOS. Please note that on Thursday, April 29, CFOS will host a virtual graduation celebration. Details on how to connect to the CFOS event have been shared and are available from Christina Sutton.

I am delighted to convey that Stephanie Madsen has accepted Chancellor White’s appointment to the CFOS Advisory Council. As executive director of the At-sea Processors Association and an elected director serving on the board of the UA Foundation, Stephanie has been an ardent supporter of the university and of the diverse research and education programs in CFOS, particularly in fisheries. Please join me in congratulating Stephanie on her recent appointment.

Last, please join me in congratulating associate professor Seth Danielson on being awarded tenure, and Alexei Pinchuk on his promotion to research professor.

2021 Dean’s Recognition Awards

Outstanding Advisor: Katrin Iken
Outstanding Instructor: Courtney Carothers
Outstanding Public Service: Peter Westley
Outstanding Researcher: Russ Hopcroft
Outstanding Staff: Hank Statscewich
Outstanding R/V Sikuliaq Crew Member: Christoph Gabaldo
Outstanding Graduate: Eric Walther
Outstanding Undergraduate: Brian Zhang

Spring 2021 graduates

Ashley Bolwerk. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Kyle Gatt. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Trent Sutton
Sonia Ibarra. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Nina Lundstrom. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
Eric Walther. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Peter Westley
Christopher Latty. PhD Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Tuula Hollmen
Mary (Katie) McCabe. MS Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Brenda Konar
Channing Bolt. PhD Oceanography, Major Advisor: Ana Aguilar-Islas
Dmitry Brazhnikov. PhD Oceanography, Major Advisor: Harper Simmons
Hanna Hellen. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Nana Matsui. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Robert (Eric) Rowe. BS Fisheries
Tazia Wagner. BS Fisheries

Student awards

Outstanding overall student/Dean's Choice Award: Brian Zhang
Leadership Award: Feyne Elmore
Outstanding Senior: Sadie Oswald
Outstanding Junior: Kortney Birch
Outstanding Sophomore: Kyleigh McArthur
Outstanding Freshman: Shelby Thompson

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) spring research voyage. This is the first of two NGA LTER voyages aboard Sikuliaq in 2021. The second is scheduled for late June to mid-July.

Activities and Accomplishments

Kristen Gorman gave a presentation to the Marine Biology class at Lathrop High School in Fairbanks, discussing her work on Copper River sockeye salmon migration energetics.

Olivia Edwards won best MS oral presentation at the recent Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting.

Chris Sergeant was chosen to be in the 2021 cohort of Wilburforce Leaders in Conservation Science.

CFOS in the News

Footage from R/V Sikuliaq was featured in a University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography video showing how warm water enters the Arctic and melts ice from below.

Greenwave featured Schery Umanzor’s research on nutrient extraction by farmed kelp.

Andy Seitz and Peter Westley were featured in a KYUK article about how marine predation may affect the body size of spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon.

Publications

Callahan, M.W., A.H. Beaudreau, R. Heintz, and F. Mueter. 2021. First winter energy allocation in juvenile sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria, a fast growing marine piscivore. Marine Ecology Progress Series 663:145–156. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13641

Kelly, A., J.H. Miller, M.J. Wooller, C.T. Seaton, P. Druckenmiller, and L. DeSantis. 2021. Dietary paleoecology of bison and horses on the mammoth steppe of eastern Beringia based on dental microwear and mesowear analyses. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 572:110394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110394

MacKinnon, J.A., H.L. Simmons, J. Hargrove, J. Thomson, T. Peacock, M.H. Alford, B.I. Barton, S. Boury, S.D. Brenner, N. Couto, S.L. Danielson, E.C. Fine, H.C. Graber, J. Guthrie, J.E. Hopkins, S.R. Jayne, C. Jeon, T. Klenz, C.M. Lee, Y-D Lenn, A.J. Lucas, B. Lund, C. Mahaffey, L. Norman, L. Rainville, M.M. Smith, L.N. Thomas, S. Torres-Valdés, and K.R. Wood. 2021. A warm jet in a cold ocean. Nature Communications 12:2418. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22505-5

Williams, B.C., K.R. Criddle, and G.H. Kruse. 2021. An agent-based model to optimize transboundary management for the walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) fishery in the Gulf of Alaska. Natural Resource Modeling. https://doi.org/10.1111/nrm.12305

Message from the Dean

For those residing in Fairbanks, I hope that you have shoveled out, still have a roof overhead, and have otherwise returned to normalcy after the Snowmageddon event on Easter weekend. At the least the Fairbanks ski season has been extended!

Beginning in 2015, the state of Alaska has provided $500,000 annually to support research and education programs conducted by UAF-based researchers and collaborators aboard Sikuliaq. As operator of Sikuliaq, CFOS facilitates the allocation of these state funds through the competitive Alaska Sikuliaq Program (ASP). The deadline for the CY2022 proposal submission is April 30.

Finally, it is a pleasure to welcome Mikayla Grunin as our new Front Desk Assistant in the Dean’s Office—welcome aboard, Mikayla!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently transiting from Newport, Oregon, to Seward. After the ship arrives in Seward, preparations will begin for the first of two Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research voyages for Russ Hopcroft (UAF/CFOS).

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS students presented posters at the 2021 Research and Creative Activity Days Award Ceremony to share research supported by UAF’s Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity (URSA) program.

• Talia Davis: “Ocean water and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) samples create baseline for climate change and pollution indicators and strengthen data sovereignty for the Tlingit community of Kake, Alaska” (CFOS Dean’s Choice Honorable Mention)
• Feyne Elmore: “Effects of salinity and minerals on zooplankton abundance and structure in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska”
• Amanda Franz: “The influence of acclimation temperatures on the mRNA expression driving thermotolerance in broad whitefish Coregonus nasus”
• Hanna Hellen: “Differences in stable isotope signatures between Chukchi Sea and Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears”
• Thomas House: “Differences in isotopic signatures among Arctic grayling in the Yukon River Watershed”
• Molly Piscoya and Roger Maldonado: “Histological analyses of male lingcod reproductive tissues in Prince William Sound”
• Will Samuel: “Analysis of the Cripple Creek project: Assessing the effects of fish passage improvements and habitat enhancement” (CFOS Dean’s Choice Award)
• Emily Williamson: “Phytoplankton diversity and abundance along a glacial gradient in Kachemak Bay, Alaska”

At the recent Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society meeting, the following CFOS students received the highest scores for their presentations:

• Undergraduate oral presentation: Will Samuel, “Analysis of the Cripple Creek project: Assessing the effects of fish passage improvements and habitat enhancement”
• MS poster presentation: Carolyn Hamman, “Detection of Arctic cod Boreogadus saida using eDNA in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska”
• PhD poster presentation: Chris Sergeant, “How will Pacific salmon in Alaska respond to changes in streamflow and water temperature?”

CFOS in the News

Andy Seitz and Peter Westley spoke on a KYUK radio show about their research on late-stage marine mortality of Yukon River Chinook salmon.

CFOS, the Seward Marine Center, Gillian Braver and Amanda Kelley were mentioned in an article in the Seward Journal about the success of the 2021 Tsunami Bowl. The event was also mentioned by UAF News and the Juneau Empire.

Feyne Elmore was mentioned in UAF News for receiving a 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

Publications

Jones, B.R., A.L. Kelley, and S.L. Mincks. 2021. Changes to benthic community structure may impact organic matter consumption on Pacific Arctic shelves. Conservation Physiology 9(1): coab007. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coab007

McIntosh Marcek, H.A., L.F.W. Lesack, B.N. Orcutt, C.G. Wheat, S.R. Dallimore, K. Geeves, and L.L. Lapham. 2021. Continuous dynamics of dissolved methane over two years and its carbon isotopes (δ13C, Δ14C) in a small Arctic lake in the Mackenzie Delta. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 126(3): e2020JG006038. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JG006038

Meyer, K.A., L.V. Chiaramonte, and J.B. Reynolds. 2021. The 100-watt method: A protocol for backpack electrofishing in small streams. Fisheries 46(3):125–130. Publication on AFS website

Weitzman, B., and B. Konar. 2021. Biological correlates of sea urchin recruitment in kelp forest and urchin barren habitats. Marine Ecology Progress Series 663:115–125. Publication on Research Gate

Grants and Awards for March 2021

New awards:

• Grant G-13919 "The Student Observing Sikuliaq Information (SOSSI) Program" - Will Burt - NPRB - $19,997.00 (March 1, 2021)
• Grant G-13964 "Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System" - Seth Danielson - Princeton University - $100,000.00 (October 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13970 "2021 BWT Bottom Sampling Support, Analyses, and Report" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $69,854.00 (January 1, 2021)
• Grant G-13993 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation - 2021" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $89,615.00 (March 15, 2021)
• Grant G-13994 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Shipboard Scientific Equipment (SSSE) 2021" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $24,972.00 (March 15, 2021)

Grants that received incremental funding during March:

• Grant G-12333 "ASGARD: Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration and Deposition Rate Experiments" - Seth Danielson - NRPB - Mod 2 - $50,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12726 "Investigating microbial biodegradation of crude oil in Arctic marine sediments via shotgun metagenomics and compound-specific hydrocarbon analyses" - Alexis Walker - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - Mod 2 - $23,900.00 (April 1, 2019)

Grant funds controlled by another department:

• Grant G-13295 "Alaska Space Grant Program FY20-24" - Denice Thorsen (GI) - NASA:
  
  • Higher Ed Mini Grant - Sonia Kumar (Lara Horstmann) - $21,937.00 (March 1, 2021)
  • Higher Ed Mini Grant - Ben Lowin (Will Burt) - $22,436.00 (March 1, 2021)

Message from the Dean

Last week the CFOS Advisory Council (AC) met for the first time to hear from Chancellor White, members of our leadership team, and our student representatives regarding CFOS academic departments and programs, research activities and major facilities. I want to thank Molly McCammon for agreeing to serve as chair. Next steps include addressing the council directive and priorities, as well as specific topics of interest to members, including industry partnerships and advocacy; research priorities; and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the college. I look forward to working with the AC as we strive to meet the needs of our students, our community and industry partners, and the state of Alaska.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Dr. Ed Dever’s (OSU) Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI) Endurance Array maintenance cruise off the coasts of Oregon and Washington. The Endurance Array is part of a regional observatory network that includes OOI, Station Papa, and Ocean Networks Canada. This observing network captures the variability of ocean properties across a range of temporal and spatial scales, allowing researchers to examine ocean health issues such as hypoxia, ocean acidification, and harmful algal blooms.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Seward Marine Center hosted the 24th annual Tsunami Bowl, themed Plunging into our Polar Seas, which was held online this year due to the pandemic. The Juneau-Douglas High School “New Squids on the Dock” team was the overall winner of the Tsunami Bowl and will proceed to the national competition. Other awards are listed on the Tsunami Bowl Facebook page.

R/V Sikuliaq Science Operations Manager Ethan Roth presented a virtual tour of the ship to Tsunami Bowl teams using video footage provided by Sikuliaq marine technician Bern McKiernan.

The journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry recognized a paper coauthored by Matthew Wooller, Dried blood spot sampling of landlocked Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) for estimating mercury exposure and stable carbon isotope fingerprinting of essential amino acids, as one of its Top 10 Exceptional Papers of 2020.

The Alaska SeaLife Center announced that Seth Danielson is the recipient of the 2021 Marine Research Award. This honor is part of the center’s Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards given annually to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the awareness and sustainability of Alaska’s marine resources. Congratulations, Seth!

Feyne Elmore, an undergraduate student in the Fisheries and Marine Sciences program, was selected as a prestigious 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholar. This federally endowed award recognizes outstanding undergraduate students pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. For 2021, there were 410 awardees selected from more than 5,000 nominations by colleges and universities across the nation. Congratulations, Feyne!

Fisheries graduate students Elizabeth Mik'aq Lindley and Madeline Lee were awarded Honorable Mentions in the 2021 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

CFOS in the News

Curry Cunningham, Andy Seitz, Peter Westley and CFOS alumna Kaitlyn Manishin were featured by UAF News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in a story about the role that late-stage ocean mortality may play in Yukon River Chinook salmon declines.

The three University of Alaska chancellors noted the UAS–UAF joint undergraduate fisheries program in a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article.

Recent CFOS alumna Lauren Wild was featured in a KCAW radio story about a necropsy conducted on a humpback whale that washed ashore near Sitka.

Trent Sutton and graduate student Carolyn Hamman were featured in the Western Division of the American Fisheries Society’s Tributary newsletter regarding their research on synthetic chemicals and mercury found in coastal Beaufort Sea fishes of subsistence importance.

Publications

Kosobokova, K.N., and R.R. Hopcroft. 2021. Population structure, vertical distribution and fecundity of Eukrohnia hamata (Chaetognatha) in the Arctic Ocean during summer. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 169:103454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103454

Raymond, W.W., B.B. Hughes, T.A. Stephens, C.R. Mattson, A.T. Bolwerk, and G.L. Eckert. 2021. Testing the generality of sea otter‐mediated trophic cascades in seagrass meadows. Oikos. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.07681

Suryan, R.M., M.L. Arimitsu, H.A. Coletti, R.R. Hopcroft, M.R. Lindeberg, S.J. Barbeaux, S.D. Batten, W.J. Burt, M.A. Bishop, J.L. Bodkin, R. Brenner, R.W. Campbell, D.A. Cushing, S.L. Danielson, M.W. Dorn, B. Drummond, D. Esler, T. Gelatt, D.H. Hanselman, S.A. Hatch, S. Haught, K. Holderied, K. Iken, D.B. Irons, A.B. Kettle, D.G. Kimmel, B. Konar, K.J. Kuletz, B.J. Laurel, J.M. Maniscalco, C. Matkin, C.A.E. McKinstry, D.H. Monson, J.R. Moran, D. Olsen, W.A. Palsson, W.S. Pegau, J.F. Piatt, L.A. Rogers, N.A. Rojek, A. Schaefer, I.B. Spies, J.M. Straley, S.L. Strom, K.L. Sweeney, M. Szymkowiak, B.P. Weitzman, E.M. Yasumiishi, and S.G. Zador. 2021. Ecosystem response persists after a prolonged marine heatwave. Scientific Reports 11:6235. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83818-5

Umanzor, S., Y. Li, D. Bailey, S. Augyte, M. Huang, M. Marty‐Rivera, J‐L. Jannink, C. Yarish, and S. Lindell. 2021. Comparative analysis of morphometric traits of farmed sugar kelp and skinny kelp, Saccharina spp., strains from the Northwest Atlantic. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/jwas.12783

Message from the Dean

I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing and safe spring break last week. Yesterday marked daylight savings time, and one can feel that spring is now just around the corner.

For more than twenty years, CFOS has played a lead role in bringing together high school students from across the state to compete in the Alaska Tsunami Bowl, which is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. Next week, the 24th annual Tsunami Bowl will take place, with the theme “Plunging into our Polar Seas,” which highlights polar research. Due to the pandemic, this year’s event will be held virtually March 26–28. The competition will include 8 teams from 7 schools: Cordova High School, Dimond High School, Eagle River High School, Gustavus High School, Ketchikan High School, Juneau-Douglas High School, and Mat-Su Career and Technical High School. A big thanks to Gillian Braver for organizing this year’s event and Amanda Kelley for leading the research paper and oral presentations.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the first science cruise of 2021: Dr. David Schmidt’s Cascadia GPS-A project to install geodetic transponders and benchmarks along the Cascadia subduction zone. Later this week, Sikuliaq will arrive in Newport, Oregon, to begin staging for Dr. Ed Dever’s (OSU) OOI Endurance Array maintenance cruise.

Activities and Accomplishments

Many CFOS faculty, research staff and students are participating in the Kachemak Bay Science Conference, which begins today and continues through March 18.

Gwenn Hennon gave a seminar at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center about climate change impacts on phytoplankton.

On Friday, March 12, Bradley Moran presented highlights of CFOS research, academic programs, and the Seward Marine Center to the Alaska House Finance Subcommittee; a heartfelt thanks to Rep. Adam Wool for the invitation to present.

CFOS in the News

In an article published in the Frontiersman, UA Interim President Pat Pitney cited CFOS as an example of how the university continues to grow despite statewide budget cuts.

The Peninsula Clarion ran a story about a recent sea star die-off event in the Northern Gulf of Alaska that was based on a journal article by Brenda Konar and others in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.

Seth Danielson appeared in the Prince William Sound Science Center’s newsletter in an article about how gliders are used to study herring.

The Seward Marine Center, research vessels operated by CFOS, and CFOS staff and faculty were highlighted in a story about the history of SMC that was published by UAF’s Cornerstone.

Publications

Arimitsu, M., J. Piatt, S. Hatch, R.M. Suryan, S. Batten, M.A. Bishop, R.W. Campbell, H. Coletti, D. Cushing, K. Gorman, R.R. Hopcroft, K.J. Kuletz, C. Marsteller, C. McKinstry, D. McGowan, J. Moran, W.S. Pegau, A. Schaefer, S. Schoen, J. Straley, and V.R. von Biela. 2021. Heatwave-induced synchrony within forage fish portfolio disrupts energy flow to top pelagic predators. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15556

Barnes, C.L., A.H. Beaudreau, and R.N. Yamada. 2021. The role of size in trophic niche separation between two groundfish predators in Alaskan waters. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 13(1): 98–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10141

Brown, K.L., S. Atkinson, C.G. Furin, F.J. Mueter, and R. Gerlach. 2021. Metals in the stomach contents and brain, gonad, kidney, and liver tissues of subsistence-harvested northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Icy Strait, Alaska. Marine Pollution Bulletin 166:112183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112183

Johnson, J.J., P.A. Shaw, E.J. Oh, M.J. Wooller, S. Merriman, H.Y. Yun, T. Larsen, J. Krakoff, S.B. Votruba, and D.M. O'Brien. 2021. The carbon isotope ratios of nonessential amino acids identify sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumers in a 12-wk inpatient feeding study of 32 men with varying SSB and meat exposures. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa374

Kaiser, B.A., M. Kourantidou, D. Ahsan, S. Bakanev, A. Burmeister, G. Eckert, L.M. Fernandez, H.P. Hong, A.A. Monsalve, D. Mullowney, B.H. Nøstvold, H. Park, E. Poulsen, L. Ravn-Jonsen, C. Siddon, J.H. Sundet, K. Tokunaga, and M. Yamamoto. 2021. Global ecological and economic connections in Arctic and sub-Arctic crab markets. Marine Policy 127:104442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104442

Knudsen, E.E., P.S. Rand, K.B. Gorman, D.R. Bernard, and W.D. Templin. 2021. Hatchery-origin stray rates and total run characteristics for pink salmon and chum salmon returning to Prince William Sound, Alaska, in 2013–2015. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 13(1): 58–85. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10134

Message from the Dean

As part of the continued implementation of our Decadal Plan, we will begin planning the third CFOS all-hands faculty retreat. As with our prior faculty retreats, we will review our goals and establish specific action items in academics, research and service for the next 1–2 years. This will include developing strategies for continued growth in student enrollment; ensuring the efficient and effective implementation of our evolving academic programs; developing interdisciplinary research programs; strengthening major facilities and operations; and serving the needs of Alaska’s communities. The retreat agenda and meeting dates will be developed by the Dean’s Advisory Committee with input from faculty and staff.

It is a pleasure to welcome Jeff Muehlbauer as Assistant Unit Leader in Fisheries in the Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Jeff earned his doctorate in ecology from the University of North Carolina. Since then, he has worked as a research ecologist and research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona. Jeff’s research interests include river ecology, hydrology and geomorphology.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle at the University of Washington dock for annual preventive maintenance and a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system. Later this week, the ship will get underway to test the new engineering control system and conduct the multibeam patch test. The first science cruise of 2021 will begin next week in support of David Schmidt’s Cascadia GPS-A project to install geodetic transponders and benchmarks along the Cascadia subduction zone.

Activities and Accomplishments

The 24th annual American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter Student Symposium was held last Friday. This year’s event, which was organized by Jesse Gordon, Lia Domke and Taylor Cubbage, included 22 student presentations from Juneau, Fairbanks, Anchorage, Bethel and Nome, and was attended by 180 people. Please contact lkdomke@alaska.edu for a recording. Here are the top-rated presentations:

• Best Long Talk: Taylor Cubbage (Fairbanks, Fisheries): Physiological performance of northern pike: implications for management in invaded systems
• Best Short Talk: Erika King (Juneau, Fisheries): Assessing the contribution of precocial males to the next generation and genetic diversity in a naturally spawning population of coho salmon

CFOS recently held a 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which originated at the University of Queensland. Will Burt organized the event, where each graduate student had three minutes and a single slide to present their thesis research to more than 50 participants. Here are the top-rated presentations:

• First Place: Lindsey Stadler (Fairbanks, Marine Biology): Food web ecology of nearshore fishes along a gradient of glacially influenced watersheds
• Second place: Emily Ortega (Fairbanks, Oceanography): Iron speciation in the northern Gulf of Alaska
• People's Choice: Erika King (Juneau, Fisheries): Assessing the impact of precocial males on population structure and genetic diversity in a naturally spawning population of coho salmon

Graduate student Josie Haag gave a flash talk on her research as part of “Venus, Volcanoes and More: UAF Graduate Research Stories,” a presentation in the Science for Alaska Lecture Series.

CFOS in the News

The Seward Marine Center, research vessels operated by CFOS, and CFOS staff and faculty were highlighted in a story about the history of SMC that was published by the Seward Journal and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Seth Danielson was featured in Arctic Today regarding how changes in the Bering Sea are influencing weather patterns.

Publications

Carothers, C., J. Black, S.J. Langdon, R. Donkersloot, D. Ringer, J. Coleman, E.R. Gavenus, W. Justin, M. Williams, F. Christiansen, J. Samuelson, C. Stevens, B. Woods, S.J. Clark, P.M. Clay, L. Mack, J. Raymond-Yakoubian, A. Akall'eq Sanders, B.L. Stevens, and A. Whiting. 2021. Indigenous peoples and salmon stewardship: a critical relationship. Ecology and Society 26(1): 16. https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol26/iss1/art16/

Dilliplaine, K., M. Oggier, R.E. Collins, H. Eicken, R. Gradinger, and B. Bluhm. 2021. Crude oil exposure reduces ice algal growth in a sea-ice mesocosm experiment. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02818-3

Manishin, K.A., C.J. Cunningham, P.A.H. Westley, and A.C. Seitz. 2021. Can late stage marine mortality explain observed shifts in age structure of Chinook salmon? PLoS ONE 16(2): e0247370. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247370

Pinchuk, A.I., S.D. Batten, and W.W. Strasburger. 2021. Doliolid (Tunicata: Thaliacea) blooms in the southeastern Gulf of Alaska as a result of the recent marine heat wave of 2014–2016. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:625486. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.625486

Taher, M.E., A.M. Ghoneium, R.R. Hopcroft, and W.S. ElTohamy. 2021. Temporal and spatial variations of surface water quality in the Nile River of Damietta Region, Egypt. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 193:128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-08919-0

Weitzman B., B. Konar, K. Iken, H. Coletti, D. Monson, R. Suryan, T. Dean, D. Hondolero, and M. Lindeberg. 2021. Changes in rocky intertidal community structure during a marine heatwave in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:556820. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.556820

Message from the Dean

I am delighted to convey that Dr. Terrie Williams has agreed to deliver the CFOS keynote lecture for the spring semester. An internationally recognized comparative ecophysiologist at the University of California Santa Cruz, Dr. Williams is director of the Center for Marine Mammal Research and Conservation at UCSC. For the past 30 years her research has investigated the physiology of large mammalian predators. I want to extend my gratitude to Dr. Williams for her willingness to serve as CFOS keynote speaker. This seminar will take place on Wednesday, April 14, at 3:30 pm. Please stay tuned for details of Dr. Williams’s virtual presentation.

The first meeting of the CFOS Advisory Council is scheduled for March 24, and will be held virtually. I am delighted to welcome such a dedicated and diverse group to help support and advocate for the health and needs of our college. Details of the meeting will be forthcoming.

Last, the recent launch of Ocean Decade U.S. was by many accounts a major success, and in that regard it is noteworthy that Geoff Wheat was a coauthor on one of only eight Ocean Shots selected from more than one hundred submissions to this event. And, in his keynote remarks, NSF Division Director Terry Quinn highlighted Sikuliaq as part of major science programs and facilities that NSF supports for the ocean sciences community. These are just a few recent examples of CFOS being recognized on the national stage—well done!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle at the University of Washington dock for annual preventive maintenance and a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

Will Burt has organized a Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition in which CFOS graduate students will have to explain their research in three minutes to a nonspecialized audience. The first round of the competition is tomorrow (2/16) at 12:00 pm AK time. Contact wburt2@alaska.edu if you are interested in watching this event or the finals the following week.

Trent Sutton spoke about lamprey on an episode of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Fish of the Week podcast.

Graduate students Ashley Bolwerk, Lia Domke and Becca Cates gave a talk at the Fireside Lecture Series about conducting fieldwork in Southeast Alaska. The event was held at the U.S. Forest Service Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.

Publications

Clark, C.T., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2021. Walrus teeth as biomonitors of trace elements in Arctic marine ecosystems. Science of the Total Environment 772:145500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145500

Hvingel, C., B. Sainte-Marie, and G.H. Kruse. 2021. Cold-water shellfish as harvestable resources and important ecosystem players. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab005

Message from the Dean

On Wednesday and Thursday this week, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) will host a virtual launch of Ocean Decade US, which is in support of the UN Decade of Ocean Science and Sustainable Development. Registration is free for the two-day meeting and will feature high-level remarks by Committee Chair Larry Mayer, Committee Vice Chair Rick Spinrad, NASEM President Marcia McNutt, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Director Margaret Leinen, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean Peter Thomson, and Monica Medina of Our Daily Planet. The meeting will feature transformative “Ocean Shots,” Early Career Professionals, a Youth Advisory Council, and an e-Posterboard Hall. House Oceans Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Don Young and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR) will provide recorded remarks to help kick off the meeting. I encourage you to join this important event.

It is a pleasure to welcome Joesi Zastrow (jlzastrow@alaska.edu) to the CFOS Dean’s Office. She replaces Claire Hughes at the front desk. Joesi graduated from UAF this past December with a BS in Biology. Welcome aboard, Joesi!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle at the University of Washington dock for annual preventive maintenance and a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) was held virtually last week and featured numerous presentations by CFOS students and faculty. Two CFOS graduate students advised by Brenda Konar won first-place awards for their poster presentations: Brian Ulaski won the Ph.D. category for his poster about the importance of seaweed wrack as a habitat and resource, and Amy Dowling won the M.S. category for her poster on environmental drivers of variability in Pacific blue mussels in glacially influenced estuaries.

CFOS faculty and graduate students presented progress on current research projects at the Coastal Marine Institute’s annual research review.

Gwenn Hennon gave a talk at the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program’s weekly meeting examining how loss of glacial ice will alter Alaska's marine ecosystems.

Graduate students Josianne Haag and Emily Ortega have partnered with the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to host a youth art contest to encourage kids to think about their local biodiversity.

As part of the Strait Science series in Nome, graduate student Stephanie O’Daly gave a lecture about changes in algal distribution and decreased removal of carbon in the Northern Bering and Chukchi seas.

CFOS in the News

Andrew McDonnell was mentioned in an Alaska Center for Energy and Power newsletter as a collaborator on a grant to develop a business model and demonstrate the feasibility of using wind-powered heat pumps to heat homes and businesses in Alaska.

The Delta Wind printed an op-ed by Seth Danielson about the importance of University of Alaska–based ocean monitoring.

CFOS’s high-frequency radar program was featured by KNOM Radio.

The Anchorage Daily News acknowledged CFOS in an article about a new Blue Pipeline Venture Studio, which is designed to help boost Alaska’s ocean economy.

The Nome Nugget ran a story about Stephanie O’Daly’s research on sea ice carbon production.

Publications

Charapata, P., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2021. Steroid hormones in Pacific walrus bones collected over three millennia indicate physiological responses to changes in estimated population size and the environment. Conservation Physiology 9(1): coaa135. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coaa135

Johnson, M.A. 2021. Subtidal surface circulation in lower Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Regional Studies in Marine Science 41:101609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2021.101609

Walker, A.M., M.B. Leigh, and S.L. Mincks. 2021. Patterns in benthic microbial community structure across environmental gradients in the Beaufort Sea shelf and slope. Frontiers in Microbiology 12:581124. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.581124

Mincks, S.L., T.J. Pereira, J. Sharma, A.L. Blanchard, and H.M. Bik. Composition of marine nematode communities across broad longitudinal and bathymetric gradients in the Northeast Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Polar Biology 44:85–103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02777-1

Grants and Awards for January 2021

New awards for January 2021:

• Grant G-13890 "Finding Tlokowe: Using eDNA to Discover and Characterize Spawning Sites of the Nooksack River Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys)" -Andrés López - Northwest Indian College - $65,902.00 (November 15, 2020)
• Grant G-13906 "Resource Access, Well-Being, and Small-Scale Fishing Livelihoods in Alaska's Rural and Indigenous Communities" - Courtney Carothers - NPRB - $165,127.00 (November 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13911 "Advancing Remote Sensing Insight into Coastal Sea Ice Ecosystems" - Stephen Okkonen - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - $32,656.00 (July 2, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding in January 2021:

• Grant G-11291 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study (UA Foundation)" - Trent Sutton - UA Foundation - $95,540.00 (January 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12161 "Pacific Cod Individual Based Model Enhancement and Validation" - Ken Coyle - NPRB - Mod 2 (COVID Funding) - $8,358.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12903 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line 2019-2020" - Russ Hopcroft - NPRB - Mod 1 (COVID Funding) - $11,194.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andy Seitz - Department of the Navy - Mod 4 - $221,839.00 (April 15, 2020)
• Grant G-13451 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line 2020-2021" - Russ Hopcroft - Mod 1 (COVID Funding) - $11,627.00 (July 1, 2020)

One new grant controlled by IARC awarded several projects to CFOS researchers:

• Grant G-13850 "Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean and Ecosystems Studies (CICOES)" - Uma Bhatt (main PI) - University of Washington - July 1, 2020:
  • Curry Cunningham (2 funds) - $74,974.00 and $10,888.00
  • Andrés López (2 funds) - $91,381.00 and $2,846.00
  • Megan McPhee (1 fund) - $45,866.00
  • Russ Hopcroft (2 funds) - $91,381.00 and $11,727.00
  • Seth Danielson (1 fund) - $120,000.00

One grant was set up on assumption in January 2021:

• Grant G-13873 "Assessing Kelp Nutrient Bioextraction Capacity in US Agriculture Farms with Implications for Conservation and Management" - Schery Umanzor Rodriguez - Department of Energy (January 22, 2021)

Message from the Dean

With the spring 2021 semester officially under way, it is a pleasure to welcome back our current and new CFOS students and acknowledge our fall 2020 graduates. As always, our faculty and staff are here to support you, and we wish you great success. The Chancellor’s List included Samantha Allen, Feyne Elmore, Rachel Heimke, Max Johnson, Kathryn Langlois, Kyleigh McArthur, Amanda Orr, Sadie Oswald, and Brian Zhang. The Dean’s List included Kortney Birch, Talia Davis, Sadie Inman, Syrena Jackson, Anthony Jaster, Annie Kilborn, Ron Sheldon, and Tazia Wagner.

Congratulations to our fall 2020 graduates:

• Tim Adickes. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Science)
• Donald Arthur. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Jeff Falke
• Emily Fergusson. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Ginny Eckert
• Anias Gentilhomme. MS Oceanography, Advisors: Eric Collins and Gwenn Hennon
• Annie Kandel. MS Oceanography, Advisor: Ana Aguilar-Islas
• Nicole Laroche. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Heidi Pearson
• Valentina Melica. PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Shannon Atkinson
• Malia Smith. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Lara Horstmann
• Robert Spanger. PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Brenda Norcross

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new graduate students:

• Mary Keenan. MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Lara Horstmann
• Briah Uher-Koch. PhD Marine Biology, Advisor: Tuula Hollmen
• Kevin Fitzgerald. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Jeff Falke
• Lilian Hart. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Curry Cunningham
• Madeline Lee. MS Fisheries, Advisor: Peter Westley

Next week, we look forward to CFOS presentations at the 2021 Alaska Marine Science Symposium, which will be a virtual meeting. If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to register and enjoy what is widely considered to be a premier symposium focused on arctic marine science.

Last, I would like to call to your attention that fellowship and scholarship applications are open for the new Tamamta program, which provides funded fellowships to Indigenous and allied MS and PhD students, and welcomes graduate students who would like to join this team as scholars. The Tamamta (a Sugpiaq and Yup’ik word meaning “all of us”) program elevates Indigenous knowledge systems to transform fisheries and marine sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seattle at the University of Washington dock for yearly maintenance and a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Ben Lowin received a grant from the Alaska Space Grant Program for his research on bio-optical measurement techniques in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Seth Danielson spoke at the Strait Science series at UAF’s Northwest campus in Nome about CFOS’s high-frequency radar program, the importance of collaborating with Bering Strait and Arctic coastal communities, and changes in sea ice.

CFOS in the News

Courtney Carothers and graduate student Janessa Equible spoke about the Tamamta program on Bethel’s KYUK radio.

The Nome Nugget published a story about Seth Danielson’s recent Strait Science talk and UAF’s high-frequency radar program.

Mat Wooller’s work with stable isotope analysis was mentioned in a KTVF television story about prehistoric mummified wolf remains.

The Seward Marine Center’s 50th anniversary in December 2020 was featured in the Seward Journal.

Publications

Keogh, M.J., P. Charapata, B.S. Fadely, T. Zeppelin, L. Rea, J.N. Waite, V. Burkanov, C. Marshall, A. Jones, C. Sprowls, and M.J. Wooller. 2021. Whiskers as a novel tissue for tracking reproductive and stress-related hormones in North Pacific otariid pinnipeds. Conservation Physiology 9(1): coaa134. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coaa134

Murphy, R., C. Cunningham, B.P. Harris, and C. Brown. 2020. Qualitative and quantitative fisher perceptions to complement natural science data for managing fisheries. Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10568

Orcutt, B.N., T. D'Angelo, C.G. Wheat, and E. Trembath‐Reichert. 2021. Microbe‐mineral biogeography from multi‐year incubations in oceanic crust at North Pond, Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15366

Questel, J.M., R.R. Hopcroft, H.M. DeHart, C.A. Smoot, K.N. Kosobokova, and A. Bucklin. Metabarcoding of zooplankton diversity within the Chukchi Borderland, Arctic Ocean: improved resolution from multi-gene markers and region-specific DNA databases. Marine Biodiversity 51:4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-020-01136-x

Rosellon-Druker, J., M. Szymkowiak, K.Y. Aydin, C.J. Cunningham, E.A. Fergusson, S. Kasperski, G.H. Kruse, J.H. Moss, M. Rhodes-Reese, K.S. Shotwell, E. Spooner, and E.M. Yasumiishi. 2021. Participatory place-based integrated ecosystem assessment in Sitka, Alaska: Constructing and operationalizing a socio-ecological conceptual model for sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria). Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104912

Message from the Dean

Happy New Year! It is a pleasure to wish everyone a warm welcome after what was hopefully a safe and relaxing winter break spent with friends and family. I wish everyone a productive and safe 2021.

As many of you are aware, Anne Beaudreau has accepted a faculty position at the University of Washington School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, which is effective this month. It is a pleasure to thank Anne for her nine years of outstanding service at CFOS and wish her the very best going forward.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored at the Fairhaven Shipyard dock in Bellingham, Washington, for yearly maintenance. In mid-January, Sikuliaq will head to Seattle for a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

Graduate student Sonia Kumar was awarded $21,937 through the Alaska Space Grant program for her research on Cook Inlet beluga whales.

CFOS in the News

CFOS was mentioned as a grant partner in a Cordova Times article about the Alaska Ocean Cluster program run by the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association.

Publications

Levine, R.M., A. De Robertis, D. Grünbaum, R. Woodgate, C.W. Mordy, F. Mueter, E. Cokelet, N. Lawrence-Slavas, and H. Tabisola. 2020. Autonomous vehicle surveys indicate that flow reversals retain juvenile fishes in a highly advective high-latitude ecosystem. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11671

Dammann, D.O., M.A. Johnson, E.R. Fedders, A.R. Mahoney, C.L. Werner, C.M. Polashenski, F.J. Meyer, and J.K. Hutchings. Ground-based radar interferometry of sea ice. Remote Sensing 13(1): 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13010043

Message from the Dean

I am pleased to convey that the following individuals have accepted Chancellor White’s appointment to the new CFOS Advisory Council (AC):

• Robert Foy, Ph.D., Science and Research Director, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (ex officio)
• Molly McCammon, Executive Director, Alaska Ocean Observing System (3-year term, renewable for one additional term)
• Vera Metcalf, Director, Eskimo Walrus Commission, Kawerak, Inc (3-year term, renewable for one additional term)
• Stephanie Quinn-Davidson, Ph.D., Director, Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Tanana Chiefs Conference (3-year term, renewable for one additional term)
• Norman Van Vactor, CEO/President, Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation (3-year term, renewable for one additional term)
• Doug Vincent-Lang, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ex officio)

With the exception of the ex officio seats, all candidates were nominated by our faculty and vetted through the CFOS Dean’s Advisory Committee. One of the first orders of business for the AC will be to consider additional council members to ensure a diverse and active membership, and to allow for staggered appointments. I will also propose that the council consider modifying the bylaws to include ex officio seats to represent Alaska tribal governance and local governance. I am delighted to welcome such a diverse, experienced and dedicated group to help support and advocate for the health and needs of our college.

As we wrap up this crazy year, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the dedication and hard work of our students, staff and faculty—it is humbling and rewarding to be part of CFOS. Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday.

Finally, today marks the beginning of winter solstice —here comes the sun!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is headed to Bellingham, Washington, for yearly maintenance. Next month, the ship will move to Seattle for a 5-week upgrade to the engineering machinery and alarm control system.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS faculty Schery Umanzor is facilitating the Nurdle Patrol in Juneau. This citizen science initiative aims to find and map sources of plastic pellets polluting the nation's coastline.

Undergraduate student Kortney Birch was awarded a 2021 Molly Ahlgren Scholarship from the Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.

CFOS in the News

The Anchorage Daily News published an opinion piece written by Seth Danielson about the importance of long-term monitoring programs in Alaska’s oceans. The op-ed is also available on the CFOS Newsroom.

UAF News issued a press release about the Seward Marine Center’s 50th anniversary.

R/V Sikuliaq was featured in a Passagemaker Magazine story about sea ice and Jim Thomson’s 2019 CODA cruise.

Matthew Wooller’s work at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility was mentioned in a UAF News story about a 57,000-year-old wolf pup preserved by permafrost in northern Canada.

Publications

Edwards, M. S., and B. Konar. 2020. Trophic downgrading reduces spatial variability on rocky reefs. Scientific Reports 10(1): 18079. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75117-2

Gabara, S. S., B. P. Weitzman, B. Konar, and M. S. Edwards. 2020. Macroalgal defense phenotype correlates with herbivore abundance. Marine Biology 167:179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-020-03787-7

Meachen, J., M. J. Wooller, B. D. Barst, J. Funck, C. Crann, J. Heath, M. Cassatt-Johnstone, B. Shapiro, E. Hall, S. Hewitson, and G. Zazula. A mummified Pleistocene gray wolf pup. Current Biology 30(24): R1467–R1468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.011

Message from the Dean

This month marks the 50th anniversary of both the Seward Marine Center (SMC) and the Gulf of Alaska (GAK-1) time-series program. Established ten years after the formation of the legislatively mandated Institute of Marine Science in 1960, SMC has supported a diversity of research, teaching and outreach programs. From 1970 to 1980, Seward served as home port for the 80-foot R/V Acona; from 1980 to 2004 the 133-foot R/V Alpha Helix ; and since 2015 has been home port for the 261-foot Global Class ice-capable R/V Sikuliaq.

A prime example of the seagoing research supported at SMC is the GAK-1 time-series. Located at the mouth of Resurrection Bay, temperature and salinity depth profiles have been collected continuously at GAK-1 since 1970, making it one of the longest-running oceanographic time-series in the North Pacific. The legacy of ocean observations at GAK-1 and along the Seward Line contributed to the foundation of the NGA LTER, which began in 2018.

Congratulations to the many faculty, staff and students who have worked at the Seward Marine Center—here’s to another productive 50 years!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is transiting to Newport, Oregon, to mobilize for Hussain Abdulla’s (Texas A&M) research on marine peptide deamination. This project will use UAF’s MC-800 multicore and OSU’s “Big Bertha” gravity core to collect samples off the central California coast for determination of sedimentary carbon isotope signatures. This is the last scheduled and funded project for 2020, after which Sikuliaq will transit to the Puget Sound region for annual maintenance and equipment upgrades.

Activities and Accomplishments

Andrew McDonnell contributed to the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Webinar series with a segment focused on zooplankton and marine particle size distributions during the NASA EXPORTS field campaign in the North Pacific Ocean.

Graduate student Jesse Gordon won the American Fisheries Society Student Subunit photography contest. His picture of Crescent Harbor in Sitka will be featured on the cover of the 2021 Student Research Calendar, which will also include images submitted by Katja Berghaus, Feyne Elmore, Courtney Hart (photo by Taylor White), Elizabeth Hinkle, Ben Lowin, Alexandra Reich, Isaac Reister, William Samuel (photo by William Samuel and Benjamin Meyer), Savannah Sandy, Emily Stidham, Marina Washburn, and Brooke Woods (photo by Leah Woods).

CFOS in the News

An article in the Frontiersman featured research on ocean carbon dynamics in the Bering Strait conducted by graduate student Stephanie O’Daly.

Publications

Wheat, C.G., C. Kitts, C. Webb, R. Stolzman, A. McGuire, T. Fournier, T. Pettigrew, and H. Jannasch. 2020. A new high-temperature borehole fluid sampler: the Multi-Temperature Fluid Sampler. Scientific Drilling 28:43–48. https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-28-43-2020

Grants and Awards for November 2020

New awards for November 2020:

• Grant G-13618 "Arctic Benthic Change in Motion" - Katrin Iken - NPRB - $20,000.00 (November 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13797 "Improving Preseason Forecasts with Artificial intelligence Methods and Ecosystem Information" - Curry Cunningham - University of Washington - $15,000.00 (January 6, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding during November 2020:

• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY 2018-2022" - S. Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 8 - $2,500,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-13637 "2020 Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Award for Molly Payne" - Peter Westley (Molly Payne) - UA Foundation - $1,872.00 (June 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13639 "The Importance of Seaweed Wrack Habitat and Resource" - Brenda Konar (Brian Ulaski) - UA Foundation - $1,872.00 (July 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13727 "Lingcod in Prince William Sound" - Trent Sutton (Katja Berghaus) - UA Foundation - $1,872.00 (July 1, 2020)

Grant controlled by another campus/department:

• Grant G-13539 "Establishing Baseline Measurements for Humpback Whales in Juneau, AK" - Shannon DeMaster - Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission - UAS - $11,160.00 (June 1, 2020)

Message from the Dean

CFOS benefits from a diversity of people, perspectives and programs. In this regard, and recognizing the heightened national attention to social inequality evident across many public and private institutions, I am pleased to convey that we will establish a new CFOS Diversity Committee.

The committee will provide recommendations to the CFOS Dean and Dean’s Advisory Committee on strategies, actions and priorities to ensure a diverse, equitable and inclusive college. For example, the committee will review and report annually on CFOS gender and ethnicity data to help guide recruitment, admission and retention of our students, staff and faculty. Committee members will serve on a voluntary basis as representatives of the CFOS community. Establishing this committee provides an opportunity to be more strategic and coordinated on important issues related to diversity, equity, inclusivity and social justice within the college; this effort also aligns with the university's goals to grow a culture of respect, diversity, inclusion and caring.

It is a pleasure to announce Gillian Braver is our new Campus Logistics and Science Liaison at the Seward Marine Center. Gillian brings experience in science education and outreach, and served as a Boat Ranger in the Kenai Fjords National Park. Gillian can be contacted by email at gibraver@alaska.edu. Please join me in welcoming Gillian to CFOS.

The CFOS 2020 Annual Report is complete and has been posted on our website; printed copies will soon be distributed by the Dean’s Office. I am delighted with this report in terms of its visual appeal and highlights of some of our academic, research and service activities over the past year. Please join me in thanking Alice Bailey for providing the content and Carol Kaynor for expert editing.

On Thursday, December 3, from 1–2 pm (AKST), our distinguished CFOS Fall Keynote Seminar speaker Dr. Richard (Rick) Spinrad will present The New Blue Economy: People, Products and Policies. Please mark your calendars for what promises to be a thoughtful and interesting talk on the blue economy, a subject that is central to the mission of our college. Please contact Heather McLeod at hlmcleod@alaska.edu for the Zoom link and password.

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is transiting to Newport, Oregon, to mobilize for Hussain Abdulla’s (Texas A&M) research on marine peptide deamination. This project will use UAF’s MC-800 multicore and OSU’s “Big Bertha” gravity core to collect samples off the central California coast for determination of sedimentary carbon isotope signatures.

For something completely different, Sikuliaq is also helping fictional scientists investigate strange noises coming from the ocean floor in the recent Tom Clancy novel, Shadow of the Dragon. Maybe a stocking stuffer?

Activities and Accomplishments

Shannon Atkinson served on a panel for the University of Alaska Southeast 2020 Power & Privilege Symposium, which discussed the film Picture A Scientist and the challenges that females face when pursuing academic careers.

Graduate students Katja Berghaus and Carolyn Hamman each received Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity awards to mentor CFOS undergraduate students Amanda Frantz, Molly Piscoya and Roger Maldonado.

In early November, graduate student Valentina Melica presented her research on whale hormones at an Alaska Wildlife Alliance Wildlife Wednesdays event and at the Gray Whales Pacific Coast Feeding Group Consortium Meeting.

EPSCoR Seed Grants were recently awarded to Elizabeth Hinkle for her project, "Arctic grayling movement and genetic relatedness in response to wildfire" and to Courtney Hart for her project, “Using harmful algal bloom monitoring to understand PSP risks and mitigate testing burdens at a shellfish farm in Southeast Alaska.”

CFOS in the News

Seth Danielson and Katrin Iken were featured in several media reports in UAF News, Science Daily, USARC Arctic Update, Science Codex and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner regarding their research aboard Norseman II that found a very active ecosystem in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. Alaska Native News and The Guardian also covered the research, and Iken was interviewed by KUAC FM radio.

CFOS high-frequency (HF) radar research in the Bering, Beaufort and Chukchi Seas was featured by UAF News, Arctic Sounder, USARC Arctic Update, and KTUU; these reports mention the CFOS HR radar team comprised of Seth Danielson, Rachel Potter, Hank Statscewich and Jordi Maisch.

Research on ocean carbon dynamics in the Bering Strait conducted by graduate student Stephanie O’Daly was covered by UAF News, Alaska Business Magazine, Anchorage Press, and Juneau Empire.

A photograph of R/V Nanuq supporting UAF research and a highlighted publication by Seth Danielson appeared in the Gulf Watch Alaska quarterly newsletter.

Publications

Bluhm, B.A., M.A. Janout, S.L. Danielson, I. Ellingsen, M. Gavrilo, J.M. Grebmeier, R.R. Hopcroft, K. Iken, R.B. Ingvaldsen, L.L. Jørgensen, K.N. Kosobokova, R. Kwok, I.V. Polyakov, P.E. Renaud, and E.C. Carmack. 2020. The pan-Arctic continental slope: Sharp gradients of physical processes affect pelagic and benthic ecosystems. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:544386. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.544386

Bolt, C., A. Aguilar-Islas, and R. Rember. 2020. Particulate trace metals in Arctic snow, sea ice, and underlying surface waters during the 2015 US Western Arctic GEOTRACES Cruise GN01. 2020. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. ACS publications

O’Daly, S.H., S.L. Danielson, S.M. Hardy, R.R. Hopcroft, C. Lalande, D.A. Stockwell, and A.M.P. McDonnell. 2020. Extraordinary carbon fluxes on the shallow Pacific Arctic shelf during a remarkably warm and low sea ice period. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:548931. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.548931

Okasaki, C., M.L. Keefer, P.A.H. Westley, and A.M. Berdahl. 2020. Collective navigation can facilitate passage through human-made barriers by homeward migrating Pacific salmon. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287:20202137. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2137

Whalen, M.A., R.D.B. Whippo, J.J. Stachowicz...W.W. Raymond, et al. 2020. Climate drives the geography of marine consumption by changing predator communities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117(45): 28160–28166. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2005255117

Message from the Dean

The 2020 CFOS Annual Report is in the final stages of editing and will soon be sent for printing. As with our prior reports, expect to see a visually appealing and interesting summary of some of our academic, research and service highlights over the past year. A big thank-you to Alice Bailey for providing the content and assembling the final product, and to Carol Kaynor for expert editing. We expect to distribute the report in the coming weeks.

As a reminder, nominations of candidates to serve on the CFOS Advisory Council, using this nomination form, are due November 15. The Dean’s Advisory Committee will review nominations and offer recommendations, and Chancellor White will make the formal appointments.

This Wednesday is Veteran’s Day. Please remember to take a moment to reflect on and honor the military veterans who served our country.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Chukchi Sea for Robert Pickart’s (WHOI) Monitoring Mooring project. She is working her way south after spending almost two weeks in the Beaufort Sea ice and is scheduled to return to Seward on November 19.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS merchandise is once again available in the Sea Grant bookstore. We will be accepting online orders only and will be filling them weekly due to limited staff in the office.

On October 28, seagoing scientists using R/V Sikuliaq in Arctic waters presented their research findings and plans to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. Jim Thomson (UW/APL) discussed preliminary results from his recent Coastal Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) cruise and updates from Robert Pickart’s ongoing mooring project, and Bernard Coakley (UAF) presented the field plan for his 2021 Chukchi Edges cruise.

Professor emeritus Gordon Kruse has been appointed to the North Pacific Research Board Science Panel.

Last week, Courtney Hart was a session chair and Brenda Konar, Hannah Myers, Brian Ulaski, Katie McCabe, and Amy Dowling gave presentations at the virtual Western Society of Naturalists marine ecology conference, which had more than 1,000 attendees.

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner featured Seth Danielson, Rachel Potter, Hank Statscewich and Jordi Maisch in a story about using high-frequency radar systems to map surface currents in the Arctic.

Our 5 percent increase in enrollment this year was mentioned by Chancellor White in an opinion piece that appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Graduate student Michelle Trifari was featured in a UAF News story about mercury found in Aleutian steller sea lions, as well as in stories on KTVF Fairbanks, the Arctic Sounder, the Kodiak Daily Mirror, Alaska Business Magazine and ADN News and News Break.

Publications

Frost, T.J., E.M. Yasumiishi, B.A. Agler, M.D. Adkison, and M.V. McPhee. 2020. Density‐dependent effects of eastern Kamchatka pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and Japanese chum salmon (O. keta) on age‐specific growth of western Alaska chum salmon. Fisheries Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1111/fog.12505

Grants and Awards for October 2020

New awards for October 2020:

• Grant G-13641 "High-resolution coupling of ocean physics and chemistry to plankton distribution" - Russ Hopcroft - MJ Murdock Charitable Trust - $325,700.00 (October 1. 2020)
• Grant G-13685 "UAF FY21 Support for Marine Scientist Hollmen" - Tuula Hollmen - AK SeaLife Center - $77,111.00 (October 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13727 "Lingcod in Prince William Sound: - Trent Sutton (Katja Berghaus) - UA Foundation - $3,750.00 (July 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13745 "Dynamics of Contemporary Genomic Evolution in Replicate Threespine Stickleback Populations" - Krista Oke - Stony Brook University - $86,603.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13754 "DNA Mixture Lab Study (L4719)" - Megan McPhee - Humboldt State University - $77,719.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13760 "Ocean Acidification and fisheries recruitment dynamics in the eastern Bering Sea" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $81,330.00 (October 1, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding during October 2020:

• Grant G-12511 "RCN-UBE: The Research on STEM Education Network: Improving Research Inclusivity through a Grassroots Culture of Scientific Teaching" - Trent Sutton - University of Alabama-Birmingham - Mod 2 - $14,393.00 (August 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12861 "Model-based Fish Distribution and Habitat Descriptions for Arctic Cod, Saffron Cod and Snow Crab in the Alaskan Arctic" - Franz Mueter - BOEM - Mod 1 - $96,308.00 (July 17, 2019)

Message from the Dean

CFOS has many stakeholders and supporters, and it is important that they have a platform to help guide and support the college. In this regard, Chancellor White has approved the new CFOS Advisory Council. The purpose of the advisory council will be to provide critical input, advice and recommendations to the Dean and UAF Chancellor on matters related to academic programs, research, major facilities and development efforts of the college. Nominations of candidates to serve on the CFOS Advisory Council are welcome via our advisory council nomination form and are due by November 15. The Dean’s Advisory Committee will review nominations and make their recommendations to me, and I will then recommend candidates to Chancellor White for formal appointment.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Beaufort Sea for Bob Pickart’s (WHOI) Monitoring Mooring project. He and his team will recover, service and deploy a subsurface mooring on the Beaufort Shelf, conduct a hydrographic survey of the boundary current, and do mooring work in the Canadian portion of the Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

Bradley Moran’s nomination by the US National Academies Ocean Studies Board to serve as vice president of the international Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Executive Committee was ratified last week during the annual SCOR meeting.

Thank you to everyone who donated to CFOS programs during UA Giving Day. In a UAF News story, the UAF interim director of development and alumni relations wrote, “UAF donors and supporters blow me away. Our first giving day event, ‘ 49 Hours for the 49th State,’ was humbling, inspiring and wonderful.”

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner mentioned CFOS as a UAF program that saw a 5 percent increase in enrollment this semester.

Message from the Dean

The first-ever UA System-wide “giving day” is set to begin at noon on Tuesday, October 20. On the CFOS Giving Day website, there will be a 49-hour (consistent with the 49^th state) time period to make a donation to two funding areas vital to student success: the CFOS Support Fund and the CFOS Graduate Student Support Fund. Your support will help our students achieve their potential to become future leaders in fisheries and marine science. To inspire participation, I have pledged a gift that will be “unlocked” after the first ten donations have been made. I encourage all alumni, friends and supporters to give.

Ensuring a robust shoreside facility in support of Sikuliaq and related seagoing research is a UAF and CFOS priority. In that regard, UAF Facilities Services is conducting significant repairs and maintenance on the D.W. Hood Laboratory, Orca Building, Mooring Shop, Machine Shop and Warehouse at the Seward Marine Center. This work includes installation of new heating systems, new piping for the potable water connection to Sikuliaq, new smoke detectors, and pressure testing the pavement heating system. These investments will bolster our efficient and effective shoreside operation in Seward.

It is a pleasure to welcome Michelle Warrenchuk as the new CFOS Procurement Technician and Administrative Generalist. Michelle was most recently an administrative assistant in the UAS College of Arts and Sciences, and effective today will be working out of our Lena Point facility in support of CFOS procurement. Please welcome Michelle to CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward to unload moorings from Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) project. Later this week, Robert Pickart’s (WHOI) personnel and gear will be loaded, and then Sikuliaq will depart for a monthlong Monitoring Mooring project in the Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

With the help of eCampus, Peter Westley launched a free six-week version of the UAF course Salmon, People, and Place. More than 500 students from around the world are participating.

Seth Danielson was appointed to serve on the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee, which provides planning and communications assistance to polar science projects.

CFOS in the News

Brenda Konar and Alaska Sea Grant’s Melissa Good contributed to a radio piece that was aired by Unalaska’s KUCB and Alaska Public Media about devastation to Aleutian Island reefs caused by sea urchins and climate change. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner also published a story about the research.

In their October newsletter, the Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE) posted a webinar of preliminary results from the November 2019 GO-WEST cruise aboard R/V Sikuliaq. Franz Mueter was aboard the expedition, which investigated the association of young polar cod with newly forming sea ice.

The Cordova Times quoted Courtney Carothers in a story on Tamamta, CFOS’s graduate traineeship program that focuses on indigenous knowledge of fisheries and marine sciences.

Curry Cunningham was interviewed for a Bloomberg QuickTake video on Bristol Bay salmon ecosystems in association with Fat Bear Week.

Publications

Johnson, M., A. Mahoney, A. Sybrandy, and G. Montgomery. 2020. Measuring acceleration and short-lived motion in landfast sea-ice. Journal of Ocean Technology 15(3). https://www.thejot.net/article-preview/?show_article_preview=1190

Larsen Tempel, J. T., and S. Atkinson. 2020. Endocrine profiling of reproductive status and evidence of pseudopregnancy in the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). PLoS ONE 15(9): e0239218. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239218

Sutton, L., K. Iken, B. A. Bluhm, and F. J. Mueter. 2020. Comparison of functional diversity of two Alaskan Arctic shelf epibenthic communities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 651:1–21 (feature article). https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13478

Thorson, J. T., C. J. Cunningham, E. Jorgensen, A. Havron, P. J. F. Hulson, C. C. Monnahan, and P. von Szalay. 2020.The surprising sensitivity of index scale to delta-model assumptions: Recommendations for model-based index standardization. Fisheries Research 233:105745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2020.105745

Umanzor, S., Y. Li, and C. Yarish. 2020. Effect of direct “seeding” binders and embryonic sporophyte sizes on the development of the sugar kelp, Saccharina latissima. Journal of Applied Phycology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02277-z

Wheat, C. G., R. A. Zierenberg, J. B. Paduan, D. W. Caress, D. A. Clague, and W. W. Chadwick Jr. 2020. Changing brine inputs into hydrothermal fluids: southern Cleft segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GC009360

Grant Awards for September 2020

New awards for September 2020:

• Grant G-13607 "Using Genomics to Improve Stock Structure Resolution and Assess Recruitment Dynamics of Lake Whitefish in Lake Michigan" - Megan McPhee - Great Lakes Fishery Trust - $127,744.48 (July 31, 2020)
• Grant G-13637 "2020 Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Award for Molly Payne" - Peter Westley - UA Foundation - $5,000.00 (June 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13639 "The Importance of Seaweed Wrack as Habitat and Resource" - Brenda Konar (Brian Ulaski) - UA Foundation - $12,500.00 (July 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13646 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NASA - $50,000.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13664 "Arctic Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Structure Data Analysis and Writing Retreat" - Seth Danielson - BOEM - $54,189.00 (September 14, 2020)
• Grant G-13683 "NRT: NNA: Tamamta (All of Us): Transforming Western and Indigenous Fisheries and Marine Sciences" - Courtney Carothers - NSF - $3,000,000.00 (September 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13696 "Investigating the impacts of oil exposure and changing snow cover on sea ice microbial communities" - Gwenn Hennon - BOEM - $149,831.00 (September 23, 2020)
• Grant G-13697 "Are expanding Pink Salmon populations in the Arctic produced from regional watersheds?" - Kristen Gorman - BOEM - $81,405.00 (September 23, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding during September 2020:

• Grant G-1085 "NOSB Support" - Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $2,375.00 (July 1, 2002)
• Grant G-11133 "Chukchi Sea Ecosystem Mooring" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 7 - $50,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11158 "HFR Operations and Maintenance" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 7 - $156,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11299 "An Arctic marine mammal observing system" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 6 - $65,000.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11557 "CAREER: Imaging the global distribution and drivers of the ocean's biological carbon pump" - Andrew McDonnell - NSF - Mod 4 - $26,366.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support-Year 1 of 5" - Ethan Roth - NSF - Mod 5 - $672,589.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations - CY 2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 7 - $700,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12500 "Bering Strait High-Frequency Radar" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 2 - $114,286.00 (October 1, 2018)
• Grant G-13024 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NOAA - Mod 1 - $181,000.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13129 "Impacts of Sedimentation and Drivers of Variability in the Boulder Patch Community, Beaufort Sea" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - Mod 1 - $55,840.00 (September 18, 2019)
• Grant G-13223 "Underwater Autonomous Vehicle missions in support of an Ecosystem Based Approach to Alaska fisheries management" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $228,571.00 (January 1, 2020)

The following grant is controlled by another department and received incremental funding during September 2020:

• Grant G-13079 "Landfast Ice Climatology within the Arctic OCS" - GI - Seth Danielson - BOEM - Mod 1 - $124,123.00 (September 24, 2019)

Message from the Dean

This week UAF will host the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities site visit as part of the fall 2020 accreditation of the university. The visit will include virtual forums for students (Wednesday, September 30, 12–12:45 pm), staff (Thursday, October 1, 12–12:45 pm) and faculty (Thursday, October 1, 1–1:45 pm) to allow an opportunity to meet with the evaluators and share information about your UAF experience. It is important that we demonstrate good participation in these events and I encourage everyone to provide your input.

On Friday, September 18 I joined Interim President Pat Pitney for her tour of our Lena Point fisheries center. The President appreciated learning more about the Juneau facility and meeting with some of our students, staff and faculty, as well as collaborators at NOAA Fisheries. It is heartening that our new interim President is strongly supportive of CFOS. The tour was followed by a meeting with Interim Chancellor Karen Carey to discuss the UAF–UAS joint undergraduate program. Both the President and Chancellor recognized that CFOS and UAS faculty are working well together on the joint undergraduate program related to fisheries and that enrollment has been ticking up. Later, Chancellor Carey gave a tour of the Anderson Building and encouraged further collaboration with CFOS. Thanks to Franz Mueter and Gabrielle Hazelton for guiding the tour, and to President Pitney and Chancellor Carey for their time and support.

I hope everyone is taking time to get outside and enjoy Alaska’s spectacular fall colors.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) cruise. The purpose of the CODA cruise in 2020 is to recover the moorings that were deployed by the ship in 2019 in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Seas. Sikuliaq will return to Seward on October 12 to swap gear and personnel, and then head back north to support Bob Pickart’s (WHOI) project in the Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

Trent Sutton has been named the Alaska Regional Management Unit Lead for the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative.

CFOS in the News

Brenda Konar and CFOS alum Ben Weitzman were mentioned in an article published by UAF News about devastation to Aleutian Island reefs caused by sea urchins and climate change. Konar was also quoted in a story by KTUU.

Courtney Carothers was interviewed by KTUU regarding Tamamta, CFOS’s graduate traineeship program that focuses on indigenous knowledge of fisheries and marine sciences.

CFOS was mentioned in SeafoodNews as part of a new US Economic Development Association Build to Scale award to support Alaska’s blue economy in collaboration with the Bering Sea Fishermen's Association, Alaska Ocean Cluster, UAF Alaska Blue Economy Center and other stakeholders.

Matthew Wooller’s work at the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility was mentioned in a UAF News story about sediment core samples on St. Matthew Island.

Publications

Clemens, B. J., H. Arakawa, C. Baker, S. Coghlan, A. Kucheryavyy, R. Lampman, M. J. Lança, C. S. Mateus, A. Miller, H. Nazari, G. Pequeño, T. M. Sutton, and S. Yanai. 2020. Management of anadromous lampreys: Common threats, different approaches. Journal of Great Lakes Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2020.09.005

George, J. C., L. Horstmann, S., Fortune, T. Sformo, R. Elsner, and E. Follmann. 2020. Thermoregulation and energetics. In: J.C. George and J.G.M. Thewissen (eds.). The bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus: Biology and human interactions. Academic Press. ISBN: 9780128189696

Horstmann, L. 2020. Anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal system. In: J.C. George and J.G.M. Thewissen (eds.). The bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus: Biology and human interactions. Academic Press. ISBN: 9780128189696

Stimmelmayr, R., L. Horstmann, B. Person, and J. C. George. 2020. Hematology, serum, and urine composition. In: J.C. George and J.G.M. Thewissen (eds.). The bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus: Biology and human interactions. Academic Press. ISBN: 9780128189696

Tempestini, A., A. I. Pinchuk, and F. Dufresne. 2020. Spatial genetic structure in Themisto libellula (Amphipoda: Hyperiidae) from the coastal Gulf of Alaska, Bering and Chukchi seas. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02745-9

Message from the Dean

I am delighted to convey that Dr. Richard Spinrad has agreed to deliver the CFOS keynote lecture for the fall semester. An internationally recognized ocean scientist and executive, Dr. Spinrad is currently Professor of Oceanography and Senior Adviser to the Vice President of Research at Oregon State University. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Spinrad was the head of NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the National Ocean Service, served as co-lead of the White House Committee that developed the nation’s first set of ocean research priorities, and oversaw the revamping of NOAA’s research enterprise. In 2016, Dr. Spinrad retired as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), having been appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014. I want to extend my gratitude to Dr. Spinrad for his willingness to serve as the CFOS keynote speaker. Please stay tuned for the date, time and details of Dr. Spinrad’s virtual presentation.

This week I will join Interim President Pat Pitney in Juneau for a tour of our Lena Point facility. President Pitney clearly understands the importance of Alaska’s vast aquatic resources and related research and academic programs and major facilities. In this regard, this tour is an opportunity to highlight some of the strengths and recent successes of CFOS, including continued growth of our undergraduate program, a robust graduate student body, new faculty hires, strong and diverse research programs, and our operation of Sikuliaq that is well regarded by the ocean sciences community and the National Science Foundation. I look forward to discussing with President Pitney ways to advance fisheries and ocean sciences research and academic programs through collaboration to meet the needs of Alaska and the nation.

I hope everyone is taking time to enjoy the spectacular fall colors in our great state. As always, please stay safe as we navigate these challenging times.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq finished the 100th occupation of the Gulf of Alaska Seward Line with profiling instrumentation, a significant accomplishment toward the collection of long-term ecological data. The first occupation was in April 1974, with prior samples only from discrete depths.

Today, Sikuliaq got underway for Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) cruise. The CODA cruise was originally scheduled to depart from Nome, but now it will start and end in Seward because of the pandemic. Its purpose is to recover the moorings that were deployed in 2019. Thomson will also assist Spahr Webb (UC/LDEO) with deploying wave gliders near the Shumagin Islands to measure tectonic shifts from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on July 21, and will recover gliders in the Beaufort Sea for Luc Rainville (UW).

CFOS in the News

A study on the loss of Bering Sea ice coauthored by Matthew Wooller gained international attention in articles by Reuters, Daily Mail, and Phys.org in addition to a radio piece by Alaska Public Media and a UAF News press release. Seth Danielson’s comments on the context of the study appeared in Gizmodo.

UAF News mentioned Matthew Wooller and CFOS alum Casey Clark as coauthors on a study about the complex diets of early Interior Alaskans.

Brenda Konar and CFOS alum Ben Weitzman were mentioned as coauthors on a study published in Science Magazine showing that the loss of sea otters is accelerating the effects of climate change on reefs in the Aleutian Islands.

The Narwhal, a Canadian journal, featured Peter Westley in an article about salmon body-size declines. The research, which also involved Curry Cunningham and Krista Oke, also appeared in The Guardian and the Washington Post.

Publications

Beas-Luna, R., F. Micheli, C.B. Woodson, M. Carr, D. Malone, J. Torre, C. Boch, J.E. Caselle, M. Edwards, J. Freiwald, S.L. Hamilton, A. Hernandez, B. Konar, K.J. Kroeker, J. Lorda, G. Montaño-Moctezuma, and G. Torres-Moye. 2020. Geographic variation in responses of kelp forest communities of the California Current to recent climatic changes. Global Change Biology. Wiley Online Library

Campbell, M.A., T.J. Buser, M.E. Alfaro, and J.A. López. 2020. Addressing incomplete lineage sorting and paralogy in the inference of uncertain salmonid phylogenetic relationships. PeerJ 8:e9389. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9389

Clark, C.T., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2020. Evaluating tooth strontium and barium as indicators of weaning age in Pacific walruses. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. BES Journals online

Westley, P.A. 2020. Documentation of en route mortality of summer chum salmon in the Koyukuk River, Alaska, and its potential linkage to the heatwave of 2019. Ecology and Evolution 00:1–9. Wiley Online Library

Grant Awards for August 2020

New awards for August 2020:

• Grant G-13543 "NASA IPA August 2020 - July 2022" - C. Geoff Wheat - NASA - $202,264.00 (August 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13545 "Evaluation of Spatio-temporal Methods for Standardizing Data from Multiple Fishery-Independent Surveys in the GOA and BSAI" - Curry Cunningham - UA Foundation PCCRC - $83,781.00 (August 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13562 "Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Oceanographic Assessment" - Tyler Hennon - National Park Service - $130,000.00 (August 12, 2020)

Grants that received incremental funding during the month of August:

• Grant G-8633 "Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center - Fellowships" - S. Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $205,000.00 (April 1, 2013)
• Grant G-11073 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska" - Brenda Konar - AOOS - Mod 8 - $29,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11157 "Seward Line Monitoring" - Russ Hopcroft - AOOS - Mod 7 - $105,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11557 "CAREER: Imaging the global distribution and drivers of the ocean's biological carbon pump" - Andrew McDonnell - NSF - Mod 3 - $123,507.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11616 "LTER: Beaufort Sea Lagoons: An Arctic Coastal Ecosystem in Transition" - Katrin Iken - Mod 3 - University of Texas at Austin - $191,364.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations - CY2018-2022" - S. Bradley Moran - NSF - Mod 6 - $5,041,718.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 2 - $531,618.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12361 "NOAA - Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO)" - Brenda Konar - AOOS - Mod 3 - $102,857.00 (June 1,2018)
• Grant G-12381 "Alaska Ocean Acidification Research: Autonomous Observations of Ocean Acidification in Alaska Coastal Seas" - Brenda Konar - AOOS - Mod 3 - $39,718.00 (June 1, 2018)

The following grant was set up on assumption in August 2020:

• Grant G-13532 "Exploring Radium Isotopes as tracers of groundwater inputs, flushing rates, and produced water in Cook Inlet" - William Burt - BOEM - $25,000.00 (August 15, 2020)

Message from the Dean

As we kick off the fall semester, it is a pleasure to welcome our new and current students. And while we are all experiencing unusually challenging times with the global pandemic, it is heartening that our faculty and staff stand ready to support your education, training and future success.

It is a pleasure to convey that Dr. Jessica Glass has accepted the offer for the tenure-track assistant professor position in the Department of Fisheries. Jessica completed her BS and PhD at Yale University, and is a CFOS alum (MS, 2014) who worked under Gordon Kruse. Jessica’s appointment is part of the “Fire and Ice” NSF EPSCoR program. Her research interests are on biological and physical drivers of evolution and sustainable management practices of commercially and recreationally important marine fishes. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. I want to thank Andres Lopez for chairing this search, and search committee members Jessie Gordon, Brenda Konar, Megan McPhee and Peter Westley. Jessica will be based at the Fairbanks campus and her start date is May 2021. Please join me in welcoming Jessica to CFOS.

On October 20, UAF will host its inaugural "Day of Giving" campaign, a social media push to encourage friends, alumni and our community partners to support the university’s schools and programs. CFOS is excited to participate in this effort to raise funds and awareness for the incredible students and programs that we support. Please mark your calendars and be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.

R/V Sikuliaq

On September 1, Sikuliaq will embark on the third and final Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research cruise this year, this time with Russ Hopcroft and a team of staff and students. Afterward, the ship will transit to the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas for Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) cruise. The cruise will begin and end in Seward, and will not stop in Nome in order to adhere to COVID-19 safety precautions.

Activities and Accomplishments

As recently communicated by Chancellor White in Cornerstone, the Murdock Charitable Trust has awarded funding to Russ Hopcroft (lead PI), Ana Aguilar-Islas, Will Burt, Seth Danielson, Gwenn Hennon, Andrew McDonnell and Suzanne Strom (Western Washington University) to support research on the high-resolution coupling of ocean physics and chemistry to plankton distributions. Congratulations!

CFOS in the News

SIT News and KINY radio ran stories on Shannon Atkinson’s research on humpback whales in Juneau during the coronavirus pandemic.

A study on salmon body-size declines coauthored by Peter Westley, Curry Cunningham, and postdoctoral fellow Krista Oke received international media attention, with articles in the Reuters article picked up by New York Times, CNN, Reuters, Science Daily, Daily Mail, CBC News, Digital Journal, Yale Environment 360, and Oceanographic Magazine. Alaskan news coverage included UAF News, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, the Juneau Empire and a radio piece by Alaska Public Media.

UAF News and the CFOS Newsroom released stories on Tamamta, a new fisheries and marine science program that focuses on Indigenous knowledge.

Publications

Baumann, T. M., I. V. Polyakov, L. Padman, S. Danielson, I. Fer, M. Janout, W. Williams, and A. V. Pnyushkov. 2020. Arctic tidal current atlas. Scientific Data 7(1): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-00578-z

Danielson, S. L., D. F. Hill, K. S. Hedstrom, J. Beamer, and E. Curchitser. 2020. Demonstrating a high‐resolution Gulf of Alaska ocean circulation model forced across the coastal interface by high‐resolution terrestrial hydrological models. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 125:e2019JC015724.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015724

Gardner, C., R. A. Watson, A. D. Jayanti, S. Junaidi, M. AlHusaini, and G. H. Kruse. 2020. Crustaceans as fisheries resources: General overview. In: G. Lovrich and M. Thiel (eds). The Natural History of the Crustacea: Fisheries and Aquaculture volume 9, pp. 1–19. New York: Oxford University Press.

Litzow, M. A., M. J. Malick, N .A. Bond, C.J. Cunningham, J. L. Gosselin, and E. J. Ward. 2020. Quantifying a novel climate through changes in PDO–climate and PDO‐salmon relationships. Geophysical Research Letters 47(16): e2020GL087972. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087972

Marsh, J. M., F. J. Mueter, J. T. Thorson, L. Britt, and S. Zador. 2020. Shifting fish distributions in the Bering Sea. In: J. Richter-Menge and M.L. Druckenmiller (eds). State of the Climate in 2019. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 101(8): S254-S256. Article link

Oke, K. B., C. J. Cunningham, P. A. H. Westley, M. L. Baskett, S. M. Carlson, J. Clark, A. P. Hendry, V. A. Karatayev, N. W. Kendall, J. Kibele, H. K. Kindsvater, K. M. Kobayashi, B. Lewis, S. Munch, J. D. Reynolds, G. K. Vick, and E. P. Palkovacs. 2020. Recent declines in salmon body size impact ecosystems and fisheries. Nature Communications 11:4155. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17726-z

Message from the Dean

A key responsibility of CFOS is the management of major facilities in support of Alaska’s aquatic ecosystems research and academic programs. In this regard, last week Senators Dan Sullivan and Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) toured Sikuliaq at the JAG Alaska Inc, Seward Shipyard, where the ship was having her hull repainted. It was a pleasure to join the tour as the crew highlighted the capabilities of the ship to our elected officials. Hats off to the captain and crew, Doug Baird and Miles Baker for ensuring a safe and enjoyable tour. Afterward, Brian Mullaly brought the senators and a small entourage across Resurrection Bay back to Seward aboard Nanuq, which included a water view of the Seward Marine Center and dock. I want to personally thank Senator Sullivan and his staff for including Sikuliaq, Nanuq and SMC as part of his busy travel schedule in our great state.

This Friday we will host a CFOS new-student orientation to welcome and familiarize the incoming class with our academic programs and procedures. The event is being organized by our new student recruiter, Kyle Rivera, and will be held virtually. I look forward to welcoming our incoming students and wish the very best success for all of our students.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq’s hull has been repainted and she is ready to resume marine science operations. There is the possibility for a short-notice cruise to investigate the subduction zone at the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred July 21 near the Shumagin Islands. In early September, Sikuliaq will embark for the third and final Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) cruise this year.

Activities and Accomplishments

Geoff Wheat started a two-year, part-time Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) position in the NASA Astrobiology Program. The NASA Astrobiology Program supports research that leads to a better understanding of how life emerged and evolved on Earth, the environments in our universe capable of supporting life, and the possible distribution of habitable worlds.

CFOS in the News

The Alaska Ocean Acidification Network featured the research of Shelby Bacus, a CFOS graduate student (Amanda Kelly, advisor), which seeks to understand the impact of ocean acidification on Pacific Plate Limpets in Kachemak Bay.

Peter Westley’s course Salmon, People, and Place was mentioned in a UAF News press release about UAF partnering with the learning platform edX to increase access to courses that feature Arctic research.

Shannon Atkinson’s research on humpback whales in Juneau was featured in stories by NOAA Fisheries and UAF News.

Publications

Alabia, I.D., J.G. Molinos, S.-I. Saitoh, T. Hirata, T. Hirawake, and F.J. Mueter. 2020. Multiple facets of marine biodiversity in the Pacific Arctic under future climate. Science of the Total Environment 744: 140913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140913

Nielsen, J.K., F.J. Mueter, M.D. Adkison, T. Loher, S.F. McDermott, and A.C. Seitz. 2020. Potential utility of geomagnetic data for geolocation of demersal fishes in the North Pacific Ocean. Animal Biotelemetry 8(1): 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-020-00204-0

Message from the Dean

One of the goals in our CFOS Decadal Plan is to support entrepreneurialism and economic diversification within Alaska. The Alaska Mariculture Initiative has been identified as a growth opportunity, with a goal of increasing Alaska's mariculture industry from $1 million to $1 billion over the next thirty years. As a leader in aquatic ecosystems research, CFOS has an important role to play in fostering this burgeoning blue economy industry.

In this regard, it is a pleasure to welcome research faculty Schery Umanzor to the CFOS Department of Marine Biology. Schery’s research focuses on optimizing kelp mariculture from hatchery stages to harvest, in particular the interaction of kelp farms and their surroundings as analogous to kelp forests and their ecosystems. She is currently part of three ARPA-E MARINER research projects: Seaweed Hatchery and Selective Breeding Technologies; Scalable Coastal and Offshore Macroalgal Farming; and Assessing Kelp Nutrient Bioextraction Capacity in Aquaculture Farms in the US. Based at our Lena Point facility, this new research faculty position is generously supported by a Chancellor’s Award. Please join me in welcoming Schery to CFOS!

As we approach the start of fall semester, we can be proud that our student enrollment continues to tick upward, diverse field research projects are being conducted, and two successful LTER cruises have been executed aboard Sikuliaq since the beginning of 2020. It is worth taking a moment to reflect that despite the pandemic, our academic and research programs continue to thrive and bring tremendous value to Alaska and beyond.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq has been lifted onto a dry dock at the Seward Marine Industrial Center to apply ice-resistant paint to her hull. We expect the ship to be floating again next week, when preparations will begin for investigating the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred on July 21 near the Shumagin Islands.

Activities and Accomplishments

During the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission meeting last week, Seth Danielson presented results from 2017 and 2018 Sikuliaq cruises in the Arctic. Researchers using Sikuliaq in 2020 and 2021 in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas presented their proposed activities to the commissioners in order to avoid conflicts with subsistence hunting activities.

CFOS in the News

Andy Seitz was featured in a video produced by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power about interactions between salmon and hydrokinetic turbines.

In an article published by UAF News, Katherine (Kate) Hedstrom and Seth Danielson were mentioned as coauthors of a paper published in the journal Biogeosciences about ocean acidification in the Gulf of Alaska.

Publications

Padula, V., A.H. Beaudreau, B. Hagedorn, and D. Causey. 2020. Plastic-derived contaminants in Aleutian Archipelago seabirds with varied foraging strategies. Marine Pollution Bulletin 158:111435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111435

Rebert, A.L., G.H. Kruse, J.B. Webb, S.L. Tamone, D. Oxman, and K.W. McNeel. 2020. Evaluation of a direct age determination method for terminally molted male snow crab Chionoecetes opilio (Fabricius 1788) (Decapoda: Brachyura: Oregoniidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruaa043

Zanotti, L., Z. Ma, J.L. Johnson, D.R. Johnson, D. Yu, M. Burnham and C. Carothers. 2020. Sustainability, resilience, adaptation, and transformation: tensions and plural approaches. Ecology and Society 25(3): 4. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11642-250304

Grant Awards for July 2020

New awards for July 2020:

• G-13443 "Quantifying phytoplankton biomass and productivity in the Gulf of Alaska surface waters at unprecedented spatial scales" - William Burt - NPRB - $174,907.00 (July 1, 2020)
• G-13451 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line: 2019-2021" - Russell Hopcroft - NPRB - $116,283.00 (July 1, 2020)
• G-13469 "Zooplankton Monitoring Along Coastal Regions and Tidewater Glacier Fjords of Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks & Preserves" - Jennifer Questel - National Park Service - $72,316.00 (June 30, 2020)
• G-13481 "Assessing Effects of Supplementation on Fitness of Sockeye Salmon in Auke Creek, Alaska–Final Phase" - Megan McPhee - Pacific Salmon Commission - $42,245.00 (April 1, 2020)
• G-13482 "Relaxed selection in salmon hatcheries" - Milo Adkison - Pacific Salmon Commission - $128,516.00 (May 1, 2020)

Awards that received incremental funding during the month of July:

• G-10539 "Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) Continuation" - C. Geoff Wheat - University of Southern California - Mod 10 - $52,924.00 (October 1, 2015)
• G-11630 "Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Survey (IES) Phase II" - Franz Mueter - BOEM - Mod 3 - $216,908.00 (July 1, 2017)
• G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russell Hopcroft - NSF - Mod 3 - $1,127,000.00 (September 1, 2017)
• G-12726 "Investigating microbial biodegradation of crude oil in Arctic marine sediments via shotgun metagenomics and compound-specific hydrocarbon analyses" - Alexis Walker (Sarah Hardy) - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - Mod 1 - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2019)
• G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" - Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA - Mod 1 - $180,000.00 (July 1, 2019)
• G-12935 "Collaborative Research: Characterization of Subduction Channel Processes - Borehole Sampling at Active Serpentinite Mud Volcanoes on the Mariana Forearc" - C. Geoff Wheat - NSF - Mod 1 - $182,548.00 (September 1, 2019)

Message from the Dean

For the second consecutive year, the University of Alaska Fairbanks has been cited as the top U.S. university in Times Higher Education’s 2020 Impact Rankings for quality education, noting in particular our high-quality programs in fisheries and marine science. Congratulations to UAF and CFOS for this point of pride!

Last week, Doug Baird and I welcomed back to Seward the captain, crew and science party aboard Sikuliaq after they completed another successful LTER cruise. Managing seagoing science requires significant effort to mitigate the COVID-19 virus, and once again the LTER cruise was executed using the highest safety standards. We also discussed ongoing efforts to improve the Seward Marine Center, including recent investments by Chancellor White for dock engineering, upgrades to the Hood laboratory and related infrastructure improvements in support of our shoreside operation. This work is being coordinated between CFOS and UAF Facilities Services.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq completed the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project with a science team from CFOS and Western Washington University, including Ana Aguilar-Islas, Will Burt, Seth Danielson and Russ Hopcroft from UAF/CFOS. Sikuliaq is now preparing for a shipyard dry docking to paint the hull.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ph.D. student Janessa Esquible-Hussion was recently awarded the 2020 Emerging Leaders Mentorship Award (ELMA) from the American Fisheries Society.

CFOS in the News

The journal Science mentioned R/V Sikuliaq in a story about U.S. research vessels resuming operations after developing procedures to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.

Seth Danielson was mentioned as a coauthor on a paper in Frontiers in Marine Science showing that Arctic Ocean changes are driven by subarctic seas, in a story run by UAF News and WUWT.

Alaska Business and UAF News ran a story about a paper in Global Change Biology on Chinook salmon declines relating to changes in habitat, naming Curry Cunningham as a contributor to the paper.

Publications

Cates, K. A., S. Atkinson, A. A. Pack, J. M. Straley, C. M. Gabriele, and S. Yin. 2020. Corticosterone in central North Pacific male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae): Pairing sighting histories with endocrine markers to assess stress. General and Comparative Endocrinology 296:113540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113540

Jones, L. A., E. R. Schoen, R. Shaftel, C.J. Cunningham, S. Mauger, D. J. Rinella, and A. St. Saviour. 2020. Watershed‐scale climate influences productivity of Chinook salmon populations across southcentral Alaska. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15155

Koehn, L. E., T. E. Essington, P.S. Levin, K.N. Marshall, L.G. Anderson, A. Bundy, C. Carothers, F. Coleman, J.H. Grabowski, E. Houde, O.P. Jensen, C. Möllmann, and A. D. M. Smith. 2020. Case studies demonstrate capacity for a structured planning process for ecosystem-based fisheries management. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 77(7): 1256–1274. https://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2019-0202

Olsen, D. W., C. O. Matkin, F.J. Mueter, and S. Atkinson. 2020. Social behavior increases in multipod aggregations of southern Alaska resident killer whales (Orcinus orca). Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12715

Polyakov, I. V., M. B. Alkire, B. A. Bluhm, K. A. Brown, E. C. Carmack, M. Chierici, S. L. Danielson, I. Ellingsen, E. A. Ershova, K. Gårdfeldt, R. B. Ingvaldsen, A. V. Pnyushkov, D. Slagstad, and P. Wassmann. 2020. Borealization of the Arctic Ocean in response to anomalous advection from sub-Arctic seas. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:491. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00491

Message from the Dean

As we are now in the second half of the year, I hope that everyone had a safe and relaxing Fourth of July holiday weekend.

July 2020 marks a historic moment in the history of CFOS as Alaska Sea Grant (ASG), the Marine Advisory Program (MAP) and the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center will no longer be administered by CFOS. The formation of the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences in 1987 was originally envisioned by former Alaska Sea Grant director Ron Dearborn and Institute of Marine Science director and SFOS inaugural dean Vera Alexander. There has since been a close collaboration between CFOS and ASG/MAP faculty and staff in serving the needs of Alaska’s coastal communities. The all-hands faculty and staff retreat in 2016 is but one recent example of this collaboration in developing the CFOS Decadal Plan. While no longer part of CFOS, we look forward to future collaborations with ASG/MAP.

Brenda Norcross has officially retired from CFOS after 31 years of outstanding faculty service. A prolific researcher, student advisor and instructor, Brenda's intellectual focus on fisheries ecology and fisheries oceanography has been a mainstay of Alaska’s fisheries. She has served on numerous state, national and international governmental science committees, including 25 years of service on the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Groundfish Management Team. In 2001, Brenda was honored for her research and outreach efforts by being named an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow and a Harriman Scholar. Please join me in wishing Brenda the very best for her future.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project with a science team from CFOS and Western Washington University, including Seth Danielson, Russ Hopcroft, Ana Aguilar-Islas, and Will Burt.

Activities and Accomplishments

M.S. student Nina Lundstrom was selected for a 2020 North Pacific Research Board Graduate Student Research Award to support her research on climate change impacts on nearshore fish communities.

Ph.D. student Courtney Hart was awarded a scholarship from the 2020 Kathryn E. and John P. Doyle Scholarship fund of The Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) to support her research on geoduck clams and harmful algal blooms. Ph.D. student Veronica Padula also was awarded a Doyle scholarship in support of her research on the effects of plastics and plastic-derived chemicals on marine ecosystems and subsistence-dependent communities in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands.

CFOS in the News

Dean Stockwell and Gay Sheffield were mentioned in the Nome Nugget in a story about spruce pollen washing up on arctic shores.

UAF News featured Jeff Falke and his Ph.D. student Chris Sergeant in a press release about three new tools that will help predict the effect of climate change on freshwater fish. The CFOS Newsroom, the Alaska Sea Grant Fishlines newsletter, and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ran a longer version of the story.

Publications

Danielson, S. L., O. Ahkinga, C. Ashjian, E. Basyuk, L. W. Cooper, L. Eisner, E. Farley, K. B. Iken, J. M. Grebmeier, L. Juranek, G. Khen, S. Jayne, T. Kikuchi, C. Ladd, K. Lu, R. McCabe, G. W. K. Moore, S. Nishino, S. R. Okkonen, F. Ozenna, R. S. Pickart, I. Polyakov, P. J. Stabeno, K. Wood, W. J. Williams, R. A. Woodgate, and T. J. Weingartner. 2020. Manifestation and consequences of warming and altered heat fluxes over the Bering and Chukchi Sea continental shelves. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104781

Fergusson, E., T. Miller, M. V. McPhee, C. Fugate, and H. Schultz. 2020. Trophic responses of juvenile Pacific salmon to warm and cool periods within inside marine waters of Southeast Alaska. Progress in Oceanography 186:102378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2020.102378

Mueter, F., C. Bouchard, H. Hop, B. Laurel, and B. Norcross. 2020. Arctic gadids in a rapidly changing environment. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02696-1

Rosengard, S. Z., R. W. Izett, W. J. Burt, N. Schuback, and Philippe D. Tortell. 2020. Decoupling of ΔO₂∕Ar and particulate organic carbon dynamics in nearshore surface ocean waters. Biogeosciences 17(12): 3277–3298. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3277-2020

Grant Awards for June 2020

The following grants received incremental funding during June:

• Grant G-11387 "Collaborative Research: Global Estimation of Lagrangian Characteristics" - Harper Simmons - Mod 1 - NSF - $18,472.00 (April 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Ginny Eckert - Mod 15 - NOAA - $43,800.00 (February 1, 2018)*
• Grant G-12726 "Investigating microbial biodegradation of crude oil in Arctic marine sediments via shotgun metagenomics and compound-specific hydrocarbon analyses" - Alexis Walker (Sarah Hardy) - Mod 1 - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13021 "Nurturing the Successful Growth and Maturation of a Domestic Seaweed Aquaculture Industry: Identifying and Removing Barriers and Promoting Opportunities" - Melissa Good - Mod 1- University of Connecticut - $40,655.00 (September 1, 2019)*
• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andrew Seitz - Mod 1 - Department of the Navy - $219,191.00 (April 1, 2020)

* As of July 1, 2020, these grants are no longer controlled by CFOS. The Sea Grant Omnibus has been transferred to the Provost office. MAP department grants also have been transferred.

Message from the Dean

Last Friday was Juneteenth, a date recognized across our nation in commemoration of the end of slavery. This date reverberates in 2020 with the tragic death of George Floyd, and again I encourage everyone to stand against all forms of racism.

It has been a year and a half since the second CFOS faculty retreat was held in Anchorage. A primary outcome of that gathering was to expand the face-to-face and synchronous distance delivery of our academic curriculum to include asynchronous modality, for two reasons. First, online instruction will extend our academic reach and enable the next generation of fisheries and ocean scientists to access our outstanding degree programs within Alaska and beyond. Second, we have the opportunity to increase student enrollment while generating additional revenue to support our mission.

In light of the global pandemic, asynchronous instruction has emerged as a key modality for student learning in higher education. What does this mean for CFOS and UAF? While there is currently no master’s degree program in marine science in the nation available by online asynchronous delivery, CFOS will soon offer our Master of Marine Studies and Blue MBA degree programs online; this also presents an opportunity to grow our undergraduate degree program in fisheries and marine sciences. By embracing this opportunity, CFOS will continue to be an innovative leader in fisheries, marine biology and ocean sciences instruction.

I want to personally thank the following faculty for their willingness to engage in this work: Courtney Carothers, Quentin Fong, Russ Hopcroft, Lara Horstmann, Katrin Iken, Andrés López, Andrew McDonnell and Trent Sutton. I also want to thank Owen Guthrie and eCampus for support and resources, and Trent Sutton for his work in helping our faculty advance this important effort.

As we are now past summer solstice, I hope everyone is taking time to enjoy the beautiful Alaska summer.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the pier in Seward performing routine maintenance and enhanced cleaning while waiting for the UNOLS Council fleet stand-down to expire on July 1. Beginning July 1, Sikuliaq will start mobilizing for her second cruise of 2020, in the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research area.

Activities and Accomplishments

The following CFOS graduate students received the North Gulf of Alaska Research Award for research connected to fisheries management and of interest to fisheries managers and regulatory bodies: Brian Ulaski, Molly Payne, Katja Berghaus, and Donny Arthur. The students will consult with scientists at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game or the National Marine Fisheries Service.

CFOS in the News

Trent Sutton and CFOS alumna Katie Shink’s research on Arctic lamprey migrations on the Yukon River was featured in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Bradley Moran was interviewed by Channel 11 News in Fairbanks on World Oceans Day to talk about the importance of oceans and the benefits they provide for humankind.

The Alaska Ocean Observing System spring newsletter focused on research operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, mentioning UAF research in the Bering Strait and featuring a story on Sikuliaq’s cruise along the Seward Line in the northern Gulf of Alaska.

Gay Sheffield from Alaska Sea Grant was quoted in a KNOM article about the effect of COVID-19 on research in the Bering Strait area. Communities are taking extra precautions and restricting travel from outside the region.

The National Science Foundation featured Russ Hopcroft and R/V Sikuliaq in a story about maintaining vital research in the Gulf of Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bradley Moran wrote an opinion piece published in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on how a potential merger between the University of Alaska Southeast and the University of Alaska Fairbanks could present an opportunity to combine the UAS and UAF programs in fisheries, marine biology and ocean sciences to better support Alaska’s health and economy.

Publications

Connors, B., M. J. Malick, G. T. Ruggerone, P. Rand, M. Adkison, J. R. Irvine, R. Campbell, and K. Gorman. 2020. Climate and competition influence sockeye salmon population dynamics across the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 77(6): 943–949. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2019-0422

DeHart, H. M, L. Blanco-Bercial, M. Passacantando, J. M. Questel, and A. Bucklin. 2020. Pathways of pelagic connectivity: Eukrohnia hamata (Chaetognatha) in the Arctic Ocean. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:396. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00396

Khalsa, N. S., J. Smith, K. A. Jochum, G. Savory, and J. A. López. 2020. Identifying under-ice overwintering locations of juvenile Chinook salmon by using environmental DNA. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10444

McKinney, G., M. V. McPhee, C. Pascal, J. E. Seeb, and L. W. Seeb. 2020. Network analysis of linkage disequilibrium reveals genome architecture in chum salmon. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 10(5): 1553–1561. https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.119.400972

Ohlberger, J., D. E. Schindler, R. J. Brown, J. M. S. Harding, M. D. Adkison, A. R. Munro, L. Horstmann, and J. Spaeder. 2020. The reproductive value of large females: consequences of shifts in demographic structure for population reproductive potential in Chinook salmon. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2020-0012

Taylor, N., C. T. Clark, N. Misarti, and L. Horstmann. 2020. Determining sex of adult Pacific walruses from mandible measurements. Journal of Mammalogy. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaa051

Message from the Dean

Last week during the UA Board of Regents meeting, President Johnsen announced that Professor Franz Mueter has been appointed as a prestigious UA President’s Professor of Quantitative Fisheries and Ecosystems. In making this appointment, President Johnsen noted Franz’s exceptional work with students, research on the influence of climate variability on the productivity and spatial dynamics of fish populations, and service on the Science and Statistical Committee of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. I would like to thank President Johnsen for his continued strong support of CFOS. Congratulations, Franz!

I am pleased to convey that Robert (Bob) Cruise is the new Port Engineer for Sikuliaq ship operations. Bob has previously worked aboard the Alaska ferries for more than 23 years (13 years as a chief engineer), more recently as a relief chief engineer aboard R/V Atlantic Explorer and R/V Oceanus, and as port engineer for a private firm. Please join me in welcoming Bob to CFOS.

To reiterate my message sent last week regarding the senseless death of George Floyd, I encourage everyone to stand against all forms of racism that we are experiencing and commit to a concerted and lasting effort to bring about positive change.

Wishing everyone a happy World Oceans Day !

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the pier in Seward, performing routine maintenance and enhanced cleaning and preparing to calibrate the EK-80 echosounder and patch test the two multibeam echosounder systems. The UNOLS Council fleet stand-down order is scheduled to expire on July 1. Resumption of science operations will be in accordance with UNOLS risk assessment guidelines. We are planning to resume science operations and assist in the collection of oceanographic data and recovery of deployed gear, though with a reduced number of science personnel aboard. We will continue to take precautions to prevent exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Activities and Accomplishments

The University of Alaska Fairbanks produced a publication on Arctic Research with articles about R/V Sikuliaq’s role in long-term ecological research and Alaska Sea Grant’s assistance with kelp farming and preventing paralytic shellfish poisoning.

UA News published an article about Franz Mueter’s appointment as President’s Professor of Quantitative Fisheries and Ecosystems.

CFOS in the News

Sea Technology magazine ran a story about R/V Sikuliaq’s cruise in the Gulf of Alaska in May, highlighting the health precautions taken and the research that was accomplished.

The University of Washington College of Engineering Newsletter prominently featured R/V Sikuliaq’s role in exploring the changing Arctic.

CFOS graduate student Hannah Myers was interviewed by Maine Public Radio about U.S. and Canadian lobster catches in the Gulf of Maine.

Publications

Chiaramonte, L.V., K.A. Meyer, P.R. Branigan, and J.B. Reynolds. 2020. Effect of pulsed DC frequency on capture efficiency and spinal injury of trout in small streams. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10440

Donkersloot, R., J.C. Black, C. Carothers, D. Ringer, W. Justin, P.M. Clay, M.R. Poe, E.R. Gavenus, W. Voinot-Baron, C. Stevens, M. Williams, J. Raymond-Yakoubian, F. Christiansen, S.J. Breslow, S.J. Langdon, J.M. Coleman, and S.J. Clark. 2020. Assessing the sustainability and equity of Alaska salmon fisheries through a well-being framework. Ecology and Society 25(2): 18. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11549-250218

Myers, H.J., and M.J. Moore. 2020. Reducing effort in the U.S. American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery to prevent North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) entanglements may support higher profits and long-term sustainability. Marine Policy 118:104017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104017

Reynolds, J.B., and J.C. Dean. 2020. Development of electrofishing for fisheries management. Fisheries 45(5): 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10440

Grant Awards for May 2020

New awards that were set up and awarded in May:

• Grant G-13353 "Spatiotemporal dynamics of chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea" - Megan McPhee - UA Foundation PCCRC - $87,151.00 (May 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13354 "Nutritional consequences of changes in phytoplankton community structure" - Sarah Hardy - UA Foundation PCCRC - $34,777.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13397 "Subtidal Habitat Mapping in the Cook Inlet Lease Area for Current and Predictive Sea Otter Associations with Habitat" - Elizabeth Hasan - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2020)

The following grant was set up on assumption and controlled by another department in May:

• Grant G-13379 "NMREC Infrastructure Upgrades" - Andrew Seitz - University of Washington - $200,000.00 (April 7, 2020)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of May:

• Grant G-10583 "Flow and turbulence in the wakes of abrupt topography" - Harper Simmons - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - Mod 8 - $56,441.00 (April 25, 2015)
• Grant G-11157 "Seward Line Monitoring" - Russell Hopcroft - AOOS - Mod 6 - $110,693.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-12114 "Inertial and Turbulent Processes in the Iceland Basin: A proposal to the Near Inertial Shear and Kinetic Energy in the North Atlantic Experiment (NISKINE) Departmental Research Initiative" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 3 - $198,278.00 (April 15, 2018)

Message from the Dean

Ensuring student success is fundamental to the mission of our college. In this regard, last week CFOS hosted for the first time its own graduation ceremony to celebrate our more than 30 undergraduate and graduate students. Congratulations to all our graduates, and to Trent Sutton, Courtney Carothers and Christina Sutton for organizing this wonderful event—and hopefully the beginning of a new CFOS tradition. The CFOS event was followed by the first UAF virtual graduation held on Saturday. Congratulations again to all CFOS 2020 graduates!

As many of you may now be aware, Robbie Hamilton has tendered her resignation from CFOS, effective May 29. Over the past 18 years, Robbie has worked as a fiscal and procurement technician for CFOS in support of our research and academic mission. She will be greatly missed as a valued employee and important staff member of CFOS. Please join me in wishing Robbie the very best in her future endeavors.

After working at UAF for more than 30 years, Steve Hartz has tendered his retirement as Science Operations Manager for Sikuliaq, effective June 30. As many will know, Steve has been an essential employee for our successful marine operations, dating back to his work in support of R/V Alpha Helix in the 1980s through the first few years of research operations aboard R/V Sikuliaq. Please join me in wishing Steve the very best going forward. Marine Technician Ethan Roth will be the Interim Science Operations Manager.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the pier in Seward for another few weeks performing routine maintenance and enhanced cleaning while waiting out the UNOLS Council fleet stand-down.

Activities and Accomplishments

Congratulations to Kayla Drumm, our first graduate of the joint UAS/UAF Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences degree program. KINY radio (Juneau) wrote a piece about her trailblazing accomplishment.

CFOS in the News

Gordon Kruse’s feature article based on his keynote address at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea symposium Shellfish: Resources and Invaders of the North was featured on the ICES website.

CFOS researchers on Sikuliaq’s recent LTER cruise in the northern Gulf of Alaska were featured in an Eos article about social distancing at sea. The LTER program also referred to the cruise on its website in an article about the importance of the Seward Line time series.

KNOM radio mentioned Gay Sheffield in a story about changes in bowhead whale migrations.

Publications

Barnes, C.L., A.H. Beaudreau, M.W. Dorn, K.H. Holsman, and F.J. Mueter. 2020. Development of a predation index to assess trophic stability in the Gulf of Alaska. Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2141

Khalsa, N.S., J. Smith, K.A. Jochum, G. Savory, and J.A. López. 2020. Identifying under‐ice overwintering locations of juvenile Chinook salmon by using environmental DNA. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10444

McKinney, G.M., M.V. McPhee, C. Pascal, J.E. Seeb, and L.W. Seeb. 2020. Network analysis of linkage disequilibrium reveals genome architecture in chum salmon. G3: Genes, Genomes, and Genetics 10(5): 1553–1561. Article on Oxford Academic G3 journals

Ressel, K.N., D.G. McNicholl, and T.M. Sutton. 2020. Capelin Mallotus villosus population differentiation among and within regions using relative warps. Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-020-00970-z

Ulaski, B.P., B. Konar, and E.O. Otis. 2020. Seaweed reproduction and harvest rebound in Southcentral Alaska: Implications for wild stock management. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00740-1

Message from the Dean

As we conclude the spring 2020 semester, please note two important upcoming events. On Saturday, May 23, UAF will hold a virtual Commencement 2020 —congratulations to our graduates. And on Thursday, May 21, CFOS will host its own virtual graduation ceremony. Details on how to connect to the CFOS event will be forthcoming.

It is a pleasure to recognize the CFOS staff members who were honored last week at the annual UAF Staff Recognition event. These individuals and all of our hardworking staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the university: Eric Danielson, Edward DeCastro, Scott Lonergan, Ethan Roth, Jeffrey Simonson, Rob Worrad (5 years of service); Elizabeth Dobbins, John Haverlack, Hank Statscewich (10 years of service); Dave Partee (20 years of service); and Steve Hartz (30 years of service).

Be safe and enjoy the sunshine.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq just completed a seven-day Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) cruise. The ship will stay alongside the pier in Seward for another few weeks while waiting out the UNOLS Council stand-down of the US Academic Research Fleet due to the coronavirus. Welcome back!

Activities and Accomplishments

2020–2021 Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center Fellowship Recipients:

• Katja Berghaus – PhD Fisheries (Advisor Trent Sutton)
• Matthew Callahan – MS Fisheries (Advisor Anne Beaudreau)
• Becca Cates – MS Fisheries (Advisor Ginny Eckert)
• Kelly Cates – PhD Fisheries (Advisor Shannon Atkinson)
• Austin Flanigan – MS Fisheries (Advisor Andy Seitz)
• Kevin Siwicke – PhD Fisheries (Advisor Andy Seitz) – new
• Mary Spanos – MS Fisheries (Advisor Trent Sutton) – new
• Marina Washburn – PhD Fisheries (Advisor Amanda Kelley)

Noah Khalsa, one of our graduating undergraduate students, was awarded a 2020 Brina Kessel Medal for Excellence in Science.

The CFOS Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC) has established a new advisory committee. Its members are Will Burt, Seth Danielson, Gwenn Hennon, Amanda Kelley, Brenda Konar and Mat Wooller. Led by Natalie Monacci, the OARC Advisory Committee will focus on increasing student engagement, broadening internal and external collaborations, diversifying funding and strengthening communications.

Alaska Sea Grant has developed a collection of state and local COVID-19 resources aimed to help Alaska seafood, mariculture and fishing businesses, which includes a recorded webinar. In conjunction, Gabe Dunham and Melissa Good produced a bulletin of local, state, and federal resources including information from the National Sea Grant Law Center.

CFOS in the News

R/V Sikuliaq’s first cruise since the COVID-19 pandemic began was featured twice in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and twice by Alaska Public Media, and also appeared in UAF News, KUAC, KTOO, and Sitnews. Russ Hopcroft referenced the cruise in a Science article about the challenges of reopening labs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

University of Montana News and UAF News released articles about a paper coauthored by Megan McPhee, Chris Sergeant and others and published in Science about Canadian mining pollution threatening rivers in Alaska.

Kyle Dilliplaine, CFOS alum (MS) and incoming PhD student, was featured in an Anchorage Daily News article about how the UAF virology lab is helping with coronavirus testing in Fairbanks.

Jeff Falke coauthored a paper about a new Fish and Climate Change Database tool called FiCli that first appeared in Nature Scientific Data, and then gained significant media attention with articles in USGS, Futurity, Sciencenewsnet, Science Daily, and Phys.org.

Hank Statscewich was mentioned in a New York Times article about science in Antarctica.

Gay Sheffield and Alaska Sea Grant were mentioned in the KNOM Radio story, “Subsistence Whaling Undisrupted by COVID-19, Regional Hunters Successful.”

Alaska Sea Grant released an article about how COVID-19 is affecting Alaska mariculture, which appeared in UAF News and Ketchikan’s Sitnews. More information on the survey is available on the Sea Grant website.

Katrin Iken contributed to the Oceanography supplemental booklet New Frontiers in Ocean Exploration with an article about the 2019 R/V Sikuliaq cruise led by UAF scientists that explored seamounts in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Publications

Forster, C.E., B.L. Norcross, and I. Spies. 2020. Documenting growth parameters and age in Arctic fish species in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Deep-Sea Research II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104779

Forster, C.E., B.L. Norcross, F.J. Mueter, E.A. Logerwell, and A.C. Seitz. 2020. Spatial patterns, environmental correlates, and potential seasonal migration triangle of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) distribution in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02631-4

Krabbenhoft, T. J., B. J. E. Myers, J. P. Wong, C. Chu, R. W. Tingley III, J. A. Falke, T. J. Kwak, C. P. Paukert, and A. J. Lynch. 2020. FiCli, the Fish and Climate Change Database, informs climate adaptation and management for freshwater fishes. Scientific Data 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0465-z

Sawyer, A. C., J. W. Moore, D. E. Schindler, and P. A. H. Westley. 2020. Connecting salmon science in an era of global change. Fisheries 45:214–215. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10432

Grant Awards for April 2020

New awards set up and awarded in April:

• Grant G-13304 "Gulf of Alaska Cruise 2020: Ocean Acidification in Alaska's Coastal Seas" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $87,229.00 (October 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13323 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation" - Ethan Roth - NSF - $367,800.00 (April 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13328 "Telemetry and genetic identity of Chinook salmon in Alaska" - Andrew Seitz - Dept. of the Navy - $221,839.00 (April 15, 2020)
• Grant G-13339 "CoPe RCN: PEople on the MOve in a Changing Climate (PEMOCC)" - Davin Holen - University of Georgia - $79,977.00 (February 1, 2020)

New award set up on assumption in April:

• Grant G-13326 "Ocean migration and behavior of steelhead kelts in multiple Alaskan OCS oil and gas lease areas, examined with satellite telemetry" - Andrew Seitz - BOEM - $85,000.00 (April 3, 2020)

The following grant is controlled by another department and opened in April:

• Grant G13302 "Tamamta Iqallupet Anirtungnaqlluki: Conceptualizing Indigenous Approaches to Salmon Science and Management in Alaska" - Courtney Carothers - CRCD - NSF - $354,423.00 (April 1, 2020)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of April:

• Grant G-11400 "Long Term Monitoring: Ecological Communities in Kachemak Bay, Phase 2" - Katrin Iken - PWSSC Mod 3 - $52,000.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11408 "Environmental Drivers: Seward Line" - Russell Hopcroft - PWSSC Mod 3 - $131,200.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11485 "Long Term Monitoring of the Alaska Coastal Current" - Seth Danielson - PWSSC Mod 3 - $115,200.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11498 "Riverine Carbon Contributions to Alaskan Arctic Coastal Margins" - Stephen Okkonen - WHOI Mod 4 - $50,172.00 (March 16, 2017)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support Year 1 of 5" - Steven Hartz - NSF Mod 3 - $600,000.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq Ship Operations 2018-2022" - Bradley Moran - NSF Mod 5 - $4,000,000.00 (July 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

The spring 2020 semester will certainly be remembered as one for the ages. The emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted nearly all aspects of our personal and work lives, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The outbreak of the virus in turn triggered a global collapse of oil prices, which unfortunately is expected to have a significant impact on the state economy and hence our university. In other words, a global scale one-two punch to Alaska.

Despite these unprecedented external forces, the entire university community adapted efficiently and effectively. For CFOS, we continued our academic mission using distance-delivery instruction methods that were already in place prior to the pandemic; this is an excellent example of the potential to grow our academic programs through online instruction. And while our many research programs have been similarly challenged, we are doing our best to advance on this front. For example, we are continuing to conduct essential research to the extent possible, and plans are in place to lead the nation’s first research cruise since the stand-down of the Academic Research Fleet through July 1, with Sikuliaq supporting the NGA LTER program next month. Well done, CFOS.

It is a pleasure to convey that several CFOS faculty were successful in the most recent UAF promotion and tenure process. Please join me in congratulating Andy Seitz (promotion to professor), Gabe Dunham and Peter Westley (promotion to associate professor with tenure), and Melissa Good (promotion to research associate professor).

Last, while the pandemic prevented the annual State of the College event, I would like to reiterate my strong appreciation to our dedicated students, staff and faculty for your perseverance, patience and collaborative approach in advancing the mission of CFOS during these challenging times.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2020 Dean’s Recognition Awards:

• Dr. Sarah Hardy: Outstanding Advisor
• Dr. Franz Mueter: Outstanding Instructor
• Dr. Ginny Eckert: Outstanding Public Service
• Dr. Seth Danielson: Outstanding Researcher
• Ms. Heather McLeod: Outstanding Staff
• Ms. Shelly Song: Outstanding Sikuliaq Crew Member
• Mr. Noah Khalsa: Outstanding Undergraduate Student
• Ms. Annie Raymond: Outstanding Graduate Student

Congratulations to our spring 2020 graduates:

• Kristin Brown. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Shannon Atkinson
• Michael Knutson. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Ginny Eckert
• Rachel Lekanoff. MS Oceanography, Major Advisor: Eric Collins
• Fletcher Sewall. Ph.D. Oceanography, Major Advisor: Brenda Norcross
• Lauren Wild. Ph.D. Fisheries, Major Advisor: Franz Mueter
• Christine Ann Zinkann. Ph.D. Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Katrin Iken
• Kate Ariola. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Ocean Science)
• Dennis Barril. BS Fisheries
• Heidi Ingram. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Science
• Noah Khalsa. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Sciences)
• Kelsie Maslen. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Science)
• Justin Ming. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Ocean Science)
• Deidra Neeley. BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (Concentration: Fisheries Science)

Outstanding undergraduate student awards:

• Kyleigh McArthur: Outstanding Freshman
• Jennifer Tusten: Outstanding Sophomore
• Brian Zhang: Outstanding Junior
• Monroe Morris: Outstanding Senior
• Noah Khalsa: Outstanding Leadership

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the UAF pier in Seward. Sikuliaq crew are continuing enhanced cleaning measures of the ship, good personal hygiene practices, and routine maintenance. After conducting a COVID-19 virus risk assessment and implementing several mitigation measures, Sikuliaq has received the green light to conduct a reduced North Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) cruise for Dr. Russ Hopcroft the first week of May.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS alum Michael Garvin (Ph.D., 2013) is doing pioneering research on COVID-19, which was recently published in the journal bioRxiv.

Hannah Myers was awarded the prestigious 2020 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Award. Congratulations, Hannah!

CFOS students Becca Cates and Kelly Cates, together with alumna Elizabeth Figus and former employee Lars Powers, are helping construct PPE for Southeast Alaska health care workers. The Juneau Empire and the Anchorage Press ran stories on the project.

CFOS in the News

The Anchorage Daily News ran an opinion piece by Peter Westley and Curry Cunningham about salmon fisheries management during COVID-19.

Russel Hopcroft commented in a Science article about COVID-19 affecting long-term scientific research, noting work on Sikuliaq.

Megan McPhee and Chris Sergeant were among several coauthors of a letter published in Science about Canadian mining practices that threaten downstream ecosystems and fisheries in Alaska and other states.

Publications

Donkersloot, R., J. Coleman, C. Carothers, D. Ringer, and P. Cullenberg. 2020. Kin, community, and diverse rural economies: Rethinking resource governance for Alaska rural fisheries. Marine Policy 117: 103966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103966

Grant Awards for March 2020

The new award for March is as follows:

• Grant G-13304 "Gulf of Alaska Cruise 2020: Ocean Acidification in Alaska's Coastal Seas" - Natalie Monacci - AOOS - $87,229.00 (October 1, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of March:

• Grant G-11625 "Modeling of Near Surface Stratification Processes in the Bay of Bengal: A proposal to the MISO-DRI" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 3 - $111,839.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Ginny Eckert - NOAA - Mod 14 - $1,630,289.00 (February 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12044 "Development of Scalable Coastal and Offshore Macroalgal Farming ARPA-E" - Michael Stekoll - Department of Energy - Mod 5 - $2,628,000.00 (April 11, 2018)
• Grant G-12804 "Coastal Marine Institute Program Administration 2019-2024" - Brenda Konar - BOEM - Mod 1 - $152,911.00 (May 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12871 "Cooperative Monitoring of Harmful Algal Blooms and Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning on Kodiak Archipelago: Advancing Tribal Resilience and Subsistence Food Security" - Julie Matweyou - Kodiak Area Native Association - Mod 1 - $9,220.00 (February 6, 2019)

Message from the Dean

Over the weekend we received positive news that the Governor’s office recognized the need for continuity of UAF’s important research mission during these uncertain times. This news is particularly timely in that many of our graduate students need to conduct fieldwork as part of their thesis research. We owe thanks to Chancellor White and his team for advocating on our behalf and to President Johnsen for helping to advance our diverse research programs and major facility operations.

It is a pleasure to convey that Kyle Rivera has accepted the position of CFOS student recruiter. Kyle earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in health, physical education and administration from Murray State University in Kentucky, where he also worked as a student recruiter and athletic director. Kyle will begin working remotely on Monday, April 13. Please join me in welcoming Kyle to our college.

With increasing daylight, warmer temperatures and trees budding, we are overdue to usher in spring after one of our coldest and snowiest winters in decades. Enjoy and be safe.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq completed her 14-day quarantine at sea and has docked at the UAF pier in Seward. Crew are continuing enhanced cleaning measures and routine maintenance of the ship while we wait for the green light to resume science operations.

Activities and Accomplishments

We recently launched the new CFOS website. This was a significant effort to migrate the prior website to OU Campus as well as conduct a major update in content, and we are still working to fine-tune our many web pages. A big thank-you to CFOS web editor Carol Kaynor and Sherrie Roberts of University Relations for their collective effort and expertise. Well done!

Courtney Carothers was appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on the Use of Limited Access Privilege Programs in Mixed-Use Fisheries.

Congratulations to Noah Khalsa and Hanna Myers, who received Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation, and to Kyle Dilliplaine, who received an honorable mention.

CFOS in the News

R/V Sikuliaq was mentioned in a Mirage News article about using life on research vessels as a successful example of living and working in close quarters during COVID-19 restrictions.

The disruption of R/V Sikuliaq operations and seagoing research due to the COVID-19 pandemic was featured in an article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Publications

Clark, C. T., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2020. Zinc concentrations in teeth of female walruses reflect the onset of reproductive maturity. Conservation Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coaa029

Ulaski, M. E., H. Finkle, and P. A. H. Westley. 2020. Direction and magnitude of natural selection on body size differs among age classes of seaward migrating Pacific salmon. Evolutionary Applications. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12957

Copeman, L., M. Spencer, R. Heintz, J. Vollenweider, A. Sremba, T. Helser, L. Logerwell, L. Sousa, S. Danielson, A. I. Pinchuk, and B. Laurel. 2020. Ontogenetic patterns in lipid and fatty acid biomarkers of juvenile polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) from across the Alaska Arctic. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02648-9

Message from the Dean

While we adapt to the current disruptions and uncertainties in our work and personal lives, it is heartening that the many dedicated CFOS staff and faculty continue to focus on the success of our students. In that regard, following the extended UAF Spring Break, the delivery of CFOS courses has proceeded essentially without interruption using online distance delivery, a teaching modality in which we are well versed. I am also very pleased that our faculty have offered to assist other UAF units as they transition to distance delivery teaching. Well done CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

R/V Sikuliaq is en route from Seattle to her homeport in Seward. During this transit, Sikuliaq successfully recovered two Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Observatory moorings associated with the NGA-LTER and Gulf Watch Alaska programs, and also conducted CTD work.

The crew is taking precautions and undergoing a quarantine at sea for 14 days, per guidance from the CDC, WHO and State of Alaska, to prevent transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Crew are cleaning the ship daily, and some often-used parts such as handrails twice a day. The ship’s medical officer is monitoring the crew by checking temperatures twice a day and examining for any symptoms of the coronavirus. Sikuliaq will not dock in Seward if any of the crew are symptomatic. We will continue to comply with all state and federal mandates regarding crew travel to and from the ship. The current plan is to moor at the UAF pier in Seward on April 4, and then wait for the green light to resume science operations.

Activities and Accomplishments

Franz Mueter gave a presentation at UAF’s Northwest Campus in Nome as part of the Strait Science series, sharing how changing sea ice conditions will affect the future of Arctic cod and other ice-associated fish.

CFOS in the News

Russ Hopcroft was featured in a Smithsonian article about the potential effect of the novel coronavirus on long-running research, including the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research project.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ran a story about Anne Beaudreau’s research on glacial retreat and Pacific salmon.

Publications

Kadko, D., A. Aguilar-Islas, C.S. Buck, J.N. Fitzsimmons, W.M. Landing, A. Shiller, C.P. Till, K.W. Bruland, E.A. Boyle, and R.F. Anderson. 2020. Sources, fluxes and residence times of trace elements measured during the U.S. GEOTRACES East Pacific Zonal Transect. Marine Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2020.103781

Krieger, J.R., A.H. Beaudreau, R.A. Heintz, and M.W. Callahan. 2020. Growth of young-of-year sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) in response to temperature and prey quality: Insights from a life stage specific bioenergetics model. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 526: 151340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2020.151340

Litzow, M.A., M.E. Hunsicker, N.A. Bond, B.J. Burke, C.J. Cunningham, J.L. Gosselin, E.L. Norton, E.J. Ward, and S.G. Zador. 2020. The changing physical and ecological meanings of North Pacific Ocean climate indices. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1921266117

Maniscalco, J.M., A.M. Springer, K. Counihan, T. Hollmen, H.M. Aderman, and M. Toyukak Sr. 2020. Contemporary diets of walruses in Bristol Bay, Alaska suggest temporal variability in benthic community structure. PeerJ 8:e8735. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8735

Message from the Dean

We could all use a bit of positive news at this time, and in that regard I will not provide in this message any further updates on COVID-19 that are being communicated by UA leadership. Rather, the CFOS Dean’s Office has undergone a significant staff turnover in recent months, and I am very pleased to convey that we have now assembled an exceptional new team in terms of experience and energy to serve our students and faculty. In this regard, it is a pleasure to announce that Eric Sanchez has accepted the position of CFOS HR Coordinator. Eric brings significant experience from his extensive career in the military supporting human resource operations across multiple departments and locations. Eric’s first day at CFOS will be Monday, March 23. Please join me in welcoming Eric to our college.

R/V Sikuliaq

Following a recommendation from UNOLS [PDF] to NSF and ONR, the Academic Research Fleet is suspending research cruises for the next 30 days. This week Sikuliaq is scheduled to transit from the GSA Federal Center South pier in south Seattle to home port in Seward.

Activities and Accomplishments

Faculty and students from CFOS and OARC participated in a Fairbanks homeschool event by facilitating fun activities and demonstrations to showcase our programs and help foster the students’ interest in STEM.

CFOS in the News

Anne Beaudreau was featured in UAF News for research she and others are conducting on how glacial retreat will affect Pacific salmon.

KTVF, a Fairbanks subsidiary of NBC, ran a story about William Burt and his use of ocean optics to study plankton.

Gary Freitag’s work monitoring non-native Botrylloides in Ketchikan was featured in the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center ITunicate Newsletter.

Publications

Edwards, M., B. Konar, J. H. Kim, S. Gabara, G. Sullaway, T. McHugh, M. Spector, and S. Small. 2020. Marine deforestation leads to widespread loss of ecosystem function. PLoS ONE 15 (3): e0226173. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226173

Pitman, K. J., J. W. Moore, M. R. Sloat, A. H. Beaudreau, A. L. Bidlack, R. E. Brenner, E. W. Hood, G. R. Pess, N. J. Mantua, A. M. Milner, V. Radić, G. H. Reeves, D. E. Schindler, and D. C. Whited. 2020. Glacier retreat and Pacific salmon. BioScience 70 (3): 220–236. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa015

Wild, L. A., F. J. Mueter, B. Witteveen, and J. M. Straley. 2020. Exploring variability in the diet of depredating sperm whales in the Gulf of Alaska through stable isotope analysis. Royal Society Open Science 7 (3). https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191110

Message from the Dean

In support of our mission to educate the next generation of fisheries and ocean scientists, we will soon roll out the new CFOS website, which is designed to enhance student recruitment and success. Our students conduct field and laboratory studies, disseminate new research discoveries at scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed scientific articles, and engage the public—they are essential to the many successful academic, research and outreach programs in CFOS.

In this regard, on Thursday the Chancellor will recognize several of our faculty for excellence in instruction and outreach. It is a pleasure to recognize and celebrate their success, along with our students and staff who support this critical part of our mission.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the GSA Federal Center South pier in south Seattle undergoing routine maintenance. Over the past two weeks, Sikuliaq passed both the NSF ship condition inspection and the regulatory USCG/ABS annual certificate of inspection.

Activities and Accomplishments

Marilyn Sigman’s book, Entangled: People and Ecological Change in Alaska's Kachemak Bay, published by UA Press, will receive the 2020 John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing.

As a member of the Marine Arctic Ecosystem Study (MARES), the Ocean Acidification Center (OARC) was awarded the 2019 NOPP Excellence in Partnering Award by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program. Natalie Monacci represented OARC at the award ceremony at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Diego.

Kristen Gorman was honored with an outreach award at the Copper Basin Symposium for the successful Copper River Salmon Harvesters Roundtable, which she helped organize in Tazlina on February 21. She presented her research on spawning migration habits of sockeye salmon at the symposium and the Copper River Salmon Science Synthesis Workshop.

Gwenn Hennon attended the EPSCoR States meeting in Washington, DC, and met with our congressional delegation to advocate for EPSCoR.

CFOS in the News

Seth Danielson, Katrin Iken, and Dean Stockwell were coauthors on a paper about transformations in arctic ecosystems that was published by Nature Climate Change. The paper has received significant international media attention, appearing in Newsweek, Phys.org, El País (in Spanish), UAF News, Alaska Public Media, and other news outlets.

UAF News ran a story about William Burt’s use of optical equipment to measure phytoplankton and zooplankton in the Northern Gulf of Alaska.

Julie Matweyou’s research and work in communities was mentioned in a story in Grist about toxic shellfish in Alaska.

Publications

Catterson, M. R., D. C. Love, T. M. Sutton, and M. V. McPhee. 2020. Interactions between marine growth and life history diversity of steelhead from the Situk River, Alaska. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 40 (1): 242–255. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10405

Clark, S. C., J. Granger, A. Mastorakis, A. Aguilar‐Islas, and M. G. Hastings. 2020. An investigation into the origin of nitrate in Arctic sea ice. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 34 (2): e2019GB006279. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GB006279

Huntington, H. P., S. L. Danielson, F. K. Wiese, M. Baker, P. Boveng, J.J. Citta, A. De Robertis, D. M. S. Dickson, E. Farley, J. C. George, K. Iken, D. G. Kimmel, K. Kuletz, C. Ladd, R. Levine, L. Quakenbush, P. Stabeno, K. M. Stafford, D. Stockwell, and C. Wilson. 2020. Evidence suggests potential transformation of the Pacific Arctic ecosystem is underway. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0695-2

Koehn, L. E., T. E. Essington, P. S. Levin, K. N. Marshall, L. G. Anderson, A. Bundy, C. Carothers, F. C. Coleman, J. H. Grabowski, E. Houde, O. P. Jensen, C. Möllmann, and A .D. M. Smith. Case studies demonstrate capacity for a structured planning process for ecosystem-based fisheries management. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2019-0202

Sergeant, C. J., J. A. Falke, R. A. Bellmore, J. R. Bellmore, and R. L. Crumley. 2020. A classification of streamflow patterns across the coastal Gulf of Alaska. Water Resources Research 56 (2): e2019WR026127. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026127

Valk, O., M. M. Rutgers van der Loeff, W. Geibert, S. Gdaniec, S. B. Moran, K. Lepore, R. L. Edwards, Y. Lu, V. Puigcorbé, N. Casacuberta, R. Paffrath, W. Smethie, and M. Roy-Barman. 2020. Decrease in 230Th in the Amundsen Basin since 2007: far-field effect of increased scavenging on the shelf? Ocean Science 16:221–234. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-221-2020

Grant Awards for February 2020

The new awards for February are as follows:

• Grant G-13224 "Knauss Fellowship for Ann Zinkann" - Ginny Eckert - NOAA - $59,000.00 (February 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13259 "2020 UAF Port Valdez Environmental Studies" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $69,000.00 (January 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13260 "Port Valdez Environmental Studies: Retrospective Analysis of Chemical Data, 1998-2019" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $24,000.00 (January 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13265 "Thresholds in a changing ocean environment: Bioeconomic implications to inform adaptation decisions for Alaska's salmon fisheries" - Amanda Kelley - University of Wyoming - $73,813.00 (November 1, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of February:

• Grant G-2218 "Administration of PCCRC" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation - $45,000.00 (January 1, 2005)
• Grant G-3163 "Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation - $225,000.00 (April 1, 2006)
• Grant G-4710 "Marine Research, Training and Technology Program" - Shannon DeMaster - UA Foundation - $9,000.00 (March 5, 2008)
• Grant G-12500 "Bering Strait High-Frequency Radar" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - Mod 1 - $114,286.00 (October 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12684 "Belmont Forum Collaborative Research (BiodivERsA): De-icing of Arctic Coasts: Critical or new opportunities for marine biodiversity and Ecosystem Services ACCES" - Katrin Iken - NSF- Mod 1 - $57,784.00 (March 15, 2019)

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to welcome two new staff to the CFOS Dean’s Office. Starting today, Deborah (Debby) Queen will begin work as the CFOS executive officer. Debby brings significant professional experience from her prior work at the UA Office of Information Technology, as executive assistant in the UAF Chancellor’s office, and most recently with the Fairbanks healthcare industry. The new CFOS financial manager is Tatiana Krupina. A UAF alum, Tatiana brings years of experience working in the private sector and was most recently senior accountant for Fountainhead Development Inc. Tatiana’s first day at CFOS will be Wednesday, February 26. Please join me in welcoming Debby and Tatiana to our college.

I also want to thank Heather McLeod for managing more than her usual workload during this staff transition. We will host a Coffee with the Dean on Friday, February 28, to allow folks to meet and greet Debby and Tatiana and to thank our staff for their good work.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is alongside the GSA Federal Center South pier in south Seattle, performing routine maintenance and preparing for the NSF ship inspection.

Activities and Accomplishments

Last weekend CFOS hosted the 23rd Alaska Tsunami Bowl in Seward. Fifteen teams competed, and the winner was "Southern Oscillation" from South Anchorage High School. Kudos to the Seward Marine Center staff and the City of Seward for their time and effort in making this year’s event a success.

Will Burt was accepted into the RBR2020 Cohort, a new two-year accelerator program to support innovative early-career ocean scientists. The program is funded by RBR, a Canadian company that designs and manufactures oceanographic instruments.

On February 5, Alice Bailey and Doug Baird participated in the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission Research Communications Working Group in Anchorage.

UAF Provost Anupma Prakash and the Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services, Julie Queen, recently toured the Seward Marine Center to learn more about CFOS programs and facilities.

A paper coauthored by Lara Horstmann on whale gut microbiomes was voted among the 20 best papers in 2019 in the ISME journal.

CFOS in the News

Gordon Kruse was featured in UAF Cornerstone for receiving the Terry Quinn II Distinguished Scientist Award from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The Nome Nugget covered a recent presentation in the UAF Northwest Campus Strait Science series, hosted by Gay Sheffield, which featured CFOS alum Jackie Grebmeier’s research on the impacts of decreasing sea ice on the arctic food chain.

Publications

Atkinson, S., D. Gendron, T. A. Branch, K. L. Mashburn, V. Melica, L. E. Enriquez-Paredes, and R. L. Brownell Jr. 2020. Pregnancy rate and biomarker validations from the blubber of eastern North Pacific blue whales. Marine Mammal Science 36 (1): 6–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12616

Fryer, P, C. G. Wheat, T. Williams, C. Kelley, K. Johnson, J. Ryan, W. Kurz, J. Shervais, E. Albers, B. Bekins, B. Debret, J. Deng, Y. Dong, P. Eickenbusch, E. Frery, Y. Ichiyama, R. Johnston, R. Kevorkian, V. Magalhaes, S. Mantovanelli, W. Menapace, C. Menzies, K. Michibayashi, C. Moyer, K. Mullane, J. W. Park, R. Price, O. Sissmann, S. Suzuki, K. Takai, B. Walter, R. Zhang, D. Amon, D. Glickson, and S. Pomponi. 2020. Mariana serpentinite mud volcanism exhumes subducted seamount materials: Implications for the origin of life. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A 378 (2165). https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2018.0425

Harried, B. L., D. J. Daugherty, D. J. Hoeinghaus, A. P Roberts, B. J. Venables, T. M. Sutton, and B. K. Soulen. 2019. Population contributions of large females may be eroded by contaminant body burden and maternal transfer: a case study of alligator gar. North American Journal of Fisheries Management . https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10382

Hennon, G. M. M., and S. T. Dyhrman. 2020. Progress and promise of omics for predicting the impacts of climate change on harmful algal blooms. Harmful Algae 91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2019.03.005

Johnston, T. M. S., M. C. Schönau, T. Paluszkiewicz, J. A. MacKinnon, B. K. Arbic, P. L. Colin, M. H. Alford, M. Andres, L. Centurioni, H. C. Graber, K. R. Helfrich, V. Hormann, P. F. J. Lermusiaux, R. C. Musgrave, B. S. Powell, B. Qiu, D. L. Rudnick, H. L. Simmons, L. St. Laurent, E. J. Terrill, D. S. Trossman, G. Voet, H. W. Wijesekera, and K. L. Zeiden. 2019. FLEAT: A multiscale observational and modeling program to understand how topography affects flows in the western North Pacific. Oceanography 32 (4): 10–21. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.407

Merrifield, S. T., P. L. Colin, T. Cook, C. Garcia-Moreno, J. A. MacKinnon, M. Otero, T. A. Schramek, M. Siegelman, H. L. Simmons, and E. J. Terrill. 2019. Island wakes observed from high-frequency current mapping radar. Oceanography 32 (4): 92–101. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.415

Ravelo, A. M., B. A. Bluhm, N. Foster, and K. Iken. 2020. Biogeography of epibenthic assemblages in the central Beaufort Sea. Marine Biodiversity 50 (1): 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-019-01036-9

Simmons, H. L., B. S. Powell, S. T. Merrifield, S. E. Zedler, and P. L. Colin. 2019. Dynamical downscaling of equatorial flow response to Palau. Oceanography 32 (4): 84–91. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.414

St. Laurent, L., T. Ijichi, S. T. Merrifield, J. Shapiro, and H. L. Simmons. 2019. Turbulence and vorticity in the wake of Palau. Oceanography 32 (4): 102–109. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2019.416

Wheat, C. G., K. Becker, H. Villinger, B. N. Orcutt, T. Fournier, A Hartwell, and C. Pau. 2020. Subseafloor cross-hole tracer experiment reveals hydrologic properties, heterogeneities, and reactions in slow-spreading oceanic crust. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 21 (1): e2019GC008804. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008804

Yeh, H. D., J. M. Questel, K. R. Maas, and A. Bucklin. 2020. Metabarcoding analysis of regional variation in gut contents of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus in the North Atlantic Ocean. Deep-Sea Research Part II . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2020.104738

Message from the Dean

An article in yesterday’s edition of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on the value of university research noted the importance of Alaska’s blue economy, which encompasses both traditional maritime sectors and emerging innovation and technology-driven opportunities. By supporting a broad portfolio of cutting-edge research projects and training the next generation of scientists and technicians, CFOS and its partner Alaska Sea Grant are at the forefront of Alaska’s maritime economic development. We can take pride that our work and that of the entire university is recognized for bringing significant positive economic impact to the state.

The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) held last week in Anchorage featured numerous insightful presentations by CFOS students and faculty that reflect extremely well on our diverse research, education and public outreach programs. Kudos to Alice Bailey for showcasing our many programs and facilities at the CFOS booth, and for communicating the many opportunities for students, postdocs and faculty to connect with the College. There was also strong interest in our new coastal research vessel, Nanuq; thanks to Brian Mullaly for promoting this new research asset.

Several active searches for CFOS staff positions are progressing well. We are hoping to conclude the search for a new executive officer and financial manager in the next week; we are also focused on filling the HR coordinator and student recruiter positions.

Warmer temperatures and more daylight remind us that spring is just around the corner. Until then, best to enjoy the beauty of Alaska’s winter.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is at the University of Washington pier in Seattle for repairs, routine maintenance, and to prepare for the NSF ship inspection next month. Once the Ballard Locks close, the ship will move to a pier on the Duwamish River in South Seattle.

Activities and Accomplishments

The AMSS award for best PhD oral presentation went to Scott Gabara, who studied under Brenda Konar on kelp deforestation along the Aleutian Islands.

Last week, the Coastal Marine Institute and the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center held their annual symposia in Anchorage.

Laura Horstmann and Nicole Misarti presented their walrus research and led an experiment at the Museum of the North Walrus Family day, which had more than 200 participants.

CFOS Professor Emeritus Gordon Kruse was awarded the inaugural Terry Quinn II Distinguished Scientist Award, which was established by the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council. Congratulations, Gordon!

Steven Hartz was recognized by UNOLS for his 30 years of contributions to seagoing research.

Publications

Shink, K.G., T.M. Sutton, J.M. Murphy, and J.A. López. 2019. Utilizing DNA metabarcoding to characterize the diet of marine-phase Arctic lamprey ( Lethenteron camtschaticum ) in the eastern Bering Sea. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences 76 (11): 1993–2002. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0299

Ressel, K.N., J. Bell, and T.M. Sutton. 2020. Distribution and life history of spawning capelin in subarctic Alaska. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 149 (1): 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10207

Zanotti, L., C. Carothers, C. Aqpik Apok, S. Huang, J. Coleman, and C. Ambrozek. 2020. Political ecology and decolonial research: Co-production with the Iñupiat in Utqiaġvik. Journal of Political Ecology 27 (1). https://doi.org/10.2458/v27i1.23335

Spencer, M.L., C.D. Vestfals, F.J. Mueter, and B.J. Laurel. 2020. Ontogenetic changes in the buoyancy and salinity tolerance of eggs and larvae of polar cod ( Boreogadus saida ) and other gadids. Polar Biology . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02620-7

Grant Awards for January 2020

The new awards for January are as follows:

• Grant G-13184 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study 2021" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC - $37,764.00 (January 1, 2020)
• Grant G-13218 "F/ASGARD Fish Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration and Deposition Rates Year 4" - Brenda Norcross - NPRB - $25,599.00 (October 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13219 "Technical review of Yukon River Canadian–origin Chinook salmon Interim Management Escapement Goal" - Curry Cunningham - Bering Sea Fisherman's Association - $75,972.00 (October 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13223 "Underwater autonomous vehicle missions in support of an ecosystem-based approach to Alaska fisheries management" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $280,952.00 (January 1, 2020)

The following grant is controlled by another department and received funding during the month of January:

• Grant G-13148 "NNA Track 1: Pursuing Opportunities for Long-term Arctic Resilience for Infrastructure and Society (POLARIS)" - CNSM/CDR - Davin Holen (Co-PI) - Penn State University - $241,955.00 (November 1, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of January:

• Grant G-1085 "NOSB Support" - S. Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $22,871.00 (July 1, 2002)
• Grant G-9023 "Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit" - Victoria Baker - UA Foundation - $23,000.00 (September 1, 2013)
• Grant G-9156 "Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit CoBank" - Victoria Baker - UA Foundation - $4,000.00 (September 1, 2013)
• Grant G-11291 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study (UA Foundation)" - Trent Sutton - UA Foundation - $90,000.00 (January 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11498 "Riverine Carbon Contributions to Alaskan Arctic Coastal Margins" - Stephen Okkonen - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - Mod 3 - $50,173.00 - (March 16, 2017)
• Grant G-11744 "Synthesizing Optically- and Carbon Export-Relevant Particle Size Distributions for the EXPORTS Field Campaign" - Andrew McDonnell - University of California Santa Barbara NCEAS - Mod 3 - $86,340.00 (September 15, 2017)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Ginny Eckert - NOAA - Mod 13 - $50,000.00 (February 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

As we kick off the spring 2020 semester, this is a good time to reflect on the key goals for the College this coming year, which were transmitted today in the 2020 CFOS Goals and Priorities memorandum. Increasing enrollment at CFOS is a top priority and we are actively working to bolster our student body; as Chancellor White recently conveyed, we are all in the enrollment business. We are also making good progress in hiring new staff to support the CFOS mission. And in the coming months we look forward to hiring new faculty in fisheries, mariculture and aquatic ecosystem dynamics.

Next week, we look forward to many interesting presentations by our students and faculty at the 2020 Alaska Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage. During the poster sessions, CFOS will have a booth with plenty of swag, so please stop by and check it out.

It is a pleasure to welcome back our current and new CFOS students and acknowledge the fall 2019 graduates. CFOS faculty and staff are here to support you, and we wish you great success. In that regard, in 2019 we had a record number of Chancellor's and Dean's List students. The Chancellor’s list included Noah Khalsa, Ronald Sheldon, and Brian Zhang. The Dean’s list included Tim Adickes, Talia Davis, Feyne Elmore, Heidi Ingram, Roger Maldonado, Alex Mathews, Nana Matsui, Kyleigh McArthur, Monroe Morris, Sadie Oswald, Jennifer Tusten, and Tazia Wagner.

Congratulations to our fall 2019 undergraduate class:

• Tibor Dorsaz - BS Fisheries
• Adrienne Stansberry - BS Fisheries
• Alyx Hoover - BS Fisheries
• Diego Madrid - BS Fisheries

Congratulations to our graduating Master’s and PhD students:

• Cheryl Barnes - PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
• Madison Kosma - MS Fisheries, Advisors: Megan McPhee and Jan Straley
• Stephanie O'Daly - MS Oceanography, Advisor: Andrew McDonnell
• Kirsten Ressel - MS Fisheries, Advisor: Trent Sutton

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new graduate students:

• Stephanie O'Daly - PhD Oceanography, Advisor: Andrew McDonnell
• Janessa Esquible - PhD Fisheries, Advisor: Courtney Carothers
• Lindsey Stalder - MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Katrin Iken
• Taylor Cubbage - MS Fisheries, Advisor: Jeff Falke
• Emily Stidham - MS Oceanography, Advisor: Russ Hopcroft
• Elizabeth Hasan - MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Brenda Konar
• Tamsen Peeples - MS Fisheries, Advisor: Mike Stekoll
• Erika King - MS Fisheries, Advisor: Megan McPhee and David Tallmon

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is docked at the UW pier in Seattle for repairs, routine maintenance, and to prepare for the NSF ship inspection next month.

Activities and Accomplishments

Elizabeth Hinkle was awarded an Alaska EPSCoR seed grant to study the post-wildfire response of stream habitat and macroinvertebrate assemblage.

CFOS in the News

Katrin Iken was interviewed by KTVF Channel 11 (Fairbanks) about receiving the 2020 Usibelli Distinguished Research Award. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner also ran a story about the Usibelli awards.

Publications

Esquible, J. A., K. Burek-Huntington, S. Atkinson, A. C. Klink, E. Bortz, T. A. Goldstein, K. Beckmen, K. Pabilonia, and R. Tiller. 2019. Pathological findings and survey for pathogens associated with reproductive failure in perinatal Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 137 (2): 131–144. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03421

Hulme, S. M., and C. G. Wheat. 2019. Subseafloor fluid and chemical fluxes along a buried‐basement ridge on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 20 (11): 4922–4938. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008408

Lovvorn, J. R., A. R. Rocha, S. L. Danielson, L. W. Cooper, J. M. Grebmeier, and K. S. Hedstrom. 2020. Predicting sediment organic carbon and related food web types from a physical oceanographic model on a subarctic shelf. Marine Ecology Progress Series 633:37–54. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13163

Prentice, C., K. L. Poppe, M. Lutz, E. Murray, T. A. Stephens, A. Spooner, M. Hessing-Lewis, R. Sanders-Smith, J. M. Rybczyk, J. Apple, F. T. Short, J. Gaeckle, A. Helms, C. Mattson, W. W. Raymond, and T. Klinger. 2020. A synthesis of blue carbon stocks, sources and accumulation rates in eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows in the Northeast Pacific. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GB006345

Shalev, N., T .R. R. Bontognali, C. G. Wheat, and D. Vance. 2019. New isotope constraints on the Mg oceanic budget point to cryptic modern dolomite formation. Nature Communications 10 (1): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13514-6

Schuler, A. R., S. Piwetz, J. Di Clemente, D. Steckler, F. Mueter, and H. C. Pearson. 2019. Humpback whale movements and behavior in response to whale-watching vessels in Juneau, AK. Frontiers in Marine Science 6:710. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00710

Wheat, C. G., J. S. Seewald, and K. Takai. 2019. Fluid transport and reaction processes within a serpentinite mud volcano: South Chamorro Seamount. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 269:413–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2019.10.037

Message from the Dean

Happy New Year! It is a pleasure to wish everyone a warm welcome after what was hopefully an enjoyable winter break spent with friends and family. I wish everyone a productive and safe 2020.

As we transition into the new year, we also have two important staff transitions. Effective today, Jennifer Harris will begin her new role with the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, and Tara Borland will start her new position with Alaska EPSCoR. Please join me in wishing Jennifer and Tara the best going forward.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq was very successful in finding storm waves for Dr. Thomson’s cruise in December, reporting seas up to 17 meters (55 feet). Sikuliaq is now moored in Seattle for repairs, maintenance and preparation for the biennial NSF inspection.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC) members Natalie Monacci and Amanda Kelley coauthored a poster, Ocean Acidification in Alaska: Chemistry, Clams, Cod, and Crabs, at the American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Natalie also gave a flash talk on ocean acidification at AGU that was recorded by UAF and posted on YouTube.

Chris Maio, who has been working on a long-term coastal erosion project funded in part by Alaska Sea Grant, also gave a flash talk at AGU that was recorded by UAF and posted on YouTube.

Franz Mueter contributed to a special section of the 2019 NOAA Arctic Report Card that describes and compares rapid community and population shifts in the Bering and Barents seas. The Report Card was unveiled during a press conference at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco and generated extensive coverage by the media.

Katrin Iken was awarded the 2020 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Research Award. This is wonderful news that reflects Katrin’s tremendous contribution to research for the state of Alaska, the nation, and our international science community.

CFOS in the News

Nature Research Ecology and Evolution described how William Burt’s research with ocean optics validated satellite measurements of zooplankton.

The Anchorage Daily News ran an article about the growth of Alaska’s seaweed industry and mentioned Alaska Sea Grant as one of the organizations facilitating mariculture training.

Franz Mueter’s research with arctic cod was featured in a story by Ice In Motion.

Publications

Thoman, R., U. Bhatt, P. Bieniek, B. Brettschneider, M. Brubaker, S. Danielson, Z. Labe, R. Lader, W. Meier, G. Sheffield, and J. Walsh. 2020. The record low Bering Sea ice extent in 2018: Content, impacts, and an assessment of the role of anthropogenic climate change. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, S18–19. PDF download

Marsh, J. M., and F. J. Mueter. 2019. Influences of temperature, predators, and competitors on polar cod ( Boreogadus saida ) at the southern margin of their distribution. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02575-4

Marsh, J. M., F. J. Mueter, and T. J. Quinn II. 2019. Environmental and biological influences on the distribution and population dynamics of polar cod ( Boreogadus saida ) in the US Chukchi Sea. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02561-w

Ormseth, O. A., M. M. Baker, R. R. Hopcroft, C. Ladd, C. W. Mordy, J. H. Moss, F. J. Mueter, S. K. Shotwell, and S. L. Strom. 2019. Introduction to understanding ecosystem processes in the Gulf of Alaska, volume 2. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 165:1–6. To DOI publication: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.06.019

Schuler, A., S. Piwetz, J. Di Clemente, D. Steckler, F. J. Mueter, and H. C. Pearson. 2019. Humpback whale movements and behavior in response to whale-watching vessels in Juneau, AK. Frontiers in Marine Science 6:710. To DOI publication: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00710

Thorson, J. T., M. Fossheim, F. J. Mueter, E. Olsen, R. R. Lauth, R. Primicerio, B. Husson, J. Marsh, A. Dolgov, and S. G. Zador. 2019. Comparison of near-bottom fish densities show rapid community and population shifts in Bering and Barents Seas. In Arctic Report Card 2019, J. Richter-Menge, M.L. Druckenmiller and M. Jeffries (eds.). Department of Commerce, NOAA, NOAA Arctic Report Card.

Grenier, M., R. Francois, M. Soon, M. M. Rutgers van der Loeff, X. Yu, O. Valk, C. Not, S. B. Moran, R. L. Edwards, Y. Lu, K. Lepore, and S. E. Allen. 2019. Changes in circulation and particle scavenging in the Amerasian basin of the Arctic Ocean over the last three decades inferred from the water column distribution of geochemical tracers. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 124. To DOI publication: 10.1029/2019JC015265

Grant Awards for December 2019

The new awards for December are as follows:

• Grant G-13142 "Tracing the Fate of Phytoplankton-Derived Carbon in Chukchi Shelf Sediments Part A" - Sarah Hardy - NPRB - $158,888.00 (December 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13143 "Tracing the Fate of Phytoplankton-Derived Carbon in Chukchi Shelf Sediments Part B" - Sarah Hardy - NPRB - $23,604.00 (December 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13157 "Ecosystem monitoring and detection of wind and ice-mediated changes through a year-round physical and biogeochemical mooring in the Northeast Chukchi Sea" - Seth Danielson - NPRB - $176,000.00 (December 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13175 "RII Track-4: Using otolith geochemistry to understand the ocean ecology of a changing Alaskan salmon system" - Kristen Gorman - NSF - $162,010.00 (December 15, 2019)

The following grant received incremental funding during the month of December:

• Grant G-11157 "Seward Line Monitoring" - Mod 5 - Russ Hopcroft - AOOS - $100,000.00 (June 1, 2016)

Message from the Dean

An overarching priority of the Alaska Governor’s Mariculture Task Force is to “boost the mariculture industry, including aquatic farming and enhancement of fisheries in Alaska.” In this regard, CFOS collaborating faculty Mike Stekoll is leading one of several innovative projects supported by the Department of Energy ARPA-E MARINER program. Phase II (pending) of the Alaska MARINER project is a model partnership between academia and industry: UAF/CFOS, University of Connecticut, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, Blue Evolution, and C.A. Goudey & Associates. The project goal is to develop scalable coastal and offshore macroalgal farming techniques, and will utilize our Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center.

Along these lines, CFOS is exploring ways to enhance the MARINER program and related mariculture research in Alaska. For example, Mike Stekoll is using our Lena Point facility to support his mariculture program, and CFOS leadership is discussing how to best utilize the Chancellor’s award to support a new mariculture faculty hire. Mariculture holds significant promise to bolster Alaska’s blue economy, and CFOS remains focused on supporting this opportunity.

A reminder that we will hold a CFOS Coffee with the Dean on Thursday, December 12, from 10–11 am in the CFOS Dean’s Office. Please stop by for some coffee, tea and pastries.

R/V Sikuliaq

On November 27, Sikuliaq disembarked personnel in Nome via small boat. According to the harbormaster, this was the latest open-water transfer by boat in Nome's approximately 120 years of documented history. Sikuliaq is currently in the Gulf of Alaska supporting Dr. Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Breaking Bubbles project. Thomson’s team will be using Surface Wave Instrument Float with Tracking (SWIFT) buoys equipped with motion sensors, turbulence profilers and cameras for bubble recording.

Activities and Accomplishments

Congratulations to our students who participated in the CFOS Fall Undergraduate Symposium last Friday.

Gwenn Hennon and Will Burt received seed funding from the Murdock Trust to enhance the capability of the Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Observatory (GEO).

Jennifer Questel was a visiting scientist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where she gave a seminar in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology and worked on DNA sequencing of cnidarians and ctenophores collected during the 2019 NOAA Gulf of Alaska Seamounts cruise.

Franz Mueter, Alexei Pinchuk, Jared Weems and fisheries alumna Lorena Edenfield successfully deployed and fished an under-ice net from Sikuliaq along the Beaufort and Chukchi slope and basin. Operating in 90–100% ice cover, the net caught Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and a variety of zooplankton, including some unexpected species. The joint CODA/GO-WEST cruise was funded by NSF, ARICE, BOEM and UAF.

The American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter Student Subunit was awarded a $750 grant from the Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks to continue a student-led research project focused on the ecotoxicology of burbot.

CFOS in the News

Will Burt coauthored a paper published in Nature about daily vertical migrations of ocean animals.

Jennifer Reynolds’ work mapping hydrocarbon seeps on Alaska’s seafloor appeared in UAF Cornerstone and Petroleum News.

Franz Mueter was interviewed by Ice in Motion regarding the CODA/GO-WEST cruise. The Nome Nugget also mentioned Mueter in an article about Arctic cod research on the cruise.

Alaska Public Media reported on free how-to training for would-be seaweed farmers in Alaska, cosponsored by Alaska Sea Grant. Melissa Good is quoted in the story, which also aired on KFSK (Petersburg), KTUU-TV (Anchorage), and KATH-TV (Juneau), and was mentioned by Pacific Fishing online.

KHNS-FM interviewed Davin Holen for a story on the Skagway Traditional Council joining a growing number of Alaska tribes monitoring ocean acidification levels.

Publications

Armstrong, J. B., D. E. Schindler, C. J. Cunningham, W. Deacy, and P. Walsh. 2019. Watershed complexity increases the capacity for salmon–wildlife interactions in coastal ecosystems. Conservation Letters. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12689

Behrenfeld, M. J., P. Gaube, A. Della Penna, R. T. O’Malley, W. J. Burt, Y. Hu, P. S. Bontempi, D. K. Steinberg, E. S. Boss, D. A. Siegel, C. A. Hostetler, P. D. Tortell, and S. C. Doney. 2019. Global satellite-observed daily vertical migrations of ocean animals. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1796-9

Miller, C. A., H. C. Holm, L. Horstmann, J. C. George, H. F. Fredricks, B. A. S. Van Mooy, and A. Apprill. 2019. Coordinated transformation of the gut microbiome and lipidome of bowhead whales provides novel insights into digestion. ISME Journal. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0549-y

Rose, C. S., J. K. Nielsen, J. R. Gauvin, T. Loher, S. A. Sethi, A. C. Seitz, M. B. Courtney, and P. Drobny. 2019. Survival outcome patterns revealed by deploying advanced tags in quantity: Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) survivals after release from trawl catches through expedited sorting. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 76 (12): 2215–2224. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0350

Smé, N. A., S. Lyon, F. Mueter, V. Brykov, Y. Sakurai, and A. J. Gharrett. 2019. Examination of saffron cod Eleginus gracilis (Tilesius 1810) population genetic structure. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02601-5

Smith, J., S. Karpovich, L. Horstmann, J. McIntyre, and D. M. O’Brien. 2019. Seasonal differences in foraging and isotopic niche width related to body size in Gulf of Alaska harbor seals. Canadian Journal of Zoology 97 (12): 1156–1163. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2019-0108

Grant Awards for November 2019

New awards for November are as follows:

• Grant G-13101 "Western Beaufort and Chukchi Sea Surface Current Analysis" - Seth Danielson - BOEM - $77,640.00 (November 6, 2019)
• Grant G-13129 "Impacts of Sedimentation and Drivers of Variability in the Boulder Patch Community, Beaufort Sea" - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - $53,083.00 (September 18, 2019)
• Grant G-13130 "Auke Creek Coho Jack Study" - Megan McPhee - UA Foundation - $28,500.00 (November 1, 2019)

The following grants are controlled by other departments and were set up in November:

• Grant G-12795 "NIST/MEP" - Quentin Fong - UAA Business Enterprise Institute - Department of Commerce - $178,373.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13079 "Landfast Ice Climatology within the Arctic OCS" - Seth Danielson - GI Snow & Ice & Permafrost - BOEM - $121,117.00 (September 24, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of November:

• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY 2018-2022" - S. Bradley Moran - Mod 4 - NSF - $3,000,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12361 "NOAA - Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO)" - Brenda Konar - Mod 2 - AOOS - $69,050.00 (June 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12381 "Alaska Ocean Acidification Research: Autonomous Observations of Ocean Acidification in Alaska Coastal Seas" - Brenda Konar - Mod 2 - AOOS - $197,550.00 (June 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I ask that every CFOS student, staff and faculty reflect on the importance of our collective work, and of the responsibility we hold as stewards of Alaska’s vital aquatic resources. In that regard, I offer a few recent examples of the importance of our research, training and outreach, and how our activities benefit Alaska and the nation.

First, following a recent White House summit on partnerships in ocean science and technology, the President issued a memorandum directing federal agencies to develop national strategies to map the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and the Alaska coastline. These actions will benefit Alaska and the nation’s economy, advance our understanding of our oceans and coastlines, and promote efficient ocean exploration activities. Implicit in these actions is the need for strengthened collaboration between agencies, our UAF partners, and CFOS researchers and major facilities.

Last week at the University–National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Annual Meeting, Gay Sheffield gave a revealing account of the dramatic environmental changes occurring within the Bering Strait region, and the impact of these changes on Alaska’s communities and economy. During the Q&A, numerous individuals remarked on how CFOS is literally at the front lines studying Alaska’s changing aquatic ecosystems—this is central to our mission.

To expand on this further, the fascinating work and value of CFOS is showcased in the 2019 CFOS Annual Report, which is now complete and posted on our website.

As many of you are now aware, Wendy Huesties has accepted a position with the University of Alaska statewide system. Since 2014, Wendy has played an important role as the CFOS Financial Manager. Please join me in thanking Wendy for her good work and wishing her the best in her new position.

Wishing everyone a pleasant and safe Thanksgiving with family and friends.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas to support Dr. Franz Mueter’s (UAF/CFOS) and Dr. Hauke Flores’ (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research) GO-WEST project. The project will look at polar cod, ice-associated fauna, sea-ice habitat properties, and hydroacoustic profiles of zooplankton and fish in the western Beaufort Sea. The goal is to sample across the marginal ice zone during sea-ice formation and potential entrainment of juvenile polar cod. The GO-WEST project is funded by the Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE) and the CFOS Alaska Sikuliaq Program.

Activities and Accomplishments

Shannon Atkinson, Jenell Larsen, and Sonia Ibarra participated in the Southeast Sea Otter Stakeholder Meeting in Juneau on November 6, 2019. Hosted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the meeting focused on sea otter interactions with fisheries and Alaska Native communities and recommendations for future research and management efforts.

Gordon Kruse served as one of three conveners of the ICES/PICES/NAFO symposium, entitled “Shellfish – Resources and Invaders of the North," held in Tromsø, Norway, November 5–7, 2019. Gordon also gave the keynote presentation, "Dynamics of snow crab in the eastern Bering Sea and US portions of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas under climate change," which was coauthored by CFOS alumni Joel Webb and Lauren Divine and graduate student Laura Slater. Symposium papers will be published in a special issue of the ICES Journal of Marine Research.

Gay Sheffield gave the keynote presentation at the 2019 UNOLS Annual Meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, entitled “Bering Strait: A regional perspective on Arctic marine science.”

CFOS in the News

The Nome Nugget highlighted Sikuliaq research and featured Seth Danielson.

An New York Post story about low sea ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas featured Sikuliaq scientists studying wave action and coastal erosion. The story appeared locally, nationally and internationally, from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner to the Associated Press, Minnesota Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, and Japan News.

Gay Sheffield was featured in an Anchorage Daily News story about seabird and marine mammal die-offs in the Bering Sea.

The Frontiersman ran a story about a keynote presentation co-delivered by Courtney Carothers at the 2019 Mat-Su Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium in Palmer.

Franz Mueter was interviewed in a KNOM Radio Mission story about Arctic cod and current changes in Chukchi and Beaufort Sea ecosystems.

Rachel Potter was interviewed by KNOM about the use of high-frequency radar systems to monitor and track ocean currents in the Bering Strait region.

Publications

Carothers, C., T.L. Sformo, S. Cotton, J.C. George, and P.A.H. Westley. 2019. Pacific salmon in the rapidly changing Arctic: Exploring local knowledge and emerging fisheries in Utqiaġvik and Nuiqsut, Alaska. Arctic 72 (3): 273–88. https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic68876

Message from the Dean

The UAF Expedited Program Review of our fisheries, marine biology and oceanography academic programs has been finalized and submitted to the university review committee. I want to thank the department chairs and faculty for their time and effort preparing these reports. Regarding next steps and the eventual outcome of this process, it is important to refer to Chancellor White’s recent message: “The primary purpose of program reviews is to evaluate the quality of our programs, their effectiveness, efficiency, and their alignment with UAF’s mission.” Stay tuned for further details.

The 2019 CFOS Annual Report has been completed and sent for printing. As with last year’s report, expect to see a visually appealing and interesting summary of some of our academic, research and service program highlights over the past year. A big thank-you to Lauren Frisch for providing the content and Carol Kaynor for assembling the final product with expert editing. We expect to distribute the report in the coming weeks.

Today is Veteran’s Day. Please take a moment to reflect on and honor the military veterans who served our country.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Nome staging for Dr. Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) project. Also aboard are Dr. Franz Mueter (UAF/CFOS) and Dr. Hauke Flores (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research) in support of the GO-WEST project, which will investigate distributions of polar cod, ice-associated fauna and hydroacoustic profiles of zooplankton and fish in the western Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS recently hosted the 2019 Research Vessel Technical Enhancement Committee (RVTEC) meeting at the UAF campus. The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) holds this meeting at a different member institution each year, and this year over 100 attendees participated from institutions across the nation. Thank you to the many individuals who helped make this a highly productive meeting.

CFOS in the News

Dr. Suzie Teerlink, a CFOS alumna now working at NOAA Fisheries, appeared in a KINY (Juneau) story about whales past and present in Southeast Alaska.

Rachel Potter was featured in an Alaska Public Media story about the use of high-frequency radar systems to monitor and track ocean currents in the Bering Strait region.

The Juneau Empire ran a story on the annual Spooktacular Dive and Underwater Pumpkin Carving event, hosted by CFOS and the Scuba Tank.

Grant Awards for October 2019

The new awards for October are as follows (with actual start date in parentheses):

• Grant G-13021 "Nurturing the Successful Growth and Maturation of a Domestic Seaweed Aquaculture Industry: Identifying and Removing Barriers and Promoting Opportunities" - Melissa Good - University of Connecticut - $39,383.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13024 "A sustainable, integrated AMBON in the Chukchi Sea" - Katrin Iken - NOAA - $420,000.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13025 "Habitat Use of Arctic Seals & Whales via Satellite Tracking & Ocean Sensing" - Stephen Okkonen - Alaska Department of Fish & Game - $61,424.25 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13041 "Collaborative Oceanographic Monitoring in Southeast Alaska Parks" - Seth Danielson - National Park Service - $133,643.00 (September 25, 2019)
• Grant G-13053 "Assessing the potential for pollock growth and productivity in the northern Bering Sea" - Michael Litzow - UA Foundation PCCRC - $122,494.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13054 "Chancellor's Unrestricted Award FY20" - S. Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $2,450.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13073 "Application of a quantitative molecular method to characterize abundance and distribution of Alexandrium Cysts for NOAA's HAB Forecasting" - Julie Matweyou - University of Washington - $41,691.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13078 "Catalyzing a Cross-Pacific regional collaborative hub to advance Indigenous aquaculture practice and enhance marine food production for cultural-ecological benefits" - Ginny Eckert - University of Washington Sea Grant - $97,134.00 (September 1, 2019)

The following grants are controlled by other departments and were set up in October:

• Grant G-12834 "Alaska INBRE - 4 One Health" - Mod 19 Pilot - Kristen Gorman - AK INBRE Department - National Institutes of Health (NIH) - $98,615.00 (August 1, 2019)
• Grant G-13064 "UAF Technical Support at Amchitka Island Underground Nuclear Test Site for AK Department of Environmental Conservation" - CNSM Department - Seth Danielson - $15,000.00 (July 1, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of October:

• Grant G-4710 "Marine Research, Training and Technology Program" - Shannon DeMaster - UA Foundation - $2,000.00 (March 5, 2008)
• Grant G-11073 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska" - Brenda Konar - Mod 7 - AOOS - $29,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11075 "Apsens Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship" - Ginny Eckert - Mod 5 - National Park Service - $25,000.00 (September 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11133 "Chukchi Sea Ecosystem Mooring" - Seth Danielson - Mod 5 - AOOS - $100,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11158 "HFR Operations and Maintenance" - Seth Danielson - Mod 6 - AOOS - $156,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11255 "ASGARD: Arctic Growth, Advection, Respiration, and Deposition Rate Experiments" - Seth Danielson - Mod 4 - $15,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11299 "An Arctic marine mammal observing system" - Seth Danielson - Mod 5 - AOOS - $50,000.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11625 "Modeling of Near Surface Stratification Processes in the Bay of Bengal: A proposal to the MISO-DRI" - Harper Simmons - Mod 1 and 2 - $60,000.00 and $171,528.00 (August 1, 2017)

The following grant was set up on assumption during October:

• Grant G-13083 "UAF FY20 Support for Marine Scientist Hollmen" - Tuula Hollmen - AK Sea Life Center - $88,596.00 (October 1, 2019)

Message from the Dean

The OCEANS 2019 conference takes place this week in Seattle. The theme of this conference is Blue Sea, Blue Sky, Blue Tech. In this regard, with over half of the nation’s coastline and approximately one-third of the nation's Exclusive Economic Zone, Alaska has tremendous potential to help grow the nation’s blue economy. The Alaska Blue Economy Center was established to help foster Alaska’s blue economy, and a good example of the potential of this center is Washington State’s Maritime Blue initiative.

Alice Bailey has accepted the position of CFOS Public Information Officer and Sikuliaq Science Liaison. Alice brings a wealth of experience working with Alaskan indigenous communities and fisheries scientists, and communicating environmental science to diverse stakeholders. She is an accomplished photographer and a UAF alum (MFA 2014). Her first day of work will be November 4. Please join me in welcoming Alice to CFOS.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is en route to Nome to complete staging for Dr. Jim Thomson’s (UW/APL) Coastal Ocean Dynamics in the Arctic (CODA) project. The CODA project will investigate wave-ice-ocean interactions along the Arctic coast of northern Alaska. Also aboard Sikuliaq during this upcoming cruise are Dr. Franz Mueter (UAF/CFOS) and Dr. Hauke Flores (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research) in support of the GO-WEST project. Funded in part by the international Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE) and the Alaska Sikuliaq Program, the GO-WEST project will investigate distributions of polar cod, ice-associated fauna and hydroacoustic profiles of zooplankton and fish in the western Beaufort Sea.

Activities and Accomplishments

PhD student Sonia Ibarra received recognition and an award during the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Conference earlier this month in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sonia accompanied eight high school and college youth from Hydaburg and Kake to attend and present local research. Sonia was inducted as a Sequoyah Fellow for her work mentoring indigenous youth throughout Southeast Alaska, and was awarded 2nd place for Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation for her dissertation research, “Facilitating greater representation and equity in the voices and data of science: Sea otter impacts on customary and traditional foods.”

CFOS in the News

Articles about Madison Kosma’s research on humpbacks (see publications) recently appeared in The Guardian, Smithsonian, and Science.

Publications

Kosma, M.M., A.J. Werth, A.R. Szabo, and J.M. Straley. 2019. Pectoral herding: an innovative tactic for humpback whale foraging. Royal Society Open Science 6. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.191104

Kowalik, Z., and J. Luick. 2019. Modern Theory and Practice of Tide Analysis and Tidal Power. Eden Hills, South Australia: Austides Consulting, 220 pp. PDF Download of publication

Uchiyama, T., F.J. Mueter, and G.H. Kruse. 2019. Multispecies biomass dynamics models reveal effects of ocean temperature on predation of juvenile pollock in the eastern Bering Sea. Fisheries Oceanography. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/fog.12433

Message from the Dean

As outlined in the CFOS Decadal Plan, an important part of our mission is the operation of major facilities in support of aquatic ecosystems research, training and outreach. In that regard, following the inaugural research cruise this summer with our new coastal research vessel Nanuq, Seth Danielson and his team led an expedition in support of the GAK1 time-series, collecting physical and biogeochemical data in the northern Gulf of Alaska. It is encouraging that Nanuq is already being put to good use.

Along this line, an important CFOS staff position is the Sikuliaq Science Liaison. This unique position was developed in partnership with the National Science Foundation to ensure best practices are adhered to among seagoing scientists, subsistence hunting organizations, and Sikuliaq operations. While it has taken longer than anticipated, the search for a new PIO/Sikuliaq Science Liaison is progressing, and candidate interviews will end this week. We hope to make a hiring decision for this search in the near future.

Speaking of Sikuliaq, next week CFOS will host the Research Vessel Technical Enhancement Committee (RVTEC) annual meeting to facilitate the coordination of marine technology for science operations in support of the US Academic Research Fleet and oceanographic facilities. Approximately 100 participants will attend this year’s meeting from across the nation. Kudos to John Haverlack and his team for organizing this important event.

Next week, the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL) will host its annual fall meeting in Washington, DC, to discuss ocean science priorities, programs and budgets of regional, national and international importance. An Industry Forum will follow, focused on offshore wind development. As a full voting member and trustee of COL, CFOS will have the opportunity at this meeting to engage with ocean sciences institutions and leaders from across the country.

I am happy to convey that Heather McLeod and her family welcomed a new baby boy. Congratulations!

If you haven't already, it’s time to get your snow tires on soon—please drive safely!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway off the coast of Oregon and Washington for Dr. Ed Dever’s (OSU) OOI Coastal Endurance Array project. The Endurance Array is a multi-scaled array utilizing fixed and mobile assets to observe cross-shelf and along-shelf variability in the coastal upwelling region of the Oregon and Washington coasts.

Activities and Accomplishments

The NOAA Auke Bay Laboratories Division has a new permanent director, our own Dr. Dana Hanselman. Dana is a ‘00 and ‘04 alumnus of the CFOS Department of Fisheries.

CFOS MS student Donald Arthur received an Honorable Mention (and plaque) for the John E. Skinner Memorial Fund Award at the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting in Reno, Nevada, earlier this month.

Gwenn Hennon attended the all hands Fire and Ice EPSCoR meeting that was held October 3–4 at UAF. Brenda Konar presented and directed discussions on next year’s field season for the coastal margins team.

Research professor emeritus Stephen Jewett has received the 2019 Scientific Diving Lifetime Achievement award from the American Academy of Underwater Sciences. The award is presented biennially to an individual from the scientific diving community who has made a significant contribution in advancing underwater science and technology. Stephen received his award last week at the joint symposium of the American and Canadian Academies of Underwater Sciences, where he was the keynote speaker.

CFOS in the News

Stephen Jewett’s lifetime achievement award, noted above, was covered in UAF Cornerstone.

Publications

Atkinson, S., M. Branson, A. Burdin, D. Boyd, and G.M. Ylitalo. 2019. Persistent organic pollutants in killer whales (Orcinus orca) of the Russian Far East. Marine Pollution Bulletin 149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110593

Atkinson, S., D. Gendron, T.A. Branch, K.L. Mashburn, V. Melica, L.E. Enriquez-Paredes, and R.L. Brownell Jr. 2019. Determination of pregnancy rates and biomarkers from the blubber of eastern North Pacific blue whales. Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12616

Carone, E., M.A. Pardo, S. Atkinson, K. Mashburn, H. Perez-Puig, L. Enriquez-Paredes, and D. Gendron. 2019. Sex steroid hormones and behavior reveal seasonal reproduction in a resident fin whale population. Conservation Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coz059 (in production)

Esquible, J., and S. Atkinson. 2019. Stranding trends of Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus 1990–2015. Endangered Species Research, in press. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00945

Esquible, J.A., K. Burek-Huntington, S. Atkinson, A.C. Klink, E. Bortz, T.A. Goldstein, K. Beckmen, K. Pabilonia, and R. Tiller. 2019. Pathological findings and survey for pathogens associated with reproductive failure in perinatal Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, in press. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03421

Green, K.M., S. Fletcher, A.H. Beaudreau, and S.M. Whiting. 2019. Iñupiaq values in subsistence harvesting: Applying the community voice method in Northwest Alaska. Society and Natural Resources. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2019.1660935

McConnell, C.J., S. Atkinson, M.V. McPhee, D. Oxman, and P.A.H. Westley. 2019. Is blood cortisol or vateritic otolith composition associated with natal dispersal or reproductive performance on the spawning grounds of straying and homing hatchery-produced chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in Southeast Alaska? Biology Open 8. https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.042853

Vander Naald, B.P., C.J. Sergeant, and A.H. Beaudreau. 2019. Public perception and valuation of long-term ecological monitoring. Ecosphere 10(10): e02875. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2875

Grant Awards for September 2019

The new awards for September are as follows (with actual start date in parentheses):

• Grant G-12930 "2019 Exploring New Aquaculture Opportunities" - Melissa Good - NOAA - $99,751.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12935 "Collaborative Research: Characterization of Subduction Channel Processes - Borehole Sampling at Active Serpentinite Mud Volcanoes on the Mariana Forearc" - C. Geoff Wheat - $247,444.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12936 "Marine Mammal Stranding Response and Reporting in Western Alaska" - Gay Sheffield - NOAA - $55,944.00 (September 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12972 "Kelp Restoration in the Boulder Patch" - Katrin Iken - BOEM - $138,844.00 (September 12, 2019)
• Grant G-12999 "Toward Shipside Salmon Stock Identification: Is Nanopore Sequencing Accurate Enough?" - Megan McPhee - UA Foundation PCCRC - $70,993.00 (September 1, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of September:

• Grant G-10539 "Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) Continuation" - C. Geoff Wheat - Mod 8 - University of Southern California - $24,732.00 (October 1, 2015)
• Grant G-11616 "LTER: Beaufort Sea Lagoons: An Arctic Coastal Ecosystem in Transition" - Katrin Iken - Mod 3 - University of Texas at Austin - $204,433.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Ginny Eckert - Mod 9 - NOAA - $50,000.00 (February 1, 2018)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Ginny Eckert - Mod 12 - NOAA - $39,959.00 (February 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY 2018-2022" - S. Bradley Moran - Mod 3 - NSF - $45,743.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12727 "University of Alaska Fairbanks / Sikuliaq SSSE 2019" - Steven Hartz - Mod 1 - NSF - $15,000.00 (May 1, 2019)

Message from the Dean

With all the recent attention being paid to the university structure and budget, it is important to remain focused on the mission of CFOS and how our work benefits Alaska and the nation.

For example, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released the first-ever Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, which highlights dramatic changes occurring worldwide. The contents of this report are echoed in the Congressional Research Service report, Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress, which notes in particular that the diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to an increase in human activities in the Arctic. These reports underpin the importance of our work in advancing our understanding, prediction and management of aquatic ecosystems, particularly in subarctic and Arctic Ocean waters.

The North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) recently held its annual fall meeting in Anchorage. Discussions focused on Core Program research areas, updates from the 2019 and final field season of the Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Research Program, student support, and strategic planning, including strategies to leverage NPRB funds through partnerships. As part of the new rolling proposal submission process, funding decisions for Core Program research proposals and Outreach awards were also made and will be communicated by NPRB. Thanks to NPRB executive director Betsy Baker and her team for hosting a productive meeting.

The weather is getting chilly—another beautiful Alaska winter is now just around the corner.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway to support Dr. Kris Newhall’s (WHOI) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) research at Ocean Station Papa, including the deployment of a dual profiler mooring, two flanking subsurface moorings, and three gliders. Sikuliaq will then return to Newport, Oregon, to mobilize for Dr. Ed Dever’s (OSU) OOI Coastal Endurance Array project. The Endurance Array is a multi-scaled array utilizing fixed and mobile assets to observe cross-shelf and along-shelf variability in the coastal upwelling region off Oregon and Washington.

Activities and Accomplishments

The international Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition got underway Friday, September 20. Five UAF researchers, including Ana Aguilar-Islas and graduate student Rachel Lekanoff of CFOS, are among more than 600 scientists who will spend part of the coming year on the German icebreaker Polarstern, frozen in the central Arctic sea ice and drifting past the North Pole toward the Atlantic Ocean. With 17 participating nations, this is the largest-ever Arctic research expedition. Read about the journey, follow the ship drift route, or follow @ArcticMosaic on Twitter or @MOSAiCuaf on Facebook.

CFOS in the News

Ana Aguilar-Islas and Rachel Lekanoff were featured in UAF Cornerstone regarding their participation in the MOSAiC expedition during the next year.

Russ Hopcroft and Jennifer Questel were featured in a Teacher at Sea blog post about their research on the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project.

Gay Sheffield co-authored a New York Times op-ed on “Where the Sea Ice Recedes, So Does an Alaska Way of Life.”

Publications

Falke, J.A., L.T. Bailey, K.M. Fraley, M.J. Lunde, and A.D. Gryska. 2019. Energetic status and bioelectrical impedance modeling of Arctic grayling Thymallus arcticus in interior Alaska rivers. Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-019-00910-6.

Raymond, W.W., M.T. Tinker, M.L. Kissling, B. Benter, V.A. Gill, and G.L. Eckert. 2019. Location‐specific factors influence patterns and effects of subsistence sea otter harvest in Southeast Alaska. Ecosphere. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2874.

Rosellon-Druker, J., M. Szymkowiak, C.J. Cunningham, S. Kasperski, G.H. Kruse, J.H. Moss, and E.M. Yasumiishi. 2019. Development of socio-ecological conceptual models as the basis for an integrated ecosystem assessment framework in Southeast Alaska. Ecology and Society 24(3):30. https://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-11074-240330.

Message from the Dean

CFOS is renowned for its high-quality academic programs in fisheries, marine biology and ocean sciences. In this regard, CFOS was one of two colleges recently reported to have increased student enrollment at UAF. We can be proud of this achievement for a number of reasons, but particularly in light of the recent budget challenges facing the university. It is a pleasure to thank associate dean for academics Trent Sutton and his team for the good work growing our student body.

We will soon begin a search for our second EPSCoR tenure-track faculty hire. The scientific expertise of this new faculty position will be in fisheries genomics. Anne Beaudreau has agreed to chair the search committee. In addition to recently hiring two research faculty, this will be the sixth tenure-track faculty hire within CFOS in the past two years.

It is a pleasure to convey that Johan Bergenas, Senior Director of Public Policy at Vulcan Inc., will present the fall keynote lecture as part of the 2019 Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (FOS) seminar series. Johan’s seminar is entitled “Five Challenges to Ocean Health.” The seminar will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 pm in O’Neill 201 on Wednesday, October 9. A separate announcement will be forthcoming; please mark your calendars for this open keynote presentation.

Finally, as many of you are aware, Charla Bodle will be leaving CFOS this Friday, September 20, to work in the University of Alaska Statewide Human Resources Office. Please join me in thanking Charla for her excellent service and wishing her the very best going forward.

R/V Sikuliaq

After demobilizing ROV Jason, which recovered 45 ocean bottom seismometers in the Gulf of Alaska, Sikuliaq is moored in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, loading gear and stores for her next cruise. Dr. Kris Newhall (WHOI) will lead the next NSF–sponsored Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) cruise to deploy a dual profiler mooring, subsurface moorings and gliders at Ocean Station Papa.

Activities and Accomplishments

Cheryl Barnes (PhD student) received the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists’ W.F. Thompson Best Student Paper Award for: Barnes, C.L., A. H. Beaudreau, M. E. Hunsicker, and L. Ciannelli. 2018. Assessing the potential for competition between Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and Arrowtooth Flounder (Atheresthes stomias) in the Gulf of Alaska. PLoS ONE 13(12). Congratulations, Cheryl!

CFOS in the News

As noted in the Dean’s message above, CFOS was mentioned in an article about UAF enrollment that appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

A video about Amanda Kelley’s research on ocean acidification was featured in UAF Cornerstone.

Publications

Clemens, B. J., L. Weitkamp, K. Siwicke, J. Wade, J. Harris, J. Hess, L. Porter, K. Parker, T. Sutton, and A. M. Orlov. 2019. Marine biology of the pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-019-09578-8

Cyr, A. P., J. A. López, M. J. Wooller, A. Whiting, R. Gerlach, and T. O'Hara. 2019. Ecological drivers of mercury concentrations in fish species in subsistence harvests from Kotzebue Sound, Alaska. Environmental Research 177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.108622

Johnson, J. L., L. Zanotti, Z. Ma, D. J. Yu, D. R. Johnson, A. Kirkham, and C. Carothers. 2018. Interplays of sustainability, resilience, adaptation and transformation. In: W. Leal Filho, R. Marans, and J. Callewaert (eds.), Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science Research, World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham, pp. 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67122-2_1

Litzow, M. A., L. Ciannelli, C. J. Cunningham, B. Johnson, and P. Puerta. 2019. Nonstationary effects of ocean temperature on Pacific salmon productivity. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2019-0120

Lutnesky, M. M. F., K. R. Cradock, and J. B. Reynolds. 2019. Immobilization threshold and fish conductivity of two small fishes. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 39(4): 788–792. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10319

Grant Awards for August 2019

The new awards for August are as follows (with actual start date in parentheses):

• Grant G-12895 "NNA Track 2: Atautchikkun Ilitchisukluta: Coming together to learn: Co-producing knowledge across the Northwest Passage" - Courtney Carothers - NSF - $249,793.00 (August 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12900 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study 2020" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC - $82,939.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12922 "Utilization of the under-ice habitat by Arctic Cod in the western Arctic Ocean: a multidisciplinary collaborative study" - Franz Mueter - BOEM - $258,539.00 (August 20, 2019)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of August:

• Grant G-5766 "Alaska SeaLife Center-SAAMS" - S. Bradley Moran - UA Foundation- $44,092.00 (July 1, 2009)
• Grant G-8633 "Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center - Fellowships" - S. Bradley Moran - UA Foundation - $250,000.00 (April 1, 2013)
• Grant G-10804 "Measuring Wave Forces Along Alaska's Coastal Sea ice" - Mark Johnson - Mod 4 - BOEM - $46,709.00 (May 15, 2016)
• Grant G-11494 "High-frequency characterization of the physicochemical parameters of Cook Inlet, Alaska" - Amanda Kelley - Mod 2 - BOEM - $18,277.00 (May 15, 2017)
• Grant G-11557 "CAREER: Imaging the global distribution and drivers of the ocean's biological carbon pump" - Andrew McDonnell - NSF - Mod 2 - $192,620.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11653 "Coastal hydrographic physical dynamics and oceanography assessments" - Seth Danielson - NPS - Mod 2 - $80,000.00 (August 2, 2017)
• Grant G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russell Hopcroft - NSF - Mod 3 - $1,127,000.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12044 "Development of Scalable Coastal and Offshore Macroalgal Farming" - Michael Stekoll/Sherry Tamone - Mod 3 - $7,000.00 (April 11, 2018)

The following grant is controlled by another department/campus:

• Grant G-12795 "NIST/MEP" - Quentin Fong (co-PI) - Department of Commerce - UAA Grant - $178,373.00 (CFOS funds only) - (July 1, 2019)

The following grants were set up on assumption during August:

• Grant G-12903 "Measuring the pulse of the Gulf of Alaska: Oceanographic observations along the Seward Line 2019-2024" - Russell Hopcroft - NPRB - (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12932 "Bowhead Whale Harvest Sampling - Kaktovik Fall 2019" - Gay Sheffield - North Slope Borough - (August 10, 2019)

Message from the Dean

As we kick off the fall semester, it is a pleasure to congratulate our summer graduates and welcome our new and current students. Our faculty and staff are here to support your education, training and future success.

It is also a pleasure to welcome three new tenure-track faculty to CFOS this semester: Gwenn Hennon (oceanography), Will Burt (oceanography) and Curry Cunningham (fisheries). Gwenn’s husband, Tyler, has also joined CFOS as postdoctoral researcher working with Seth Danielson. Welcome aboard!

Last week, several CFOS faculty and staff engaged in university-wide meetings to discuss strategies to reduce duplication and improve cost efficiencies related to academic and research programs in the context of a One UA institution. A number of interesting ideas and recommendations have been put forth as we work to reimagine a One UA structure. This is an evolving discussion, and I encourage CFOS faculty, staff and students to respond to President Johnsen’s request for input regarding a new University of Alaska, which will be a topic of discussion at the Board of Regents meeting on September 12–13.

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend.

Summer 2019 Graduates

• Jesse Coleman, PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Courtney Carothers
• Philip Joy, PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Mark Wipfli
• Kofan Lu, PhD Oceanography, Major Advisors: Seth Danielson and Tom Weingartner
• Joshua Russell, MS Fisheries, Major Advisors: Megan McPhee and David Tallmon
• Alicia Rinaldi Schuler, MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Heidi Pearson
• Michelle Stratton, MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Peter Westley
• Johnathan Napier, BS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Concentration: Fisheries Science

New Graduate Students, Fall 2019

Oceanography

• Delaney Coleman, MS, Advisor: Russ Hopcroft
• Amelia McCarthy, MS, Advisor: Russ Hopcroft
• Emily Ortega, MS, Advisor: Ana Aguilar-Islas
• Savannah Sandy, MS, Advisor: Seth Danielson
• Issac Reister, PhD, Advisor: Seth Danielson

Fisheries

• Becca Cates, MS, Advisor: Ginny Eckert
• Austin Flanigan, MS, Advisor: Andy Seitz
• Carolyn Hamman, MS, Advisor: Trent Sutton
• Luke Henslee, MS, Advisor: Andy Seitz
• Sonia Kumar, MS, Advisor: Heidi Pearson
• Molly Payne, MS, Advisor: Peter Westley

Marine Biology

• Shelby Bacus, MS, Advisor: Amanda Kelley
• Amy Dowling, MS, Advisor: Brenda Konar
• Hannah Myers, MS, Advisor: Brenda Konar
• James Schloemer, MS, Advisor: Katrin Iken

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Womens Bay, Kodiak, preparing to transit across the Gulf of Alaska with the ROV Jason aboard to retrieve a seismic borehole instrument for Dr. John Collins (WHOI). The instrument string is in the Cascadia Circulation Obviation Retrofit Kit (CORK) Observatory at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program hole U1364A, located offshore Vancouver Island, British Columbia, at the Clayoquot Slope node of the Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) Observatory. After recovery of the borehole instrument string, Sikuliaq will hold station at Barkley Canyon to allow Jason to connect deployed instruments for ONC and retrieve a vertical profiler at ONC’s NEPTUNE Observatory. STEMSEAS students are aboard to assist with this work.

Activities and Accomplishments

Brandy Pedersen has decided to leave the Office of Proposal Development to take a new position outside UAF. We wish Brandy the very best in her future endeavors.

CFOS in the News

A Cordova District Fishermen United scholarship has been awarded to incoming CFOS freshman Reid Williams, which was reported in the Cordova Times.

The new coastal research vessel Nanuq was featured in Marine Technology News. A website is being developed for Nanuq, as well as other social media profiles; in the meantime, Facebook is a good way to introduce Nanuq to the world: https://www.facebook.com/rvnanuq/

CFOS Publications

Ershova, E.A., R. Descoteaux, O.S. Wangensteen, K. Iken, R.R. Hopcroft, C. Smoot, J.M. Grebmeier, and B.A. Bluhm. 2019. Diversity and distribution of meroplanktonic larvae in the Pacific Arctic and connectivity with adult benthic invertebrate communities. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00490

Kohan, M.L., F.J. Mueter, J.A. Orsi, and M.V. McPhee. 2019. Variation in size, condition, and abundance of juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in relation to marine factors in Southeast Alaska. Deep Sea Research II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 165:340–347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.09.005

Konar, B., T.J. Mitchell, K. Iken, H. Coletti, T. Dean, D. Esler, M. Lindeberg, B. Pister, and B. Weitzman. 2019. Wasting disease and static environmental variables drive sea star assemblages in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2019.151209

Message from the Dean

This week, a number of university-wide meetings will take place to discuss strategies for combining academic and research units in preparation for a transition to a single “One UA” institution, with the goal of reducing administrative costs and program duplication. Several CFOS faculty and staff will participate in these meetings, and our recent all-hands faculty and staff discussion of the strengths and opportunities of CFOS was both productive and timely. Based on our internal discussions and input from the larger university meetings, I will outline for President Johnsen and the Board of Regents opportunities for CFOS and partners to work together to help strengthen and grow academic, research and outreach programs focused on aquatic ecosystems. As we discussed, CFOS can be considered a poster child for a college that fully integrates academic, research and outreach programs and works collaboratively across the state without duplication.

The Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center (PCCRC) board is meeting in Juneau today and tomorrow to review current funded projects and establish priorities for the next proposal solicitation. This meeting also provides an opportunity to reinforce our collaborative relationships with one of our key stakeholders. It is a pleasure to thank Keith Criddle for expertly chairing the meeting and Gabrielle Hazelton for facilitating the meeting logistics.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Gulf of Alaska with the ROV Jason aboard to retrieve 45 ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) for Dr. Spahr Webb’s (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE). These are the same OBSs that were deployed by Sikuliaq in summer 2018, which means they were in place during the 7.1 M earthquake that struck Southcentral Alaska on November 30, 2018.

After retrieving these instruments, Sikuliaq will dock in Kodiak for the first time. There will be a personnel exchange for more Jason dives and for STEMSEAS students to join the next leg.

Activities and Accomplishments

Davin Holen has graciously agreed to serve as head of the Marine Advisory Program, taking over from Sunny Rice. Thank you both for your service.

CFOS in the News

Peter Westley was featured in an NPR story about summer chum salmon die-offs in the Koyukuk River. Peter was also highlighted in a story in Hakai Magazine on whether salmon make decisions as a group.

The new CFOS coastal research vessel Nanuq was featured in Maritime Executive.

Publications

Hilborn, R., C.M. Anderson, G.H. Kruse, A.E. Punt, M. Sissenwine, C. Oliver, J.N. Ianelli, R.J. Trumble, D.J. Agnew, and N. Baker. 2019. Pramod et al. methods to estimate IUU are not credible. Marine Policy, in press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2019.103632

Cyr, A.P., J.A. López, M.J. Wooller, A. Whiting, R. Gerlach, and T. O’Hara. 2019. Ecological drivers of mercury concentrations in fish species in subsistence harvests from Kotzebue Sound, Alaska. Environmental Research 177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.108622

Message from the Dean

I recently encouraged CFOS faculty, staff and students to respond to President Johnsen’s request for input regarding the structure of the new University of Alaska, which the President is expected to present to the Board of Regents on September 12–13. Taking this one step further, we will soon hold an all-hands CFOS faculty and staff meeting to allow for an internal discussion of the importance and benefits of CFOS to the new UA. This meeting will provide an opportunity to articulate how our strengths in academics, research and public outreach can help rebuild the new UA. Associate Dean Trent Sutton will be engaging our students for their input as part of this process. We will record this meeting and make it available to President Johnsen. Stay tuned for the meeting invitation.

This week, UA government relations staff and CFOS will host staff from the National Science Foundation, the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Murkowski’s office, and Glosten Inc. on a tour of Sikuliaq and the Seward Marine Center. This is an important and welcome opportunity to showcase the operations capability of our major facilities and programs.

Hang in there CFOS, and above all, continue forward with our important mission for the benefit of Alaska and the nation.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in Resurrection Bay to calibrate the recently installed Simrad EK80 scientific wide band echo sounder. Later this week, Sikuliaq will load the large ROV Jason to facilitate the retrieval of an array of ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) deployed around the Alaska Peninsula in summer 2018 in support of Dr. Spahr Webb’s (Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory) Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE).

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS Marine Biology PhD student Ann-Christine Zinkann is one of the 2020 finalists for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C. Congratulations, Ann!

Fisheries professor Milo Adkison organized and spoke at a public-focused fisheries science symposium in Dillingham. Adkison's topic was web-based fisheries management games. PhD student Chris Sergeant discussed transboundary mines, and visiting professor Alexander Bonk from Kamchatka State Technical University gave an overview of salmon fisheries in Kamchatka.

R/V Nanuq is on her maiden voyage near the Copper River Delta, where Seth Danielson and Hank Statscewich are investigating the influence of fresh water on the circulation of the Gulf of Alaska.

CFOS in the News

Anne Beaudreau was quoted in a story about potential benefits of diversification for Alaska fishermen, which ran in SeafoodSource and National Fisherman.

Publications

Divine, L., F. Mueter, G.H. Kruse, B.A. Bluhm, S.C. Jewett, and K. Iken. 2019. New estimates of weight-at-size, maturity-at-size, fecundity, and biomass of snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio, in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska. Fisheries Research 218: 246–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2019.05.002

Grant Awards for July 2019

The new awards for July are as follows (with actual start date in parentheses):

• Grant G-12822 "Implications of a declining trend in body size and condition of abundance of sockeye salmon in the Copper River, Alaska" - Kristen Gorman - NSF - $138,225.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12837 "Assessing Effects of Supplementation on Fitness of Sockeye Salmon in Auke Creek, Alaska, Phase 2, Year 3" - Megan McPhee - Pacific Salmon Commission - $8,852.00 (July 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12861 "Model-based Fish Distributions and Habitat Descriptions for Arctic Cod, Saffron Cod and Snow Crab in the Alaskan Arctic" - Franz Mueter - BOEM - $75,000.00 (July 17, 2019)
• Grant G-12876 "Diet of Breeding Auklets" - Alexei Pinchuk - US Fish and Wildlife Service - $19,834.00 (July 29, 2019)

Current awards that received incremental funding during the month of July are as follows:

• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Heather Brandon - Mod 10 - NOAA - $80,000.00 (February 1, 2018)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Heather Brandon - Mod 11 - $262,000.00 (February 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12127 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Steven Hartz - NSF - $827,607.00 (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12798 "Supporting Coastal Resiliency in South Central Alaska" - Davin Holen - National Park Service (NPS) - $140,033.00 (June 4, 2019)
• Grant G-12875 "Ecology and evolution of microbial interactions in a changing ocean" - Gwenn Hennon - NSF - $683,575.00 (June 5, 2019)

Awards that were set up on assumption during July are as follows:

• Grant G-12819 "Cooperative Training and Research for Alaska Fisheries Science" - Alexei Pinchuk - NOAA/CMDL - $30,187 Assumption (July 1, 2019)

Message from the Dean

The 8^th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations (IDA-8) was held last week in Washington, DC. With over 600 registrants and a compelling, wide-ranging agenda, this has become one of the premier meetings focused on the socioeconomic, policy and national security impacts of the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean. I had the privilege to present an overview of R/V Sikuliaq operations and broader impacts. This was an excellent opportunity to showcase CFOS and the university as the successful operator of Sikuliaq to federal and state agencies, Alaska Native organizations, nongovernmental officials, and the private sector. It is a pleasure to thank John Farrell of the US Arctic Research Commission and former UAF vice chancellor Mike Sfraga of the Wilson Center for their efforts in hosting a fascinating and engaging symposium. All presentations were recorded and are available to view online.

We are now just over a month from the start of fall semester. This is an exciting time of year, particularly for incoming and current students who bring curiosity, drive and energy to our college; it is also exciting that we will welcome three new tenure-track faculty in fisheries and oceanography. We can be proud of our largest incoming undergraduate class, as well as many new graduate students enrolled. Faculty and staff well understand that we are in the business of creating and transferring knowledge of aquatic systems, and that it is our students who ultimately define our legacy as a college. Please take a moment to reflect on the importance and positive impact of your good work.

There are understandably many questions regarding the future of the university and our college. As I noted previously, we are in for a tough road ahead. However, this is a time to remain focused on our mission of delivering excellence in fisheries and ocean sciences research, education and outreach for the benefit of Alaska and the nation.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) NOAA project studying deepwater biological communities in the Gulf of Alaska (GoA Exploration). The GoA Exploration project is using traditional tools and the ROV Global Explorer to investigate deepwater planktonic and benthic communities along the continental slope, in offshore waters, and at seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska.

In early August, Sikuliaq will return to Seward to unload GoA Exploration gear and load the ROV Jason. Jason will be used to facilitate the retrieval of more than 75 ocean bottom seismometers (OBS), which were deployed from Sikuliaq in summer 2018 for Dr. Spahr Webb (Lemont Doherty Earth Observatory).

Activities and Accomplishments

A paper authored by CFOS student Allison Matter with coauthors Jeff Falke and Andrés López (Matter et al., listed below) was one of the top 20 most downloaded journal articles of 2018 for the North American Journal of Fisheries Management.

CFOS in the News

Numerous articles on CFOS related to the state budget were run in several Alaska news publications, including the Anchorage Daily News, Saving Seafood, Seafood News, Kodiak Daily Mirror and SitNews.

Publications

Litzow, M. A., L. Ciannelli, P. Puerta, J. J. Wettstein, R. R. Rykaczewski, and M. Opiekun. 2019. Nonstationary environmental and community relationships in the North Pacific Ocean. Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2760

Matter, A. N., J. A. Falke, J. A. López, and J. W. Savereide. 2018. A rapid‐assessment method to estimate the distribution of juvenile Chinook salmon in tributary habitats using eDNA and occupancy estimation. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 38(1): 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10014

Oke, K. B., C. J. Cunningham, T. P. Quinn, and A. P. Hendry. 2019. Independent lineages in a common environment: the roles of determinism and contingency in shaping the migration timing of even‐ versus odd‐year pink salmon over broad spatial and temporal scales. Ecology Letters. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13337

Raymundo, L. J., D. Burdick, W. C. Hoot, R. M. Miller, V. Brown, T. Reynolds, J. Gault, J. Idechong, J. Fifer, and A. Williams. 2019. Successive bleaching events cause mass coral mortality in Guam, Micronesia. Coral Reefs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-019-01836-2

Stephens, T. A., B. B. Hughes, K. J. Kroeker, M. Hessing‐Lewis, Z. Monteith, M. Morris, and W. W. Raymond. 2019. Between a rock and a soft place: surfgrass colonizes sediments without attachment to rock. Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2791

Message from the Dean

I hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July weekend.

As you are now well aware, the Governor’s veto of the legislature’s budget places the future of the university in a very tenuous position. And, as President Johnsen and Chancellor White have recently communicated, there is no sugar-coating the stark reality if the budget veto is not overridden. Many of you have voiced your concerns to the legislature, and I applaud you for doing so. Our work is not yet complete: We need to continue the all-hands-on-deck effort to override the veto and support the university and its many benefits to Alaska. Please continue to voice your support for the university, and for the many other essential programs in our great state.

As we transition into the new fiscal year, it is important to recognize and thank the recent department chairs for their two years of service: Mat Wooller (Marine Biology), Mark Johnson (Oceanography) and Milo Adkison (Fisheries). It is also a pleasure to acknowledge the incoming chairs Lara Horstmann (Marine Biology), Russ Hopcroft (Oceanography), and Milo Adkison who will continue for another term as the department chair for Fisheries. Thank you all for your good work and service to CFOS.

Here is looking forward to cooler, smoke-free, clear blue skies.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project. The NGA LTER is investigating the physical and biogeochemical variability of the northern Gulf of Alaska, with an emphasis on freshwater input dynamics.

Sikuliaq is scheduled to return to Seward on Thursday, July 18, to demobilize from the NGA LTER project, and then mobilize for Dr. Hopcroft’s next Sikuliaq cruise: Exploration of deep-water communities in the Gulf of Alaska (GoA Exploration). The GoA Exploration project will use the ROV Global Explorer to study deepwater planktonic and benthic communities along the continental slope, in offshore waters, and at seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska.

In other news, in the best maritime tradition and at the request of the US Coast Guard, on Saturday, June 29, Sikuliaq came to the rescue of a small pleasure craft that was aground on the southern coast of Montague Island, located on the southern edge of Prince William Sound. Sikuliaq’s crew maneuvered close to the grounded boat, passed a towline, and pulled them off the rocks. The pleasure craft was able to restart their engine and proceed to Seward. Bravo Zulu Sikuliaq!

Activities and Accomplishments

President Trump has recognized CFOS alumna Elizabeth Siddon (Fisheries MS, 2005, and PhD, 2013) with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The PECASE award is the highest honor bestowed by the US Government to outstanding scientists and engineers. Congratulations, Dr. Siddon—you make CFOS, UAF and Alaska proud.

The Seward Marine Center (SMC) successfully passed the 5-year verification of the Document of Compliance for safe administration of R/V Sikuliaq. On May 27, DNVGL (a European-based vessel classification society) visited SMC and conducted an external audit in compliance with the International Maritime Organization ISM Code. The objective of the code is to ensure safety at sea, prevention of human injury or loss of life, and avoidance of damage to the environment, in particular to the marine environment and to property.

On Sunday, July 28, NOAA and UAF will host an open house at Kasitsna Bay Laboratory from 12 to 4 pm to celebrate the 60th birthday of the lab, which was built in 1959. Visitors can tour the facility, meet researchers, check out underwater species in the touch tank, and learn about scientific and coldwater diving.

CFOS Publications

Canonico, G., P. L. Buttigieg, E. Montes, C. A. Stepien, D. Wright, A. Benson, B. Helmuth, M. J. Costello, F. E. Muller-Karger, I. Sousa Pinto, H. Saeedi, J. A. Newton, W. Appeltans, N. Bednaršek, L. Bodrossy, B. D. Best, A. Brandt, K. Goodwin, K. Iken, A. Marques, P. Miloslavich, M. Ostrowski, W. Turner, E. P. Achterberg, T. Barry, O. Defeo, G. Bigatti, L. A. Henry, B. Ramiro Sanchez, P. Durán Muñoz, M. Mar Sacau Cuadrado, T. Morato, M. Roberts, A. G. Garcia-Alegre, and B. J. Murton. 2019. Global observational needs and resources for marine biodiversity. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00367/abstract

Conway, T. M., D. S. Hamilton, R. U. Shelley, A. M. Aguilar-Islas, W. M. Landing, N. M. Mahowald, and S. G. John. 2019. Tracing and constraining anthropogenic aerosol iron fluxes to the North Atlantic Ocean using iron isotopes. Nature Communications 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10457-w

Tinker, M. T., V. A. Gill, G. G. Esslinger, J. Bodkin, M. Monk, M. Mangel, D. H. Monson, W. W. Raymond, and M. L. Kissling. 2019. Trends and carrying capacity of sea otters in Southeast Alaska. Journal of Wildlife Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21685

Zhulay, I, K. Iken, P. Renaud, and B. A. Bluhm. 2019. Epifaunal communities across marine landscapes of the deep Chukchi Borderland (Pacific Arctic). Deep-Sea Research I: Oceanographic Research Papers. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2019.06.011

Grant Awards for June 2019

The new awards for June are as follows (with actual start date in parentheses):

• Grant G-12774 "Collaborative Fisheries Education Across the Bering Sea" - Peter Westley - World Wildlife Fund, Inc. - $13,763.00 (April 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12797 "Genomics of maturation age in Yukon Chinook" - Peter Westley - Bering Sea Fisherman's Association - $21,035.00 (May 1, 2019)

Current awards that received incremental funding during the month of June are as follows:

• Grant G-9796 "Ladd Macaulay Fisheries Research Fellowship" - Milo Adkison - UA Foundation - $60,000.00 (September 1, 2014)
• Grant G-10583 "Flow and turbulence in the wakes of abrupt topography" - Harper Simmons - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - $46,179.00 (April 25, 2015)

Awards that were set up on assumption during June are as follows:

• Grant G-12804 "Coastal Marine Institute Program Administration 2019-2024" - Brenda Konar - BOEM - $20,000.00 (May 1, 2019)

Message from the Dean

It is a great pleasure to convey that Dr. Curry Cunningham has accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Fisheries at CFOS. Curry earned a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and a B.S. from the University of British Columbia. Curry’s research expertise is in quantitative ecology, with a focus on using applied statistics and simulation modeling to address questions regarding fisheries management, evolution, predator-prey interactions and population dynamics of species. Curry’s appointment starts in October 2019, and he will be located at our Lena Point facility in Juneau. Please join me in congratulating Curry on his appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Fisheries in CFOS.

Dr. Cunningham’s appointment is generously supported through the NOAA/NMFS Quantitative Ecology and Socioeconomic Training (QUEST) program. This is the first QUEST program in the state of Alaska, and is a result of the hard work and support of many individuals who advocated on behalf of CFOS and the university. We owe a debt of gratitude to Gordon Kruse and the late Terry Quinn for developing the proposal to bring the QUEST program to Alaska, to Megan McPhee for chairing the search, and to the search committee for their hard work on this important faculty position.

This week I will participate in a workshop focused on identifying and creating opportunities for the Arctic region through the blue economy, which will be held in Utqiagvik and hosted by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC). In addition to engaging with rural Alaskan communities, this workshop presents an opportunity to highlight the Alaska Blue Economy Center as a resource to the state.

With summer solstice behind us, please find time to enjoy the great Alaskan outdoors and summer weather.

R/V Sikuliaq

R/V Sikuliaq is wrapping up Dr. Kerry Key’s (LDEO) project “Marine Electromagnetic Survey of Fluids in the Alaska Megathrust” in the Gulf of Alaska. Sikuliaq is scheduled to return to Seward on Wednesday to demobilize from Dr. Key’s project and mobilize for Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project. The NGA LTER is investigating the processes important to the physical and biogeochemical variability of the northern Gulf of Alaska, with particular emphasis on freshwater input and plume dynamics.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Coastal Marine Institute in collaboration with BOEM will fund five new projects for FY2019. These include: Changing Relationships among Climate Variables and Cumulative Climate Stress on the Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem (PI Mike Litzow); Evaluating Novel Assessment Approaches for Coastal Ice Seal Haul-out Areas and Behavior in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea (PI Donna Hauser); Western Beaufort and Chukchi Sea Surface Current Analysis (PI Seth Danielson); Utilization of the Under-ice Habitat by Arctic Cod in the Western Arctic Ocean: a Multidisciplinary Collaborative Study (PI Franz Mueter); and Kelp Restoration in the Boulder Patch (PI Katrin Iken).

The new CFOS coastal research vessel officially splashed last week in Port Angeles, Washington. R/V Nanuq is now being transferred to her homeport in Seward. Congratulations to Seward Marine Center and the ship committee for enabling this vision to become a reality. Inquires to charter Nanuq should be directed to Captain Brian Mullaly, bmullaly@alaska.edu.

Not to be outdone by Professor Emeritus Tom Shirley, Russ Hopcroft has an ostracod (clam shrimp) species named in his honor—Boroecia hopcrofti—that was collected during one of his cruises.

CFOS in the News

A story of three whales tapping into an all-you-can-eat-buffet at the Hidden Falls Hatchery was published in UAF Cornerstone and the CFOS website, and was also picked up in the Fairbanks Daily-News Miner, New York Times and SitNews.

Publications

Divine, L.M., F.J. Mueter, G.H. Kruse, B.A. Bluhm, S.C. Jewett, and K. Iken. 2019. New estimates of weight-at-size, maturity-at-size, fecundity, and biomass of snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio, in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska. Fisheries Research 218: 246–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2019.05.002

Message from the Dean

Last week the Seward Marine Center (SMC) hosted the Alaska Ocean Cluster (AOC), which held a workshop focused on Alaska’s ocean economy assets and opportunities. The workshop included a group of talented experts and entrepreneurs from across Alaska. Among the meeting highlights, the UAA Center for Economic Development (CED) presented a preview of a new report on Alaska’s ocean economy. And, Justin Sternberg of the Blue Pipeline Incubator (BPI) provided an update on efforts to cultivate and grow scalable, innovative ocean-related businesses in the state. Launched in October 2018 and based out of SMC, BPI is a partnership between CFOS, the City of Seward, the Seward Chamber of Commerce, and the Alaska Small Business Development Center. BPI has made impressive progress, including:

• $1.6M in funding committed from investors;
• provisional patent filed for a novel energy invention that garnered the UAF top faculty invention award to Andrew McDonnell;
• semifinalist qualification at the Alaska Angel Conference;
• support for 18 Seward businesses, including two new businesses;
• tenfold greater capital infusion than originally projected.

The partnership with BPI is an example of CFOS’s effort to help grow and diversify Alaska’s blue economy. Congratulations to Justin and AOC on this important milestone for the benefit of Alaska.

It is a great pleasure to convey that Dr. Mike Litzow has accepted the President’s Professorship in Quantitative Fisheries and Ecosystems at CFOS. Mike earned a Ph.D. in Ocean Sciences from the University of Tasmania, an M.S. in Marine Science from UC Santa Cruz, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from UAF. Since August 2017, Mike has conducted research at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center, focusing on atmosphere-ocean interactions, climate variability, and commercial fishing impacts on ecosystem community structure. This appointment not only advances the CFOS fisheries program, it brings renewed energy and resources to our Kodiak facility. Please join me in congratulating Mike on his appointment as CFOS President’s Professor.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Gordon Kruse and the late Terry Quinn, who led the successful President’s Professorship proposal to the University of Alaska system. Please join me in thanking Gordon, who chaired this search until his retirement last year, Peter Westley for taking up the reins as search chair, and the search committee for their hard work on this prestigious faculty position.

Please join me in congratulating Brian Mullaly on his first day as captain of R/V Nanuq and SMC Warehouse Coordinator. For the past five years Brian has worked as boat captain for Kenai Fjords Tours in Seward. He previously worked as a research technician for the Alaska SeaLife Center and UAF research assistant at Kasitsna Bay and Little Port Walter. Welcome back aboard, Brian.

Last, it is with mixed emotions that I convey PIO and Sikuliaq Science Liaison Lauren Frisch will be departing CFOS on July 5. For the past three years, Lauren has been instrumental in strengthening internal and external communications for the College. Lauren effectively defined the new science liaison for Sikuliaq, a position envisioned by the National Science Foundation to work directly with Alaskan subsistence hunting organizations and the science community. She will be greatly missed for her dedication, energy and much-appreciated sense of humor. Please join me in wishing Lauren the very best in her future endeavors.

In that regard, please send information for C-Notes to the CFOS dean’s assistant, Heather McLeod, at hlmcleod@alaska.edu.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Gulf of Alaska for Dr. Kerry Key’s (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) project “Marine Electromagnetic Survey of Fluids in the Alaska Megathrust.” This monthlong cruise will survey along four 200-km profiles across the Alaskan subduction zone south of Kodiak.

Sikuliaq is scheduled to return to Seward on June 26 and prepare for Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) program summer cruise.

Activities and Accomplishments

Courtney Carothers participated in a workshop entitled “Pacific salmon in the world of human relations: economic, social, environmental, historical, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.” The workshop took place in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, from May 21–22, 2019.

Thomas Shirley was honored by having a new species named after him (Condyloderes shirleyi). Shirley collected the specimens in Auke Bay and Glacier Bay more than 30 years ago and provided them to a taxonomic specialist at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution.

CFOS in the News

Brenda Konar’s work to understand sea star wasting disease was highlighted by KTOO and KBBI.

The CFOS website posted a story on Madison Kosma’s work to better understand how much humpback whales are feeding on hatchery juvenile salmon.

Publications

Lyons, C., C. Carothers, and J. Coleman. In press. Alaska’s community development quota program: A complex institution affecting rural communities in disparate ways. Marine Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2019.103560

Schwoerer, T., J.M. Little, and M.D. Adkison. 2019. Aquatic invasive species change ecosystem services from the world's largest wild sockeye salmon fisheries in Alaska. Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics 6(1). https://doi.org/10.15351/2373-8456.1094

Grant Awards for May 2019

The new awards for May are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-12726 "Investigating microbial biodegradation of crude oil in Arctic marine sediments via shotgun metagenomics and compound-specific hydrocarbon analyses" - Alexis Walker - Oil Spill Recovery Institute - $30,000.00 (April 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12727 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq SSSE 2019" - Steven Hartz - NSF - $107,977.00 (May 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12762 "Stock Assessment of Valuable Groundfish Species: Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) in Prince William Sound" - Trent Sutton (Katja Berghaus) - UA Foundation - $5,000.00 (April 15, 2019)

Current awards that received incremental funding during the month of May are as follows:

• Grant G-9111 "Citizen Science Excursions for Cruise Passengers" - Heather Brandon - UA Foundation - $19,000.00 (October 1, 2013)
• Grant G-10539 "Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) Continuation" - C. Geoff Wheat - Mod 7 - University of Southern California - $162,497.00 (October 1, 2015)
• Grant G-11400 "long Term Monitoring: Ecological Communities in Kachemak Bay, Phase 2" - Katrin Iken - Mod 2 - Prince William Sound Science Center - $51,600.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11408 "Environmental Drivers: Seward Line" - Russ Hopcroft - Prince William Sound Science Center - Mod 2 - $128,000.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11485 "Long-Term Monitoring of the Alaska Coastal Current" - Seth Danielson - Mod 2 - Prince William Sound Science Center - $121,700.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11630 "Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Survey (IES) Phase II" - Franz Mueter - Mod 2 - BOEM - $163,500.00 (July 31, 2017)
• Grant G-12305 "Collaborative Research: Development and fabrication of a high-temperature borehole fluid sampler to characterize seawater-basalt reactions and the thermal limits of life on Earth" - C. Geoff Wheat - NSF - Mod 1 - $60,921.00 (August 15, 2018)

Message from the Dean

Last week the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) convened members of the board in Anchorage. The discussion focused on AOOS and Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) budgets, research activities, ocean policy updates, and priorities for future funding. The meeting featured presentations by federal, state and university researchers, including UAF’s Jeremy Kasper (INE) and Rachel Potter (CFOS). Thanks to AOOS director Molly McCammon and her team for hosting a productive and engaging meeting.

I encourage everyone to stop by the UAF Arctic Research Open House this Thursday from 4 to 7 pm, at several stations located along West Ridge. There will be a food truck and snacks, and the event will feature a number of interactive activities, including a “gumby suit” survival gear challenge. Should be fun!

On a lighter note, the NHL Stanley Cup final between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins started yesterday, with the Bruins taking the first win. The last time the Blues and Bruins faced off for the Cup was in 1970, when Bobby Orr scored the winning goal in overtime—captured in one of the most iconic photos in hockey history. Former UAF Nanook and School of Management graduate (2016) Colton Parayko is on defense for the Blues in his first Stanley Cup final. Should be a good series.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Dr. Kerry Key’s (Lamont-Dougherty Environmental Observatory) project “Marine Electromagnetic Survey of Fluids in the Alaska Megathrust.” This month-long cruise will survey along four 200 km long profiles across the Alaskan subduction zone southwest of the Kodiak Archipelago.

Sikuliaq is scheduled to return to Seward on June 26 and prepare for Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) program cruise.

Activities and Accomplishments

A memorial service is being planned for Terry Quinn II at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center on August 10, 2019. Please stay tuned for more details.

Gay Sheffield and Brandon Ahmasuk of Kawerak Inc. received US Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director’s Excellence Award for Outstanding Partner for leading a coordinated response to seabird mortality events across the Bering and Chukchi region in 2013, 2017 and 2018.

CFOS in the News

Detective work uncovering shark attacks on Chinook salmon was featured by UAF Cornerstone and the CFOS website. The research by Andy Seitz and Michael Courtney was later picked up by KDLL and the Kodiak Daily Mirror.

A story on the new UAF Alaska Blue Economy Center was published on the CFOS website.

KNOM spoke with Gay Sheffield and Seth Danielson about radioactive materials from the Fukushima nuclear accident eight years ago that recently showed up at extremely low levels in the Bering Sea.

Publications

Kersula, M., and A. Seitz. 2019. Diverse migratory behaviors of Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus, L.) based on the 2000–2017 Maine halibut tagging program. Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science 50:13–24. https://dx.doi.org/10.2960/J.v50.m719

Pollnac, R.B., C. Carothers, T. Seara, and J.J. Poggie. 2019. Evaluating impacts of marine governance on human communities: Testing aspects of a human impact assessment model. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 77:174–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2019.02.001

Message from the Dean

I recently attended the annual spring meeting of the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) in Anchorage. Discussions focused on core research areas, student support, and strategies to leverage NPRB investments. Annual funding decisions for research projects and graduate student awards were also made; the outcome of this round of proposal submissions will be communicated by NPRB. Thanks to NPRB executive director Betsy Baker and her team for hosting a productive meeting.

Last week, Melissa Good and I had the honor to kick-off the Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium in Anchorage. The theme of this year’s symposium was “Cooperative research—strategies for integrating industry perspectives and insights in fisheries science.” This theme is in keeping with our strong research and education programs in fisheries, our coastal community outreach programs, and our good relations with federal and state fisheries agencies and the fishing industry. Alaska Sea Grant has sponsored this symposium since 1982, in partnership with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. This year, Matt Baker of NPRB chaired the steering committee; we are also grateful for NPRB’s assistance in supporting the symposium.

It is my pleasure to recognize the CFOS staff members who were honored last week at the annual UAF Staff Recognition event. These individuals and all of our hardworking staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the University: Steve Alicandri, Patrick Bedard, Randy Flannigan, Trevor Fournier, John Hamill, Jared Jeffery, Bernard McKiernan, Steven Roberts, Peter Shipton (5 years of service); Natalie Monacci (10 years of service).

It is also a pleasure to convey that several CFOS faculty were successful in the most recent UAF promotion and tenure process. Please join me in congratulating Courtney Carothers and Franz Mueter (promotion to professor) and Jeff Falke (promotion to associate professor).

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq recently completed her scheduled work for Dr. Uwe Send’s (UCSD/SIO) California Current Ecosystem cruise sampling microbial, plankton and fish populations. This week, Sikuliaq will load gear for Dr. Kerry Key (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) and embark with 16 students for a STEMSEAS cruise. During the transit from San Diego to Seward, Sikuliaq will deploy a wave glider in the North Pacific Ocean for Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

Activities and Accomplishments

Andrew McDonnell and Claudine Hauri welcomed their twin boys, Liun and Tias, to their family on April 24.

Andrew McDonnell received the 2019 Inspiration Award for Best Faculty Invention Disclosure at UAF for his design of BlueH2, an ocean carbon capture reactor.

Julia McMahon, Jeanette Gann, Kirstin Ressel, Cheryl Barnes, Katja Berghaus and Kelly Cates presented their research at the Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center meeting.

The following CFOS students received Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center Fellowships this year:

Fellowship Renewals

• Cheryl Barnes - PhD Fisheries (Advisor Anne Beaudreau)
• Katja Berghaus - PhD Fisheries (Advisor Trent Sutton)
• Kelly Cates - PhD Fisheries (Advisor Shannon Atkinson)
• Jeanette Gann - PhD Marine Biology (Advisor Sarah Hardy)

New Fellowships

• Marina Washburn - PhD Marine Biology (Advisor Amanda Kelley)
• Matthew Callahan - MS Fisheries (Advisor Anne Beaudreau)
• Becca Cates - MS Fisheries (Advisor Ginny Eckert)
• Austin Flanigan - MS Fisheries (Advisor Andrew Seitz)

CFOS in the News

The Alaska Journal of Commerce published a story on the new UAF Alaska Blue Economy Center.

The Cordova Times and SitNews republished a UAF press release featuring work by Anne Beaudreau that shows fishermen have become more specialized in the past 30 years.

CFOS Publications

Cates, K.A., S. Atkinson, C.M. Gabriele, A.A. Pack, J.M. Straley, and S. Yin. 2019. Testosterone trends within and across seasons in male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Hawaii and Alaska. General and Comparative Endocrinology in press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.03.013

Nielsen, J.K., F.J. Mueter, M.D. Adkison, T. Loher, S.F. McDermott, and A.C. Seitz. 2019. Effect of study area bathymetric heterogeneity on parameterization and performance of a depth-based geolocation model for demersal fishes. Ecological Modelling 402:18–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.03.023

Grant Awards for April 2019

The new awards for April are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-12662 "Development of Value-added Market Opportunities for Pollock Co-products: Screening of Pollock roe and milt for bioactive peptides that have an anti-inflammatory effect to improve human health" - Quentin Fong - UA Foundation PCCRC - $59,467.00 (April 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12709 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation 2019" - Steven Hartz - NSF - $68,661.00 (April 15, 2019)
• Grant G-12715 "Genetic Variability and Life History of Pacific Lamprey in the Susitna River Drainage" - Andres Lopez - US Fish & Wildlife Service - $39,352.00 (April 2, 2019)

These awards received incremental funding during the month of April 2019:

• Grant G-11222 "IODP Expedition 366 (Mariana Convergent Margin and South Chamorro Seamount) Period 1" - Mod 5 - Geoff Wheat - University of Columbia - $37,098.00 (October 1, 2016)
• Grant G-12050 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation 2018" - Mod 1 - Steven Hartz - NSF - $114,800.00 (April 15, 2018)

Message from the Dean

Following up on the recent State of the College, I would like to reiterate my appreciation to the students, staff and faculty for the good work you do on behalf of the college, the university and Alaska. Congratulations to all of the recipients of 2019 Dean’s Recognition Awards:

• Dr. Peter Westley: Outstanding Advisor
• Dr. Lara Horstmann: Outstanding Instructor
• Dr. Anne Beaudreau: Outstanding Researcher
• Ms. Melissa Good: Outstanding Public Service
• Mr. Ethan Roth: Outstanding Sikuliaq Crew
• Ms. Jennifer Harris: Outstanding Staff
• Mr. Keenan Sanderson: Outstanding Undergraduate Student

I would also like to disseminate more broadly the official name of our new 40-foot coastal research vessel, R/V Nanuq. She will arrive in Seward in late May and will be christened on June 6. Many thanks again to the Ship Committee, and in particular Port Captain Ed DeCastro, for stewarding the construction of Nanuq.

This Saturday, May 4, is UAF Commencement 2019—congratulations to our graduates. I look forward to congratulating you on the commencement stage.

Spring 2019 Graduates

• Cyr, Andrew. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: J. Andrés López
• Forster, Caitlin. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Brenda Norcross
• Johnson, Genevieve. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: J. Andrés López
• Marsh, Jennifer. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Franz Mueter
• Nielsen, Julie. PhD Fisheries, Major Advisor: Andrew Seitz
• Rebert, April. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Gordon Kruse
• Ree, Marta. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Peter Westley
• Sme, Noel. MS Fisheries, Major Advisor: Tony Gharrett
• Clark, Casey. PhD Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Lara Horstmann
• Gastaldi, Angela. MS Marine Biology, Major Advisors: Sarah Hardy and J. Andrés López
• Inglis, Susan. PhD Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Michael Castellini
• Mitchell, Timothy (James), MS Marine Biology, Major Advisor: Brenda Konar
• Pretty, Jessica. MS Oceanography, Major Advisor: Andrew McDonnell
• Stemmler, Faith. MMS Marine Sciences, Major Advisor: Russell Hopcroft
• Greenlaw, Stephen. BA Fisheries
• Mielke, Brian. BA Fisheries
• Rowe, Elizabeth. BA Fisheries
• Napier, Jonathan. BS Fisheries
• Poirrier, Taylor. BS Fisheries
• Reveil, Logan. BS Fisheries
• Sanderson, Keenan. BS Fisheries

Outstanding Undergraduate Student Awards

• Outstanding Senior: Keenan Sanderson
• Outstanding Junior: Noah Khalsa, Monroe Morris
• Outstanding Freshman: Rheannon Williams
• Leadership: Alyx Hoover

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq has just completed her scheduled work for Dr. Ed Dever’s (OSU) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) project. The goal of the project was to install two moorings, maintain one mooring, and deploy some gliders.

During the OOI cruise, Sikuliaq re-deployed a mini-boat named Copper Rose for the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Copper Rose was built by students in Portland, Oregon, in collaboration with a partner school in Japan, with the goal to send the ship across the ocean. Copper Rose was originally launched offshore of Coos Bay, Oregon, but traveled east and had to be saved from crashing into the rocks of the Central Oregon Coast.

In early May, Sikuliaq will transit to San Diego to mobilize for Dr. Uwe Send’s (UCSD/SIO) California Current System cruise. The goal of the cruise is to sample microbial, plankton, and fish populations.

Activities and Accomplishments

Seth Danielson, Anne Beaudreau and Geoff Wheat received Chancellor’s awards for research and creative activities.

Peter Westley received a Learnie Award for excellence in video production for his course Salmon, People, and Place supported by eCampus.

Seth Danielson, Pips Veazey, Harper Simmons, Andy Seitz and Ross Hopcroft participated in the first CFOS Pecha Kucha-style seminar.

Dan Oliver and Ed Dever (OSU) participated in a successful ship-to-shore interview with the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

Donald Arthur (advisor Jeff Falke), Katja Berghaus (advisor Trent Sutton) and Cheryl Barnes (advisor Anne Beaudreau) received Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Awards.

Five CFOS graduate students in the class Communicating Science to the Public taught by Anne Beaudreau coordinated outreach events in Fairbanks, Juneau and Germany. Donnie Arthur, Katja Berghaus, Matt Callahan, Elizabeth Hinkle, and Valentina Melica presented their research to nearly 60 audience members.

Earlier in April, Franz Mueter and Jared Weems traveled to Newport, Oregon, to work with German and Dutch collaborators to conduct “Surface and Under-Ice Trawl” (SUIT) net trials on Sikuliaq. The trials were an all-around success, and the SUIT net is scheduled to be used in the Arctic this November.

CFOS in the News

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner interviewed Seth Danielson, Dean Stockwell, Sarah Hardy and Caitlin Forster for a story on the ASGARD program.

KCAW featured Andrés López, who is a current Scientist in Residency Fellow at the Sitka Sound Science Center, about his residency and his research on fish diversity.

UAF News and Information and the CFOS website published a press release on research led by Anne Beaudreau that shows fishermen are becoming more specialized.

Publications

Beaudreau, A. H., E. J. Ward, R. E. Brenner, A. O. Shelton, J. T. Watson, J. C. Womack, S. C. Anderson, A. C. Haynie, K. N. Marshall, and B. C. Williams. 2019. Thirty years of change and the future of Alaskan fisheries: Shifts in fishing participation and diversification in response to environmental, regulatory and economic pressures. Fish and Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12364

Puerta, P., L. Ciannelli, R. Rykaczewski, M. Opiekun, and M. A. Litzow. 2019. Do Gulf of Alaska fish and crustacean populations show synchronous non-stationary responses to climate? Progress in Oceanography 175:161–170. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.04.002

Rossin, A. M., R. G. Waller, and R. P. Stone. 2019. The effects of in-vitro pH decrease on the gametogenesis of the red tree coral, Primnoa pacifica. PLoS ONE 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203976

Message from the Dean

The seagoing faculty search has concluded with the hire of the final of three new tenure-track faculty. In that regard, it is a pleasure to announce that Dr. Gwenn Hennon has been appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Oceanography. Gwenn completed her doctorate in oceanography at the University of Washington and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University. Gwenn’s appointment is part of the new “Fire and Ice” NSF EPSCOR program. Gwenn studies phytoplankton genomics and physiology in the lab and field to understand how marine microbial ecological processes may change in the future; she is primarily interested in how phytoplankton acclimate and adapt to changing environmental conditions. Her start date is September 2019.

In addition, it is a pleasure to announce that Dr. Tyler Hennon (Gwenn’s husband) has been appointed as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Oceanography, working with Seth Danielson. Tyler earned his doctorate in oceanography at the University of Washington and is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Marine Physical Laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. His research expertise focuses on internal waves, shear-driven mixing and turbulence. Tyler will be applying his efforts initially to examine Seward Peninsula lagoon systems and waters offshore. His start date is September 2019.

Please join me in welcoming Gwenn and Tyler to CFOS.

We have several active tenure-track faculty searches. On-campus interviews for the President’s Professor of Quantitative Fisheries concluded last week, and that search committee will soon provide their recommendation. And over the coming weeks, on-campus interviews will take place for the NOAA QUEST fisheries tenure-track faculty position and the mariculture tenure-track faculty position.

The 2019 State of the College will take place this Thursday, April 18, at 1 pm in O’Neill 201, and will be broadcast by videoconference. As in prior years, we will highlight some of our key accomplishments and present the annual Dean’s Recognition Awards. We will also announce the name and show pictures of the new coastal research vessel, which is due to be delivered to the Seward Marine Center in May. A pizza lunch will be served.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored at the Oregon State University (OSU) pier in Newport, Oregon, after testing the new Surface and Under Ice Trawl (SUIT) net for Dr. Franz Mueter. The SUIT net will be deployed operationally in November in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, as part of the Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE) program.

At the end of the week, Sikuliaq will get underway to install and maintain moorings as part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) for the Endurance Array off the Oregon coast, led by Dr. Ed Dever.

Today marks the deadline for proposals due to the inaugural Alaska Sikuliaq Program.

Activities and Accomplishments

Lia Domke (advisor Ginny Eckert) was recently awarded a 3-year NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Kelsie Maslen was awarded the CFOS Dean's Choice Award at UAF Research and Creative Activity Day for her poster entitled "Isotopic analysis of trophic feeding levels of male Mallotus villosus." Her coauthors were Kirsten Ressel and Trent Sutton.

CFOS in the News

Research by Heidi Mendoza-Islas and Russ Hopcroft to better understand the role of jellyfish in the Gulf of Alaska was published by UAF News and Information, the CFOS website and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Anne-Lise Ducluzeau wrote a story for the CFOS website about her workshop held during the 2018 STEMSEAS cruise on Sikuliaq.

KSFK interviewed Alexei Pinchuk on recent krill die-offs in Southeast Alaska.

Lauren Wild and Ali Schuler have been featured for their work performing a necropsy of a sperm whale that beached in Lynn Canal. The event was highlighted by KHNS, the Haines Chilkat Valley News, the Juneau Empire and a NOAA press release.

Publications

Clark, C.T., L. Horstmann, and N. Misarti. 2019. Lipid normalization and stable isotope discrimination in Pacific walrus tissues. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42095-z

Vestfals, C.D., F.J. Mueter, J.T. Duffy-Anderson, M.S. Busby, and A. De Robertis. 2019. Spatio-temporal distribution of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) early life stages in the Pacific Arctic. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02494-4

Message from the Dean

I recently had the honor of speaking at Alaska House and Senate Committee Hearings in Juneau on the value of CFOS in building Alaska’s Blue Economy. Alaska has over half of the nation’s coastline and approximately one-third of the Exclusive Economic Zone, and our state defines the U.S. as an Arctic nation. Alaska’s substantial Blue Economy depends significantly on marine research, education and public engagement, encompassing the mission of CFOS.

In this regard, it is a pleasure to convey that Chancellor White has approved CFOS’s proposal to establish the UAF Alaska Blue Economy Center (ABEC). This new interdisciplinary center combines UAF’s extensive expertise in Alaska’s offshore and inland aquatic ecosystems and resources. Serving as a resource to the state, a key goal of ABEC is to advance research and education opportunities in fisheries, mariculture, energy, ocean observing and technology. Over the past few years, UAF has made significant strides in advancing Alaska’s Blue Economy, for example through partnerships with Blue Evolution, the Bering Sea Fishermen's Association and the Alaska Ocean Cluster (known now as AFDF Startup Accelerator), new research in mariculture, operation of R/V Sikuliaq and the Alaska Sikuliaq Program, development of the UAF Blue MBA, and renewable energy projects led by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power.

By improving coordination within UA and with external partners, ABEC will bring significant value to Alaska’s coastal and inland communities, economy and workforce.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is arriving at Astoria, Oregon, today after completing a multi-beam echosounder system (MBES) patch test (an operational test to ensure the MBES is working properly). After fueling and bringing aboard stores, Sikuliaq will transit from Astoria to Newport to prepare for the next two projects.

First, Dr. Franz Mueter (UAF/CFOS) will test Sikuliaq’s new Surface and Under Ice Trawl (SUIT) net and ensure the net is ready to be used operationally in November in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Following this work, Dr. Ed Dever (OSU) will install and maintain moorings and deploy gliders as part of the National Science Foundation’s Ocean Observatories Initiative for the Endurance Array off the Oregon coast.

Activities and Accomplishments

Last week, Jennifer Harris and Wendy Huesties participated in the 2^nd General Assembly of the Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium, held in Lisbon, Portugal. An overview of ARICE was recently published by the European Commission.

On March 18, Doug Baird and Lauren Frisch represented Sikuliaq at the March Arctic Waterways Safety Committee meeting in Anchorage.

Cheryl Barnes (advisor Anne Beaudreau) was awarded the Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Award.

A number of students received awards at the recent American Fisheries Society Alaska Chapter meeting in Sitka. Chris Sergeant (advisor Jeff Falke) was awarded best student talk. Alyx Hoover was awarded best undergraduate poster. And, Noah Khalsa was the recipient of the Molly Ahlgren Scholarship Award.

The new five-year EPSCoR project will start field sampling. Last week, sites were selected and initial sampling was completed in Kachemak Bay. Full sampling in both Kachemak Bay and Lynn Canal will start in April and continue through September with the assistance of many graduate and undergraduate students.

The Ocean Acidification Research Center is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2009 Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act (FOARAM). The FOARAM Act got the ball rolling for US federal agencies to coordinate ocean acidification research as well as to spin up international collaborations.

The GAKOA surface mooring, located in Resurrection Bay, was successfully turned around this month. GAKOA is the first high-latitude mooring deployed to directly study ocean acidification and has the longest continuous record of OA observations in the state of Alaska. Learn more about OARC research on the mooring network webpage.

CFOS in the News

National Fisherman published a Q&A with Heather Brandon.

Ketchikan Daily News featured Gary Freitag’s work with marine mammals.

Publications

Clark, C. T.*, L. Horstmann, A. de Vernal, A. M. Jensen, and N. Misarti. 2019. Pacific walrus diet across 4000 years of changing sea ice conditions. Quaternary Research. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.140

Sutton, A. J., R. A. Feely, S. Maenner-Jones, S. Musielwicz, J. Osborne, C. Dietrich, N. Monacci, J. Cross, R. Bott, A. Kozyr, A. J. Andersson, N. R. Bates, W. J. Cai, M. F. Cronin, E. H. De Carlo, B. Hales, S. D. Howden, C. M. Lee, D. P. Manzello, M. J. McPhaden, M. Meléndez, J. B. Mickett, J. A. Newton, S. E. Noakes, J. H. Noh, S. R. Olafsdottir, J. E. Salisbury, U. Send, T. W. Trull, D. C. Vandemark, and R. A. Weller. 2019. Autonomous seawater pCO₂ and pH time series from 40 surface buoys and the emergence of anthropogenic trends. Earth System Science Data 11(1): 421–439. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-421-2019

Grant Awards for March 2019

The new awards for March are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-12663 "Effects of demography, trophic interactions, and the environment of major groundfish species in the Gulf of Alaska" - Anne Beaudreau (Cheryl Barnes) - UA Foundation - $5,000.00 (March 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12684 "Belmont Forum Collaborative Research (BiodivERsA): De-icing of Arctic Coasts: Critical or new opportunities for marine biodiversity and Ecosystem Services ACCES" - Katrin Iken - NSF - $73,012.00 (March 15, 2019)

These awards received incremental funding during the month of March 2019:

• Grant G-3163 "Ted Stevens Distinguished Professor of Marine Policy" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation - $240,000.00 (April 1, 2006)
• Grant G-11432 "First-year pollock and their zooplankton predators in the northern Gulf of Alaska" - Russ Hopcroft - UA Foundation PCCRC - $66,228.00 (May 1, 2017)
• G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Mod 7 - Heather Brandon - NOAA - $336,285.00 (February 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

Last week the Consortium for Ocean Leadership held its annual Public Policy Forum, which featured insightful presentations and panel discussions on the past, present and future of US Ocean Policy. At the reception following the forum I had the privilege to introduce Senator Murkowski, who as co-chair of the Senate Ocean Caucus is making important strides in advancing ocean science policy for the benefit of Alaska and the nation. It is encouraging that we have such strong national leadership for our college and university.

Please mark your calendars for the State of the College celebration, which will be held on Thursday, April 18, at 1 pm in O’Neill 201. This annual event is an opportunity to recognize our many accomplishments, and will feature the Dean’s Recognition Awards presented to outstanding students, staff and faculty. In addition to a pizza lunch, the official name of our new 40-foot coastal research vessel will be announced, which was selected from 100 hundred suggested names received from a UAF-wide naming solicitation. The new coastal vessel is scheduled for delivery to Seward in late May. This will coincide with the arrival of the freshly painted Sikuliaq, proudly emblazoned with the new UAF logo.

It is a pleasure to recognize Dr. Jennifer Questel as recipient of a prestigious UAF Centennial Post-doctoral Fellowship. An alumna of our graduate program in Biological Oceanography, Jennifer will work with Russ Hopcroft on metabarcoding analysis of zooplankton assemblages as part of the Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER program. This is the second Centennial Post-doc awarded to CFOS in as many years—congratulations Jennifer and great work CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Newport, Oregon, getting ready for an Oregon State University Undergraduate Training Cruise being led by Dr. Miguel Goni. This multidisciplinary training cruise is designed to allow undergraduates to experience marine research operations and get a feel for life at sea.

After the OSU undergraduate cruise, Sikuliaq will begin preparations for a multibeam echosounder system (MBES) patch test, which is an operational test to ensure the MBES are working properly, off the northern Oregon coast.

Activities and Accomplishments

On March 4, Dean Moran appeared before three legislative committees to highlight the value of UA’s world-class research and discuss how our university helps foster a “Blue Economy” through industries such as mariculture. Videos of Dean Moran’s presentations are available online at the following links: Senate Resources Committee, House Resources Committee, and House Fisheries Committee.

Ana Aguilar-Islas is at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam, Germany, preparing for the international MOSAiC project. This project is part of the International Arctic Drift Expedition, which will begin in late summer 2019 when the German R/V Polarstern will be locked in sea ice and allowed to drift for one year along the Transpolar Drift to the North Atlantic.

Last week the UA Scientific Diving class traveled to the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory in Homer. Twenty-six students, two instructors, and a European Our-Underwater Scholar from Spain all practiced scientific diving techniques in the ocean as the field component of their course.

CFOS in the News

The Delta Discovery, SitNews and Alaska Business Magazine republished a story featuring research by Brian Ulaski and Brenda Konar to examine long-standing questions about reproduction and possible harvesting of seaweeds in Southcentral Alaska.

The Nome Nugget highlighted the results of cesium-137 testing in the northern Bering Sea, with quotes from Gay Sheffield and Seth Danielson.

Publications

Bigelow, N.H., J.D. Reuther, K.L. Wallace, E. Saulnier-Talbot, K. Mulliken, and M.J. Wooller. 2019. Late-glacial paleoecology of the middle Susitna Valley, Alaska: Environmental context for human dispersal. Frontiers in Earth Science 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00043

Bucklin, A., H.D. Yeh, J.M. Questel, D.E. Richardson, B. Reece, N.J. Copley, and P.H. Wiebe. 2019. Time-series metabarcoding analysis of zooplankton diversity of the NW Atlantic continental shelf. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz021

Chenoweth, E.M., and K.R. Criddle. 2019. The economic impacts of humpback whale depredation on hatchery-released juvenile Pacific salmon in Southeast Alaska. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 11(1): 62–75. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10061

Drinkwater, K.F., F.J. Mueter, and S.-I. Saitoh. 2018. Shifting boundaries of water, ice, flora, fauna, people, and institutions in the Arctic and subarctic. ICES Journal of Marine Science 75(7): 2293–2298. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy179

Manishin, K.A., K.J. Goldman, M. Short, C.J. Cunningham, P.A.H. Westley, and A.C. Seitz. 2019. Prey consumption estimates for salmon sharks. Marine and Freshwater Research. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF18345

Message from the Dean

The state of Alaska provides $500,000 annually to support research and education programs conducted by UAF-based researchers aboard Sikuliaq. As operator of Sikuliaq, CFOS has created the Alaska Sikuliaq Program (ASP) to facilitate the allocation of these funds; starting today, proposals may be submitted to use these funds to support up to ten days of ship time in CY2020. This is an important step forward in our operation of Sikuliaq and our partnership with the National Science Foundation. It is a pleasure to thank the Sikuliaq Ship Committee and Carol Kaynor for assistance in developing this new program.

The Alaska Tsunami Bowl held February 21–24 in Seward was a big success, with 17 high school teams competing from across Alaska. The winning team is the Ketchikan Saber-Toothed Salmon, who will compete this spring as part of the 2019 National Ocean Science Bowl finals in Washington, DC. A big thank-you to Jennifer Elhard, Amanda Kelley and Sarah Walters and the many students, staff and faculty who gave their time and effort in making this another successful competition.

This week, I will present on behalf of CFOS before the House Resources Committee, Senate Resources Committee and the House Fisheries Committee in Juneau. The focus of my presentations will be to convey the tremendous value and return on investment that CFOS brings to Alaska’s communities. It is a pleasure to thank members of the UA Government Relations team, Weston Eiler and Miles Baker, for arranging this opportunity to engage with our elected officials.

On Wednesday of this week, we will host Dr. Mike DeGrandpre of the University of Montana as the spring 2019 CFOS keynote seminar speaker. Mike is an analytical chemist who builds and uses sensors to study aquatic biogeochemistry and the ocean carbon cycle. His company Sunburst Sensors won the 2015 Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE. Please mark your calendar for Mike’s presentation entitled, “Sea surface CO₂ and pH in the changing Arctic Ocean,” which will take place at 3:30 pm in O’Neill 201.

Last, Chancellor White recently provided useful advocacy tools and tips regarding the Governor's proposed FY20 budget for the university. I encourage everyone to share their personal story of the value of CFOS and to advocate in support of the university. It is also important at this time to be proud of the important work you do and the positive impact we have on the state of Alaska.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for her first scientific cruise of 2019. Dr. Bob Cowen of Oregon State University is studying various aspects of the mesozooplankton food web, from predator and prey distributions to diet composition, to stable isotope signatures defining carbon production source during non-upwelling periods of coastal Oregon and Northern California.

After Dr. Cowen’s project is complete, Sikuliaq returns to Newport to begin preparations for a multibeam echosounder system (MBES) patch test (an operational test to ensure the MBES are working properly), an OSU undergraduate training cruise, and the biennial NSF ship inspection.

Activities and Accomplishments

Davin Holen partnered with Sea Grant agents from the Gulf of Mexico states to host an oil spill preparedness workshop February 20–21 in Anchorage at the Den’aina Center. Some 70 participants discussed impacts to health and social and economic disruption from oil spills. The workshop included local and national speakers, with attendees from around Alaska. This is part of a larger series of workshops funded by the National Academies to set priorities for research on the topic.

At the 2019 Innovation Summit in Juneau, Seth Danielson was inducted into the Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame for his essential role in the development of a remote power module (RPM). The RPM is routinely used to power high-frequency radars that map ocean currents from shore.

CFOS in the News

UAF Cornerstone and the CFOS website featured research by Brian Ulaski and Brenda Konar to examine long-standing questions about reproduction and possible harvesting of seaweeds in Southcentral Alaska.

Publications

C.J. Graham, T.M. Sutton, M.D. Adkison, M.V. McPhee, and P.J. Richards. 2019. Evaluation of growth, survival, and recruitment of Chinook salmon in Southeast Alaska rivers. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10148

Grant Awards for February 2019

The new awards for February are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-12601 "Hydrocarbon Seeps in the Lower Cook Inlet, Gulf of Alaska, Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea OCS Planning Areas" - Jennifer Reynolds - BOEM - $200,000.00 (January 15, 2019)
• Grant G-12610 "Zooplankton Production in Arctic Lagoons" - Alexei Pinchuk - Wildlife Conservation Society - $42,513.00 (January 31, 2019)
• Grant G-12612 "MARES: pCO2 sensor and analysis" - Brenda Konar - Stantec Consulting Ltd. - $18,167.00 (November 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12619 "Port Valdez Environmental Studies Chemical Data Uncertainty Analysis" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $24,000.00 (January 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12628 "2019 Knauss Alaska Sea Grant Fellowship Kirkham" - Heather Brandon - $61,500.00 (February 1, 2019)

Grants that received incremental funding during the month of February are as follows:

• Grant G-11426 "High Resolution Regional Simulations of Flow and Turbulence in Wakes of Abrupt Topography: A proposal to ONR" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 1 - $194,850.00 (May 1, 2017)
• Grant G-12114 "Inertial and Turbulent Processes in the Iceland Basin: A Proposal to the Near Inertial Shear and Kinetic Energy in the North Atlantic Experiment (NISKINE) Departmental Research Initiative" - Harper Simmons - ONR - Mod 2 - $311,278.00 (April 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations - CY2018-2022" - S. Brad Moran - NSF - Mod 1 - $7,844,087.00 (July 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

With uncertainty swirling around the state budget, it is important to reflect on the many positive aspects of what CFOS represents to the state and to the nation. In that regard, a number of upcoming events underscore the value of CFOS in observing, predicting and managing Alaska’s aquatic resources and ecosystems.

First, CFOS, Alaska Sea Grant and partners are preparing to host the 2019 Alaska Tsunami Bowl this weekend in Seward. As part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, the Alaska Tsunami Bowl brings together high school students from across the state to engage in a lively competition focused on understanding marine and inland water ecosystems. The following week, CFOS students, staff and faculty will participate in the largest annual aquatic sciences meeting in the nation, the 2019 ASLO Aquatic Sciences Meeting. In addition to science presentations, CFOS will have a booth and be working to recruit students to join the College. Looking out a few weeks, CFOS will participate in the Consortium for Ocean Leadership 2019 Public Policy Forum, which will focus on U.S. Ocean Policy.

These events are just a few examples of the mission of CFOS in advancing fisheries and oceans sciences education, research and public service at the state and national level.

Next week we will usher in the month of March—spring is just around the corner.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is finishing up her regulatory 5-year dry-docking and maintenance contract at the Vigor Marine Shipyard in Portland, Oregon. She is being readied for refloating this week, with sea trials to follow shortly thereafter in the Columbia River.

Sikuliaq is scheduled to leave the shipyard on February 26 to transit to Newport, Oregon, for her first scientific cruise of 2019, led by Dr. Bob Cowen of Oregon State University. Dr. Cowen will be studying various aspects of the mesozooplankton food web, including predator and prey distributions, diet composition, and stable isotope signatures defining carbon production source during non-upwelling periods in coastal Oregon and Northern California.

Activities and Accomplishments

In 2018, 59 divers (faculty, students and staff) logged 692 dives through the UA-wide Scientific Diving Program. This included 826 training dives and 692 research dives, totaling 38,249 minutes or more than 26 days under water.

Milo Adkison visited Petersburg to give a Science Series talk titled “A new tool for understanding fisheries management” on January 24. While he was there, Milo showed the Petersburg High School aquaculture class his new online salmon management game.

Gay Sheffield responded to a report of 40 dead long-tailed ducks at sea near Gambell.

CFOS in the News

A KTOO story highlighted Tuula Hollmen’s work to better understand how saltier water may impact ducklings.

A Fairbanks Daily News-Miner story featured work by Jeff Falke, Elizabeth Hinkle, Deanna Klobucar and Trout Klobucar to better understand how wildfires influence fish habitats in Interior Alaska. The story was also published in UAF Cornerstone, in SitNews and on the CFOS website.

KYUK highlighted Kaitlyn Manishin’s research to better understand what happens to king salmon in the open ocean. Manishin presented this work at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium a few weeks ago.

Publications

Cyr, A., J.A. López, L. Rea, M.J. Wooller, T. Loomis, S. Mcdermott, and T.M. O'Hara. 2019. Mercury concentrations in marine species from the Aleutian Islands: Spatial and biological determinants. Science of the Total Environment 664:761–770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.387

Sparks, M.M., J.A. Falke, T.P. Quinn, M.D. Adkison, D.E. Schindler, K. Bartz, D. Young, and P.A.H. Westley. 2019. Influences of spawning timing, water temperature, and climatic warming on early life history phenology in western Alaska sockeye salmon. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 76(1): 123–135. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2017-0468

Grant Awards for January 2019

The new awards for January are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-12533 "Water is Life - Water is Alive" - Eric Collins - NPRB - $20,000.00 (January 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12552 "Movements and Habitat Use of Pacific Arctic Seals and Whales via Satellite Tracking and Ocean Sensing" - Steve Okkonen - AK Dept. of Fish & Game - $49,484.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12574 "Arctic Hilcorp Fisheries Study" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC. - $25,756.00 (January 1, 2019)
• Grant G-12584 "Bering Strait HABS Outreach Part 1" - Gay Sheffield - AOOS - $9,844.00 (September 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12585 "Bering Strait HABS Outreach Part 2" - Gay Sheffield - AOOS - $6,051.00 (September 1, 2018)

Grants that received incremental funding during January are as follows:

• Grant G-2218 "Administration of PCCRC" - Keith Criddle - UA Foundation PCCRC Endowment - $55,000.00 (January 1, 2005)
• Grant G-11291 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study (UA Foundation)" - Trent Sutton - UA Foundation - $100,704.00 (January 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11315 "Sea Otters and ecosystem function of eelgrass habitats in Southeast Alaska" - Ginny Eckert - UA Foundation - $38,000.00 (March 2, 2017)
• G-12201 "ALASKA Center of Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship (Center ICE)" - Chris Sannito (co-PI) - $34,026.00 (July 1, 2018)

The following grant was set up on assumption in January:

• Grant G-12547 "Port Valdez Environmental Studies 2019" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - (January 1, 2019)

Message from the Dean

Last Sunday, CFOS held the second all-hands faculty retreat; the following is a brief summary of the pending full report. A key action item is to grow enrollment in our undergraduate and graduate programs through online course delivery. In that regard, Trent Sutton is leading a proposal submission to UAF eCampus to help us achieve this important academic goal. Brenda Konar summarized several ambitious efforts to bolster our research enterprise, including infrastructure improvements at the Seward Marine Center, a new interdisciplinary Arctic research program, and addressing food security challenges in the face of climate change. Heather Brandon led a discussion of ways to strengthen our important public engagement activities, and Anne Beaudreau wrapped up the day with a productive discussion of diversity and inclusivity, particularly in regard to future faculty and staff hires. It is a pleasure to thank the faculty for participating, Jennifer Harris for on-site logistics and reporting, Heather McLeod for assistance with preparations, and facilitators Kris Racina and Ashley Munro for their help in making this retreat a success.

The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) held last week featured numerous insightful presentations by CFOS students and faculty. The quality and diversity of these presentations reflects extremely well on the research, education and public outreach programs in the College. The CFOS booth organized by Lauren Frisch showcased our programs, facilities and activities, as well as opportunities for students, post-docs and faculty to join the College. There was a particularly strong appearance by CFOS students, who presented 13 of the 23 student talks as well as many excellent posters. The AMSS award for best master’s student poster went to Alex Poje (advisor Russ Hopcroft), and second-place for best master’s student oral presentation went to Stephanie O’Daly (advisor Andrew McDonnell). Congratulations to Alex and Stephanie, and to all CFOS students and faculty for their excellent work.

Following AMSS, the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center (PCCRC) and the Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) held their annual symposia. The PCCRC symposium featured presentations by CFOS students and faculty that focused on fisheries and marine trophic dynamics. Thanks to Keith Criddle, Patrick Barry and Gabrielle Hazelton for organizing the board meeting and symposium. In the CMI symposium, six of the nine presentations were by CFOS students. All student talks were excellent, and two were recognized for best student presentation: Alexis Walker (advisors Sarah Hardy and Mary Beth Leigh) and Casey Clark (advisors Lara Horstmann and Nicole Misarti). Thanks to Brenda Konar and Ruth Post for organizing another great symposium.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq’s regulatory 5-year dry-docking is finishing up in Portland, Oregon, at the Vigor Marine shipyard. Work items include: hull cleaned and painted; sea chests cleaned, inspected and painted; anchors and chains removed, blasted, and painted; Z-drive thrusters removed for servicing; drive motor shaft bearings removed; ice windows for the echosounder transducers replaced; centerboard trunk wall permanently repaired; and the fast rescue boat (FRB) davit serviced.

Sikuliaq is scheduled to be refloated on February 15, and will depart the shipyard on February 26 to transit to Newport, Oregon, for her first scientific cruise of 2019.

Activities and Accomplishments

Mat Wooller received the 2018 Emil Usibelli Distinguished Research Award.

Geoff Wheat’s research on groups of octopus moms discovered in the deep sea was featured by the National Science Foundation as a most popular story of 2019.

Quentin Fong gave a talk titled “Evolving crab market in China: A social, cultural, and economic perspective” to the University of the Arctic’s Thematic Network on Global Ecological and Economic Connections in Arctic and Sub-Arctic Crab Fisheries in Seattle in January.

CFOS in the News

Brenda Konar was interviewed for a New York Times story focused on links between sea star wasting disease and ocean warming. The story was picked up by the Boston Globe.

KSFK interviewed Milo Adkison about two interactive salmon management games that he developed.

Katrin Iken was interviewed by KTUU about the Blob, and how changes in the Arctic have a widespread impact.

Russ Hopcroft provided insight into how the Blob affected copepods for this Science Magazine story. The story was republished as a feature by Science Magazine the next day.

Publications

Barnes, C., and R. Starr. Reproductive tactics of California halibut (Paralichthys californicus): Combining spawning season, interspawning interval, and batch fecundity to estimate annual reproductive output for a multiple-batch spawning fish. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Report 59:102–114. PDF download of article.

Bland, A., B. Konar, and M. Edwards. 2019. Spatial trends and environmental drivers of epibenthic shelf community structure across the Aleutian Islands. Continental Shelf Research 175:12–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2019.01.006

Buck, C.S., A. Aguilar-Islas, C. Marsay, D. Kadko, and W. Landing. 2019. Trace element concentrations, elemental ratios, and enrichment factors observed in aerosol samples collected during the US GEOTRACES eastern Pacific Ocean transect (GP16). Chemical Geology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2019.01.002

Message from the Dean

As we kick off the spring 2019 semester, this is the time to take stock of the key goals for the College this coming year, which were recently transmitted in the 2019 CFOS Goals and Priorities memorandum. In this regard, and as part of the continued implementation of our Decadal Plan, we will host the second CFOS all-hands faculty retreat at the Hotel Captain Cook on Sunday, January 27. The goal of the retreat is to establish specific actions in academics, research and service to achieve over the next 1–2 years. This includes growing student enrollment, particularly through online course delivery; developing large interdisciplinary research programs; and serving the needs of Alaska’s communities. The retreat will be facilitated by Kris Racina and Ashley Munro of the UAF Process Improvement and Training Crew (PIT Crew), and Jennifer Harris will ensure we have a written report. The retreat agenda will be forthcoming.

Following the retreat, we will host a reception that will include a number of our key stakeholders. This will be a great opportunity to engage with our colleagues from across Alaska.

This is also a time to recognize and thank the many donors that support CFOS. These generous contributions are extremely important and greatly appreciated, and most importantly they allow our students to advance their careers in fisheries, marine biology and ocean sciences.

Next week, we look forward to many insightful presentations by our students and faculty at the 2019 Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) in Anchorage. During the poster sessions, CFOS will have a booth with plenty of swag, so please stop by and check it out.

It is a pleasure to welcome back our current and new CFOS students and acknowledge the fall 2017 graduates. CFOS faculty and staff are here to support you and we wish you great success.

Fall 2018 degree recipients

Congratulations to the fall 2018 CFOS graduates:

Douglas Duncan, MS Fisheries, Advisor: ;Anne Beaudreau
Danielle Gerik, MS Fisheries, Advisor: Andrés López
Chase Jalbert, MS Fisheries, Advisors: Jeff Falke and Peter Westley
Kaitlyn Manishin, MS Fisheries, Advisor: Andrew Seitz
Stephanie Meggers, MS Fisheries, Advisor: Andrew Seitz
Jodi Neil, MS Fisheries, Advisor: Megan McPhee
Marguerite Tibbles, MS Fisheries, Advisor: Andrew Seitz
Aaron Bland, MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Brenda Konar
Audrey Rowe, MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Matthew Wooller
Tanja Schollmeier, MS Marine Biology, Advisor: Katrin Iken

Finally, a warm welcome to the following new graduate students:

Lia Domke, MS Fisheries, Advisor: Ginny Eckert
Nina Lundstrom, MS Fisheries, Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
Annie Kandel, MS Oceanography, Advisor: Ana Aguilar-Islas

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is still in Portland, Oregon, at the Vigor Marine shipyard for her regulatory 5-year dry-docking and maintenance contract. Some of the work items that have been started or completed include: hull cleaned and painted; sea chests cleaned, inspected and painted; anchors and chains removed, blasted, and painted; Z-drive thrusters removed for servicing; drive motor shaft bearings removed; ice windows for the echosounder transducers removed; field repair on the centerboard trunk wall removed and readied for permanent repairs; and fast rescue boat (FRB) removed and the FRB davit readied for servicing. She is scheduled to be refloated on February 11 and depart the shipyard on February 26 to transit to Newport, Oregon, for her first scientific cruise of 2019.

Activities and Accomplishments

Doug Baird attended the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission meeting this last week, representing Sikuliaq.

Marilyn Sigman will receive the 2019 Marine Science Outreach Award of the Alaska SeaLife Center. This award is given to a person, team or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to ocean literacy via formal or informal education, media or other communications.

Peter Westley has accepted an invitation to serve on an expert panel of the Washington State Academy of Sciences to review the science of salmon and steelhead hatcheries. The panel will inform potential policy revisions.

Quentin Fong gave a talk entitled “Agile Business Planning” to the Alaska Shellfish Growers Association annual conference held in Cordova in early December.

Sunny Rice co-taught a lesson on how long it takes for marine debris to break down to 200+ elementary school students last December. This lesson is part of an ongoing project in Petersburg to raise awareness about marine debris.

Publications

Cathcart, C. N., K. J. Dunker, T. P. Quinn, A. J. Sepulveda, F. A. von Hippel, A. Wizik, D. B. Young, and P. A. H. Westley. 2018. Trophic plasticity and the invasion of a renowned piscivore: a diet synthesis of northern pike (Esox lucius) from the native and introduced ranges in Alaska, U.S.A. Biological Invasions. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1909-7

Figus, E., and K. R. Criddle. 2018. Comparing self-reported incidental catch among fishermen targeting Pacific halibut and a fishery independent survey. Marine Policy. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.12.008

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to convey a warm welcome to everyone from what hopefully was an enjoyable winter break spent with friends and family. I wish everyone a productive and safe 2019. Happy New Year!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is dry-docked at the Vigor Marine shipyard in Portland, Oregon. This dry-docking is scheduled as part of Sikuliaq’s required 5-year maintenance. She will be there until the end of February, when she’ll transit to Newport, Oregon, to pick up the first science team of 2019.

Activities and Accomplishments

Terry Quinn received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists.

Krista Oke and Janessa Esquible were interviewed in a podcast about Alaska’s salmon datasets, created by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis as part of the State of Alaska’s Salmon and People project.

CFOS in the News

SitNews republished Paula Dobbyn’s story about environmental changes in the Bering Sea, featuring an interview with Gay Sheffield.

Publications

Barnes, C. L., A. H. Beaudreau, M. E. Hunsicker, and L. Ciannelli. 2018. Assessing the potential for competition between Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias) in the Gulf of Alaska. PLoS ONE 13(12). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209402

Barton, M. B., S. Y. Litvin, J. J. Vollenweider, R. A. Heintz, B. L. Norcross, and K. M. Boswell. 2019. Experimental determination of tissue turnover rates and trophic discrimination factors for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes of arctic sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpioides): A common Arctic nearshore fish. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 511:60–67. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2018.11.005

Chan, M. N., A. H. Beaudreau, and P. A. Loring. 2018. Exploring diversity in expert knowledge: variation in local ecological knowledge of Alaskan recreational and subsistence fishers. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy193.

Holsman, K. K., K. Aydin, J. Sullivan, T. Hurst, and G. H. Kruse. 2018. Climate effects and bottom-up controls on growth and size-at-age of Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) in Alaska (USA). Fisheries Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1111/fog.12416

Ruggerone, G. T., A. M. Springer, L. D. Shaul, and G. B. van Vliet. 2019. Unprecedented biennial pattern of birth and mortality in an endangered apex predator, the southern resident killer whale, in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 608:291–296. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12835

Grant Awards for December 2018

The new awards for December are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-12511 "RCN-UBE: The Research on STEM Education Network: Improving Research Inclusivity through a Grassroots Culture of Scientific Teaching" - Trent Sutton - University of Alabama-Birmingham - $17,403.00 (August 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12536 "Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship 2018 Kayla Schommer" - Heather Brandon - AOOS - $36,268.00 (September 10, 2018)

Grants that received incremental funding during December are as follows:

• Grant G-9871 "Initiating an Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON)" - Katrin Iken - Mod 5 - $250,000.00 (November 1, 2014)
• Grant G-11498 "Riverine Carbon Contributions to Alaskan Coastal Margins" - Stephen Okkonen - Mod 2 - $72,268.00 (March 16, 2017)
• Grant G-11629 "Baechler Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship" - Ginny Eckert - Mod 2 - $27,066 (September 5, 2017)

Message from the Dean

As we close out 2018, it is a pleasure to express my appreciation to all CFOS students, staff and faculty for the good work you do, and to our Captain and crew in ensuring the safe and successful operation of R/V Sikuliaq. Your collective effort benefits the State of Alaska and the nation in many ways.

This is a time to reflect on the important goals that we accomplished together this year. Referring back to my February memorandum, the 2018 CFOS key goals were to “strengthen faculty numbers through new hires, increase undergraduate and graduate student recruiting, develop online course offerings, and support new interdisciplinary research initiatives.”

In that regard, over the past year we hired two tenure-track and two research faculty, are focused on hiring more seagoing faculty, and we hope to conclude the President’s Professorship search in the coming weeks. We have two active searches to hire faculty in quantitative fisheries and mariculture, and next year we plan to launch two faculty searches as part of the EPSCoR program. We also hired a new director of the Alaska Sea Grant Program. We hired a new student recruiter to bolster our efforts on the academic front, and more of our faculty are focused on developing courses for online delivery. We also played an important role in the successful EPSCoR award, are developing an NSF Science and Technology Center (STC) proposal, and we commissioned a new coastal research vessel to be delivered next year.

We can be proud of these and many other accomplishments—excellent work CFOS!

Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is scheduled to arrive in Portland, Oregon, at the Vigor Marine shipyard today for her regulatory 5-year dry-docking and maintenance contract. The shipyard contract is scheduled to last 10 weeks, with Sikuliaq departing on February 26 to transit to Newport, Oregon, for her first scientific cruise of 2019.

Activities and Accomplishments

Last week at the 2018 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, a significant number of our faculty gave impressive presentations on their research. And, Lauren Frisch and Kelly Walker staged a great CFOS booth that displayed our academic programs, opportunities for students, and active faculty searches to a captive audience. Congratulations to all on a job well done.

Also at AGU, Gay Sheffield and other scientists discussed studies about and observations of the rapidly changing Arctic. Gay was quoted in an Associated Press article, "Scary warming at poles showing up at weird times, places."

Publications

Brown, K. L., S. Atkinson, K. B. Keller, and H. C. Pearson. 2018. Diet of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Icy Strait, Alaska, based on stomach contents analysis. Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12539

Courtney, M. B., E. R. Schoen, A. Wizik, and P. A. H. Westley. 2018. Quantifying the net benefits of suppression: Truncated size structure and consumption of native salmonids by invasive northern pike in an Alaska lake. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10231

Litzow, M. A., L. Ciannelli, P. Puerta, J. J. Wettstein, R. R. Rykaczewski, and M. Opiekun. 2018. Non-stationary climate–salmon relationships in the Gulf of Alaska. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.1855

Shink, K. G., T. M. Sutton, J. M. Murphy, and J. A. López. 2018. Genetic variation and population structure among larval Lethenteron spp. within the Yukon River drainage, Alaska. Journal of Fish Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13833

Message from the Dean

With a total of 900 PhD, MS and undergraduate degrees awarded through 2018, CFOS alumni have had a major impact and are active in academic, agency and nongovernmental organizations around the world. In this regard, it is a pleasure to recognize three alumni as newly elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Jacqueline M. Grebmeier (Ph.D., 1987); Dennis A. Hansell (Ph.D., 1989); and Frank E. Muller-Karger (M.S., 1984). Congratulations!

As the proud operator of R/V Sikuliaq and an active member of the University-National Laboratory Oceanographic System (UNOLS), CFOS has been selected to host the 2019 Research Vessel Technical Enhancement Committee (RVTEC) annual meeting at the Fairbanks campus in October. RVTEC provides a forum for discussion and collaboration among the technical support groups of the US Academic Research Fleet and is hosted by a different member institution each year. Congratulations to Steve Hartz, John Haverlack, Ethan Roth and their team for bringing this important meeting to UAF.

After 15 years of service to Alaska Sea Grant and the Marine Advisory Program based out of Cordova, associate professor Torie Baker will resign at the end of December 2018. Torie’s academic focus has been on marine boating safety, seafood processing and marketing, and commercial fishing. Please join me in wishing Torie the very best in retirement.

After a decade of service, Peter Winsor has tendered his resignation as associate professor of oceanography, effective January 31, 2019. Peter’s research has focused on high-latitude physical oceanography, including active programs in the Antarctic and Arctic. Peter has accepted the position of Director of the Global Arctic Program, World Wildlife Foundation, based in Ottawa, Canada. Please join me in wishing Peter the very best in his new position.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is scheduled to arrive in Portland, Oregon, at the Vigor Marine shipyard today for her regulatory 5-year dry-docking and maintenance contract. The shipyard contract is scheduled to last 10 weeks, with Sikuliaq departing on February 26 to transit to Newport, Oregon, for her first scientific cruise of 2019.

Activities and Accomplishments

The 2018 CFOS Annual Report and Undergraduate Program Video are now posted on the CFOS publications page>; also posted are several new and updated CFOS flyers.

Last week, Dean Moran gave a presentation on resource development as part of the UAF Legislative Forum. Following the panel, Ph.D. student Casey Clark presented a poster on his walrus research.

Last week, Hank Statscewich gave a presentation to the second- and third-graders at Pearl Creek Elementary on Southcentral Alaska oceans.

In November, Franz Mueter traveled to Nome to study recent changes in the Bering Strait region. While in Nome, Mueter participated in the Kawerak Regional Conference and gave a presentation as part of the Strait Science series on "Fisheries Management in Our Changing Bering Sea.”

CFOS in the News

A UAF feature story highlighted Peter Westley’s new asynchronous course focused on the bonds between people and salmon.

Doug Baird discussed some pros of expanding the current port in Nome in an Arctic Today feature about making Nome a deepwater port.

The Seward Sun published a story about what it’s like to live and work on Sikuliaq, and the benefits of having Seward as the ship’s homeport.

Kelly Walker was featured in UAF News and Information and on the CFOS website.

UAF News and Information featured a recent study led by Seth Danielson and Claudine Hauri that combines art and science to measure and illustrate seasonal variability in the Chukchi Sea.

Peter Westley was interviewed by the Canadian Blue Fish Radio Show, where he discussed Alaska’s salmon population dynamics.

Franz Mueter’s Strait Science presentation was featured by the Nome Nugget and was republished on the Alaska Sea Grant website [PDF].

Publications

Alabia, I.D., J. García Molinos, S.-I. Saitoh, T. Hirawake, T. Hirata, and F.J. Mueter. 2018. Distribution shifts of marine taxa in the Pacific Arctic under contemporary climate changes. Diversity and Distributions 24(11): 1583–1597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12788

Blain-Roth, B.J., and T.M. Sutton. 2019. Effects of barotrauma and recompression events on subsequent embryo composition of yelloweye rockfish. Fisheries Research211:212–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2018.11.022

Drinkwater, K., F. Mueter, and S.-I. Saitoh. 2018. Shifting boundaries of water, ice, flora, fauna, people and institutions in the Arctic and Subarctic. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy179

Hauri, C., S. Danielson, A.M.P. McDonnell, R.R. Hopcroft, P. Winsor, P. Shipton, C. Lalande, K.M. Stafford, J.K. Horne, L.W. Cooper, J.M. Grebmeier, A. Mahoney, K. Maisch, M. McCammon, H. Statscewich, A. Sybrandy, and T. Weingartner. 2018. From sea ice to seals: A moored marine ecosystem observatory in the Arctic. Ocean Science 14:1423–1433. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-1423-2018

Manhard, C.V., M.D. Adkison, J.J. Hard, W.W. Smoker, and A.J. Gharrett. 2018. Local adaptation of phenology revealed in outcrosses between spawning segments of a salmonid population. Molecular Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14908

Ward, E.J., H. Delgado-Nordmann, R.E. Brenner, A.H. Beaudreau, S.D. Moffitt, and A.O. Shelton. 2019. Assessing long-term changes in sex ratios of Pacific herring in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Fisheries Research 211:300–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2018.10.031

Grant Awards for November 2018

The new awards for November are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-12480 "Resolving the annual pelagic distribution of Tufted Puffins: Associations with oceanographic features and isotropic niche" - Kristen Gorman - NPRB - $53,300.00 (November 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12500 "Bering Strait High-Frequency Radar" - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $880,000.00 (October 1, 2018)

Grants that received incremental funding during November are as follows:

• Grant G-9871 "Initiating an Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON)" - Katrin Iken - NOAA - Mod 4 - $100,000.00 (November 1, 2014)
• Grant G-11255 "ASGARD: Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration, and Deposition Rate Experiments" - Seth Danielson - NPRB (BOEM)- Mod 2 - $393,394.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-12117 "CY2018 Navy-funded cruises on R/V Sikuliaq" - Doug Baird, Jr. - ONR- Mod 2 - $1,737,723.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12333 "ASGARD: Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration, and Deposition Rate Experiments" - Seth Danielson - NPRB (SHELL) - $714,586.00 (July 1, 2018)

Grant that received incremental funding that is controlled by another department is as follows:

• Grant G-9930 "UAF Support for OSU/UW DOE MURC FOA, Task 1: Debris detection, characterization, modeling and mitigation" - Andy Seitz - Oregon State University _INE Lead) - Mod 5 - $43,077.00 (January 1, 2015)

Message from the Dean

A key recommendation of the Visiting Expert Committee is to ensure continued strength of CFOS by hiring new tenure-track and research faculty. In this regard, it is a great pleasure to announce the following new faculty hires.

Dr. Kristen Gorman has been appointed Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine Biology. Kristen completed her doctorate in biology at Simon Fraser University. She is primarily interested in the evolutionary and physiological ecology of high latitude fish and wildlife ecosystems, including waterfowl of western Alaska, Antarctic seabirds, and a variety of marine fish and bird species of the Gulf of Alaska. Since February 2018, Kristen has held a temporary joint research appointment with CFOS and the Prince William Sound Science Center, and is now full time at CFOS. Kristen’s office is Irving II 230 and her laboratory is O’Neill 141.

Dr. William Burt has been appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Oceanography. Will earned his doctorate in oceanography at Dalhousie University and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia. His research expertise focuses on biogeochemical cycles, with an emphasis on ocean carbon dynamics. Will is planning to visit CFOS on December 5 and 6 and attend our upcoming faculty retreat. Will’s office and laboratory will be located in Irving II. His start date is September 2019.

Dr. Seth Danielson has been appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Oceanography. A UAF alumnus, Seth earned his doctorate in physical oceanography at the former SFOS and has since been employed as research faculty. Seth looks forward to building on his considerable research program and growing his teaching and advising activities. Seth’s office is O’Neill 113 and his laboratory is located in the Oceanography Commons and the Seward Marine Center Mooring Shop.

Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Drs. Gorman, Burt and Danielson as new faculty in CFOS.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward wrapping up a series of planned maintenance tasks and regulatory inspections. Sikuliaq will load gear on Wednesday for her next cruise, a 10-day trip led by Dr. Eric D’Asaro from the University of Washington. The goal of the cruise is to recover two Lagrangian floats near Ocean Station Papa.

Sikuliaq will then continue on to Seattle to unload science gear from two Arctic Ocean cruises this past summer. After discharging the gear and three containers, Sikuliaq will transit from Seattle to Portland, Oregon, up the Columbia and Willamette Rivers to the Vigor Portland shipyard for her regulatory 5-year dry-docking and maintenance contract. The shipyard contract is scheduled to last 10 weeks.

Activities and Accomplishments

Jenell Larson was recently appointed as editor of the Alaska Society for Marine Mammalogy Student Chapter.

On November 14, Gordon Kruse and postdoc Judith Rosellon Druker participated in meetings with the Sitka community in association with their NOAA-funded project titled, “Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Assessment.” Judith led a workshop on ecosystem components for Southeast Alaska with Sitka as a focus.

Letters of Intent for Coastal Marine Institute proposals are due on Friday, November 30. Graduate student proposals will be accepted until January 14.

Last week in Seattle, Alaska Sea Grant attended Pacific Marine Expo. Gabe Dunham, Julie Matweyou, Heather Brandon and Kayla Schommer shared information about marine safety, business management, mariculture startups, the Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit series, and CFOS undergraduate and graduate student recruiting.

A video about Dockside Discovery, a marine education program organized by Alaska Sea Grant’s Melissa Good, won a Goldie Award from the Alaska Broadcasters Association. The video was produced by KUCB/Channel 8 TV.

CFOS in the News

KCAW featured the integrated ecosystem assessment project that Judith Rosellon Druker is involved with (noted above).

The World Wildlife Fund published a story on an Arctic Ocean Acidification session at the Arctic Biodiversity Congress in Finland, co-chaired by Claudia Gelfond Roche.

With assistance from Orutsararmiut Native Council employee (and Fisheries graduate student) Janessa Esquible, Milo Adkison gave the council and Tad Lindley's Bethel High School students an overview of how ADF&G sets escapement goals and opens and closes salmon fisheries. The course used web-based video games, which you can try for yourself: Set Escapement Goals and In-season management game.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror wrote a story about Alaska Sea Grant’s recent five-day class on seafood processing and quality control held at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center.

Publications

Brown, K. L., S. Atkinson, K. Keller, and H. Pearson. 2018. Diet of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from Icy Strait, Alaska, based on stomach content analysis. Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12539

Dissen, J. N., A. C. M. Oliveira, L. Horstmann, and S. M. Hardy. 2018. Regional and temporal variation in fatty acid profiles of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) in Alaska. Polar Biology 41(12): 2495–2510. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-018-2386-2

Iken, K., F. Mueter, J. M. Grebmeier, L. W. Cooper, S. L. Danielson, and B. A. Bluhm. 2018. Developing an observational design for epibenthos and fish assemblages in the Chukchi Sea. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2018.11.005

Kadko, D., A. Aguilar-Islas, C. Bolt, C. S. Buck, J. N. Fitzsimmons, L. T. Jensen, W. M. Landing, C. M. Marsay, R. Rember, A. M. Shiller, L. M. Whitmore, and R. F. Anderson. 2018. The residence times of trace elements determined in the surface Arctic Ocean during the 2015 US Arctic GEOTRACES expedition. Marine Chemistry. doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2018.10.011

Klenz, T., M. Dengler, and P. Brandt. 2018. Seasonal variability of the Mauritania Current and hydrography at 18°N. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014264

Moreno-Mayar, J. V., L. Vinner, P. de Barros Damgaard, C. de la Fuente, J. Chan, J. P. Spence, M. E. Allentoft, T. Vimala, F. Racimo, T. Pinotti, S. Rasmussen, A. Margaryan, M. Iraeta Orbegozo, D. Mylopotamitaki, M. Wooller, et al. 2018. Early human dispersals within the Americas. Science. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aav2621

Olsen, D., C. Matkin, R. Andrews, and S. Atkinson. 2018. Seasonal and pod-specific differences in core use areas by resident killer whales in the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 147:196–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.10.009

Sullivan, J. Y., G. H. Kruse, and F. J. Mueter. 2018. Do environmental and ecological conditions explain declines in size-at-age of Pacific halibut in the Gulf of Alaska? In: F. Mueter, M. Baker, S. Dressel, and A. Hollowed (eds.). Impacts of a Changing Environment on the Dynamics of High-latitude Fish and Fisheries. Alaska Sea Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks. https://seagrant.uaf.edu/bookstore/pubs/item.php?id=12464.

Valenzuela-Molina, M., S. Atkinson, K. Mashburn, and D. Gendron. 2018. Fecal steroid hormones reveal reproductive state in female blue whales sampled in the Gulf of California, Mexico. General and Comparative Endocrinology 261:127–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.02.015

Message from the Dean

The recent Chancellor’s forum on respect, diversity and inclusion is an important topic for the University and indeed the nation. CFOS is active in this discussion because ensuring an inclusive and diverse faculty, staff and student body is fundamental to our values as a College. In this regard, and considering here only gender demographics, it is notable that female faculty at CFOS represent over forty percent of our total faculty and nearly half of tenured faculty. While we have more work to do on this front, in particular increasing our ethnic and racial diversity, the proportion of female faculty at CFOS is more than twice that of STEM female faculty at many top public universities.

Further, women represent nearly seventy percent of our hard-working staff (excluding for this discussion our seagoing staff aboard Sikuliaq). Among our student body, just under half of our undergraduates and nearly two-thirds of our graduate students are women. CFOS will continue to prioritize the core values of respect, diversity and inclusion as we strive to deliver excellence in teaching, research and public engagement.

Another priority for CFOS is engaging our many stakeholders and supporters. Last week, members of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative (PCC) board met with Keith Criddle, Andy Seitz, Kaitlin Manishin and me at Trident Seafoods headquarters in Seattle. The PCC is the largest philanthropic contributor to marine research and education at UAF/CFOS, and provides support for the Ted Stevens Professorship in Marine Policy held by Keith Criddle. As PCC Research Center (PCCRC) director, Keith provided an excellent summary of the history of the PCCRC to representatives from Aleutian Spray Fisheries, American Seafoods Company, Glacier Fish Company and Trident Seafoods. Andy and Kaitlin gave informative and lively presentations on their salmon research. This was followed by a working lunch and tour of C/P Starbound led by Karl Bratvold of Aleutian Spray Fisheries. A big thank-you to our valued stakeholders and to Stephanie Madsen, executive director of the At-Sea Processors Association, Keith Criddle, Pat Berry and Gabrielle Hazelton for helping to coordinate this important and productive meeting.

As noted in prior C-Notes, Sikuliaq is part of the international Arctic Icebreaker Research Consortium (ARICE), which has the goal of fostering transnational collaboration and providing support for polar research scientists and vessels. The ARICE program recently announced the first round of funding recommendations for ship-time proposals. It is a pleasure to convey that Dr. Hauke Flores of the Alfred Wegener Institute has been funded to work aboard Sikuliaq next year to conduct his project entitled, “Sea-ice association of polar cod and its prey in the western Arctic Ocean (GO-WEST).” Hauke will collaborate with Franz Mueter to use the new Surface Under-Ice Trawl [PDF] (SUIT) to study zooplankton and fish in arctic waters off the Alaska coast. Congratulations to Hauke and Franz on this award as part of this new polar research vessel consortium.

Yesterday was Veteran’s Day. Please take a moment to reflect on and honor the military veterans who served our country. Never forget.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is still in Seward for the next three weeks, undergoing a series of planned maintenance tasks and regulatory inspections.

In early December, Sikuliaq will embark on a 10-day trip to recover two Lagrangian floats near Ocean Station Papa (OSP) for Dr. Eric D’Asaro from the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory. OSP (50°N, 145°W) has one of the longest records of ocean time-series measurements, dating back to 1949.

After completing the float recoveries, Sikuliaq will continue on to Seattle to prepare for her regulatory 5-year dry-docking and shipyard maintenance.

Activities and Accomplishments

Megan McPhee has been appointed by the U.S. Department of State to the Advisory Panel of the U.S. Section of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC).

On November 5, MAP faculty Melissa Good and husband Josh welcomed the newest addition to the Unalaska UAF fleet: Aurelia Rose, 7 lbs. 2 oz. Welcome, Aurelia!

Gordon Kruse convened a workshop with colleagues from Japan, Korea and the United States entitled, "PICES Contribution to Central Arctic Ocean Ecosystem Assessment" as part of the annual meeting of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) in Yokohama, Japan. Gordon serves as one of three US delegates to the PICES Fishery Science Committee.

Peter Westley’s new course, Salmon, People and Place (FISH F394), is CFOS’s debut asynchronous online course. Peter’s students will learn about the connections between salmon and people with a particular emphasis on the ties between salmon, Alaska Natives, and Indigenous peoples more broadly.

The Coastal Marine Institute is now accepting graduate student proposals until January 14.

Andy Seitz, Russ Hopcroft and Andrés López all gave terrific presentations at UAF Faculty Research Day, held on November 7.

CFOS in the News

KTVF featured the CFOS Glider Lab and some of the important marine mammal work that the lab is conducting. The story was picked up by KTUU.

Gay Sheffield discussed implications of reductions in sea ice for algae in this KNOM story.

KTUU mentioned Alaska Sea Grant’s role in helping to free an entangled humpback whale in Unalaska Bay.

Alaska Native News republished an Alaska Sea Grant blog post on the upcoming Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium.

Publications

Litzow, M. A., L. Ciannelli, P. Puerta, J. J. Wettstein, R. R. Rykaczewski, and M. Opiekun. 2018. Non-stationary climate–salmon relationships in the Gulf of Alaska. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences285(1890). https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.1855

Grant Awards for October 2018

The new awards for October are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• G-12427 "RII Track-4: Advancing Machine Learning in Biological Oceanography Through Interdisciplinary Collaborations" - Eric Collins - NSF - $187,301.00 (October 1, 2018)
• G-12453 "Next Generation MHK River Power System Optimized for Performance, Durability, and Survivability" - Andy Seitz - Igiugig Village Council - $23,874.00 (October 1, 2018)

This new grant is currently on assumption:

• G-12470 "UAF FY19 Support for Marine Scientist Hollmen" - Tuula Hollmen - $84,495.00 (October 1, 2018)

This new grant is controlled by another department (amount of funding is for CFOS only):

• G-12460 "UAF Technical support at Amchitka Island Underground Nuclear Test Site for AK Department of Environmental Conservation" - Seth Danielson (CDR Lead) - AK Department of Environmental Conservation - $6,858.00 (July 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

One of Chancellor White's goals is to foster innovation and technology transfer at UAF. In this regard, CFOS has established a three-year partnership with the Alaska Ocean Cluster Initiative (AOCI) (known now as AFDF Startup Accelerator) based at our Seward Marine Center. Led by director Joel Cladouhos and the Bering Sea Fishermen's Association, AOCI is building the Blue Pipeline Incubator (BPI) at SMC with the goal of growing scalable, innovative ocean-related businesses in Alaska. Justin Sternberg is the new BPI coordinator, and his office will be located in the Rae Building. This new partnership provides an opportunity for CFOS to enhance its basic and applied research while helping to spur job creation for the benefit of the state. Many thanks to Jennifer Harris, Kara Axx and VCAS Kari Burrell for their help in moving this new partnership forward.

Kudos to Milo Adikson for testifying at the recent U.S. Senate field hearing in Anchorage, which was led by Senator Sullivan, Chairman of the Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard Subcommittee. The purpose of the hearing was to examine the current available data and identify information gaps related to the health and sustainability of Alaska’s salmon. Our new Center for Salmon and Society, of which Milo is director, was established for exactly this reason—to be a resource for science and science policy expertise in the effective management of Alaska’s wild salmon. Nice work, Milo!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is in Seward working on planned maintenance, regulatory inspections and gear testing for the next five weeks. These include U.S. Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping inspections of ballast and anti-roll tanks, thruster drive motor maintenance, and small boat repairs and maintenance.

Activities and Accomplishments

Last week Lauren Frisch, Doug Baird, Brenda Konar and Gay Sheffield attended the Arctic Waterways Safety Committee and Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission meetings in Anchorage. Gay Sheffield gave a presentation on the impact of harmful algal blooms on Alaska species such as walrus and seabirds. Seth Danielson presented on the ASGARD project and some upcoming Arctic work for the Arctic Waterways Safety Committee.

After the whaling meetings, Brenda Konar attended the Arctic Circle 2018 meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, where she participated on a panel entitled, "Minimizing the Footprint of Research in the Arctic.”

On October 20, Milo Adkison testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation as part of a field hearing panel entitled, “The State of Our Salmon: A Review of the Science and Data Informing the Management of Alaska’s Salmon Fisheries.”

The Coastal Marine Institute has garnered $1 million in new federal funding. Letters of Intent to CMI are due November 30. A separate CMI call to support graduate student projects ($25K per student) will soon be announced.

Gabe Dunham and Quentin Fong are teaching a five-part seafood direct marketing webinar over the next two weeks. The seminars highlight regulatory, business planning and marketing challenges in building a successful venture. Participating students are from Alaska and Seattle.

Chris Sannito taught the popular Smoked Seafood School last week at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center. Entrepreneurs from several Alaska coastal communities as well as three students from Florida, Minnesota and Washington traveled to Kodiak for the four-day class.

Chris Sannito also presented his work to make pet treats out of pollock skins at Ocean Tuesday, a group aimed at advancing Alaska's Blue Economy.

Last week Dean Moran participated in the fall meeting of the Consortium of Ocean Leadership, which was followed by an Industry Forum on U.S. Offshore Aquaculture.

Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC) member Claudia Gelfond Roche facilitated The Resilience Dialogues for Anchorage over two weeks this past June. The Resilience Dialogues is a public-private collaboration that helps build climate-resilient communities through facilitated online dialogues among scientists, practitioners and community leaders.

CFOS in the News

Alaska Journal of Commerce highlighted work by Amanda Kelley, Marina Washburn and Ashley Rossin to study the effect of ocean acidification on three clam species.

KTOO, KRBD and the Alaska Fisheries Report aired a story about Gary Freitag’s involvement with a team of researchers and community observers that identified a previously unknown invasive species in Southeast Alaska waters. The Juneau Empire also featured the work.

Gay Sheffield’s presentation on the importance of science and the capacity to support research was mentioned in a Nome Nugget story about the dedication of new facilities at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Northwest Campus. The event was attended by a number of UAF leaders, elected representatives and dignitaries.

Publications

Ducluzeau, A. L., J. R. Tyson, R. E. Collins, T. P. Snutch, and B. T. Hassett. 2018. Genome sequencing of sub-Arctic mesomycetozoea Sphaeroforma sirkka strain B5, performed with the Oxford Nanopore minION and Illumina HiSeq systems. Microbiol Resource Announcements 7:e00848-18. https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/MRA.00848-18.

Tibbles, M., J. A. Falke, A. R. Mahoney, M. D. Robards, and A. C. Seitz. 2018. An interferometric synthetic aperture adar (InSAR) habitat suitability model to identify overwinter conditions for coregonine whitefishes in Arctic lagoons. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10111.

Message from the Dean

Students are at the core of our mission as a College. Training, mentoring and engaging our students in all aspects of our research, education and outreach activities is critical to our reputation as a leader in fisheries, marine biology and ocean sciences. Growing our student body is also one of the key reasons we are hiring new faculty.

In that regard, going forward we will include a graduate student in our monthly all-hands faculty meetings, our departmental faculty meetings (this is already being done in fisheries), and the Dean’s Executive Committee. We very much welcome the constructive input from our students on CFOS programs and activities.

Candidate interviews for the President’s Professorship in Fisheries and Ecosystems are now complete, and this week we will hold the final candidate interview for the seagoing faculty search. These faculty hires and our other faculty searches will greatly influence the future direction of CFOS. As such, it is important to provide input to these search committees as they prepare final recommendations. Thank you again to search chairs Mark Johnson (seagoing) and Gordon Kruse (fisheries), the faculty serving on these search committees, and our staff for their time and effort spent on this important activity.

Finally, CFOS Grants Manager Christina Barile recently tendered her resignation to be a full-time mom. Christina admirably served the College for six years and will be greatly missed. Please join me in wishing Christina the very best going forward.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently in her homeport of Seward following a successful STEMSEAS cruise. The weather in Norton Sound provided a robust welcome to the students, who were mostly unaccustomed to the realities of life at sea in western Alaska in October. Fortunately, the weather calmed down for the last four days of the transit and left a good impression on the students.

Sikuliaq’s crew has started 7 weeks of maintenance, regulatory inspections and gear testing. This includes US Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping inspections of ballast and anti-roll tanks, thruster drive motor maintenance, and small boat repairs and maintenance. In addition, Sikuliaq will be hosting interested shipyard personnel for two days as the shipyard personnel conduct ship checks in preparation of bids for the 5-year regulatory dry-docking this winter.

Activities and Accomplishments

Lauren Frisch and Dean Moran gave presentations focused on R/V Sikuliaq at an NSF-funded workshop entitled Arctic Researchers and Informal Science Educators (ARISE), which was held last week at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography.

Dean Moran participated in an NSF-funded workshop on the future of the geosciences workforce, which was held last week in Washington, DC.

Brenda Konar attended the annual American Academy of Underwater Sciences meeting in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, from October 10–13, where she presented updates on the UA dive program and highlighted some of our science.

Julie Matweyou taught a 10-hour USCG-approved commercial fishing marine safety and certification course from October 1–2 in Kodiak. Students, who were primarily fishing captains and crew, also worked with staff at the USCG Kodiak base deploying dewatering pumps and other rescue equipment.

Franz Mueter, Lauren Divine, Jared Weems, Julia Dissen and Veronica Padula took part in Bering Sea Days 2018, a special outreach and education event in the middle of the Bering Sea. During the weeklong education and outreach event, scientists and professionals visit St. Paul Island to teach pre-K–12 students about a broad range of STEAM disciplines.

Congratulations to Mat Wooller on being selected as a Chancellor's Innovation in Technology and E-Learning Program fellow.

Alaska Sea Grant and Marine Advisory Program faculty and staff will be meeting in Fairbanks this week for their annual meeting. Please drop by their office in the Geophysical Institute to say hello!

CFOS in the News

Arctic Focus featured a video created about the research vessel William Kennedy’s maiden voyage, with some insight on the value of conducting Arctic research. The video features Katrin Iken and Brenda Konar.

KFSK highlighted Megan McPhee’s keynote presentation at the Petersburg Rainforest Festival on why salmon are smaller than they used to be.

UAF News and Information featured Amanda Kelley’s research on razor clams and ocean acidification. The Cordova Times picked up the story.

YubaNet and Sitnews featured Gary Freitag’s research on invasive species in Southeast Alaska waters.

The Juneau Empire featured Ali Schuler’s work to start the National Marine Sanctuary Program called Ocean Guardian.

Publications

Beder, A. M., L. A. Copeman, and G. L. Eckert. 2018. The effects of dietary essential fatty acids on the condition, stress response, and survival of the larvae of the red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus Tilesius, 1815 (Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruy085

Coleman, J., C. Carothers, R. Donkersloot, D. Ringer, P. Cullenberg, and A. Bateman. 2018. Alaska’s next generation of potential fishermen: A survey of youth attitudes towards fishing and community in Bristol Bay and the Kodiak Archipelago. Maritime Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-018-0109-5

Jurgens, L. J., M. Bonfim, D. P. Lopez, M. F. Repetto, G. Freitag, L. McCann, K. Larson, G. M. Ruiz, and A. L. Freestone. 2018. Poleward range expansion of a non-indigenous bryozoan and new occurrences of exotic ascidians in southeast Alaska. BioInvasions Records 7 (in press).

Ringer, D., C. Carothers, R. Donkersloot, J. Coleman, and P. Cullenberg. 2018. For generations to come? The privatization paradigm and shifting social baselines in Kodiak, Alaska's commercial fisheries. Marine Policy 98:97–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.09.009

Valk, O., M. M. Rutgers van der Loeff, W. Geibert, S. Gdaniec, M. J. A. Rijkenberg, S. B. Moran, K. Lepore, R. L. Edwards, Y. Lu, and V. Puigcorbé. 2018. Importance of hydrothermal vents in scavenging removal of ²³⁰Th in the Nansen Basin. Geophysical Research Letters 45. https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079829

Grant Awards for September 2018

The new awards for September are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-12167 "Impact of lagoon habitat on Steller's eiders" - Peter Winsor - NPRB - $75,451.00 (September 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12316 "Collaborative Research: Sea Ice as a drive of Antarctic benthic macroalgal community composition and nearshore trophic connectivity" - Katrin Iken - NSF - $187,428.00 (September 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12330 "Ecological controls of Alaskan pollock weight-at-length and size-at-age under rapid environmental change" - Mike Litzow - NOAA/CMDL - $199,082.00 (September 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12331 "Pilot program for commercial / subsistence educational macro algae aquaculture development for Alaska" - Gary Freitag - NOAA - $87,965.00 (September 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12352 "Marine Mammal Stranding Response and Reporting in Alaska" - Gay Sheffield - NOAA NMFS - $20,573.00 (September 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12361 "NOAA - Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO)" - Brenda Konar - AOOS - $81,003.00 (June 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12365 "Collaborative Research: Physical mechanisms driving food web focusing in Antarctic biological hotspots" - Peter Winsor - NSF - $651,176.00 (September 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12381 "Alaska Ocean Acidification Research: Autonomous Observations of Ocean Acidification in Alaska Coastal Seas" - Brenda Konar - AOOS - $153,798.00 (June 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12402 "Numerical investigations of the wind's influence on Bering Strait inflow and summer Chukchi Sea ice retreat using Regional Ocean Model Systems (ROMS)" - Ko-Fan Lu - NPRB Student Award - $25,000.00 (August 1, 2018)

These grants received incremental funding during the month of September:

• Grant G-11616 "LTER: Beaufort Sea Lagoons: An Arctic Coastal Ecosystem in Transition" - Katrin Iken - Mod 1 - University of Texas at Austin - $68,514
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Mod 4, Mod 5 and Mod 6 - Ginny Eckert (being transferred to Heather Brandon) - NOAA - Total of all 3 Mods $284,300.00
• Grant G-12117 "CY2018 Navy-funded Cruises on R/V Sikuliaq" - Doug Baird Jr. - Mod 1 - ONR - $500,000.00
• Grant G-12318 "Collaborative Research: Development of a Carbon Seaglider for ocean acidification monitoring and inorganic carbon process studies" - Andrew McDonnell (IARC Lead) - $34,079.00 (CFOS portion only; September 1, 2018).

Message from the Dean

It is a pleasure to announce the hire of Mike Litzow as a research assistant professor in fisheries at CFOS. Mike is a fisheries oceanographer who has been working as an adjunct research professor at our Kodiak facility for the better part of a year. This appointment officially includes Mike as part of our valued research faculty. Please join me in welcoming Mike to CFOS.

As many will surely now be aware, UAF was recently awarded a new $20M NSF EPSCoR grant. This 5-year award will support research, education and outreach activities focused on climate-driven changes in Alaska’s boreal forests and coastal margins. As part of this project, over the next few years CFOS will conduct searches to hire two new EPSCoR faculty members: one in fisheries genetics/physiology and one in biological oceanography. It is a pleasure to acknowledge all CFOS faculty and staff that helped make this EPSCoR proposal a success, and in particular co-project leads Anne Beaudreau and Brenda Konar.

The 2018 CFOS Annual Report is in the final stages of editing and will soon enter production. And, the CFOS 2019 calendar is just about complete. We expect both of these sharp new documents to be published in November. Kudos to Lauren Frisch for producing what will be the second CFOS Annual Report and our new calendar.

The autumnal equinox has passed and with that please enjoy the crisp fall air before the arrival of first snowfall.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently in Nome disembarking personnel from Dr. Jen MacKinnon’s (UCSD/SIO) SODA project. Tomorrow the Science, Technology, Engineering & Math Student Experiences Aboard Ships (STEMSEAS) group will move aboard, and then Sikuliaq will depart on Wednesday. Anne-Lise Ducluzeau will be an instructor on the STEMSEAS cruise and Rachel Lekanoff will be a teaching assistant.

After arriving in Seward on October 8, Sikuliaq crew will commence scheduled maintenance and regulatory testing over the next seven weeks.

Activities and Accomplishments

UAF administrators Kari Burrell and Larry Hinzman and UA Statewide administrators Miles Baker and Weston Eiler visited the Juneau Lena Point facility. They were briefed on the new ESPCoR project, maintaining the genetics program at CFOS, the pending faculty hires and other relevant research at Lena Point.

Brenda Konar attended a workshop at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania from September 24–26 to discuss the implementation of a global long-term observing and data sharing strategy for macroalgal communities.

Courtney Carothers, Rachel Donkersloot, Paula Cullenberg, Danielle Ringer, Jesse Coleman and Alexandra Bateman received the Research to Application award from National Sea Grant for their project entitled “Graying of the Fleet in Alaska’s Fisheries: Defining the Problem and Assessing the Alternatives.”

CFOS in the News

The third and fourth stories in a four-part series on the new Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-term Ecological Research program were republished in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

An Alaska Journal of Commerce story on House Bill 56 highlights research by Courtney Carothers and others on the pros and cons of ITQ systems for fisheries.

A summer field course for students from Russia and the US co-led by Megan McPhee was featured by Oceana Blog and EcoWatch.

UAF Cornerstone featured the new Alaska EPSCoR project co-led by Anne Beaudreau and Brenda Konar.

The Alaska Sea Grant blog highlighted Melissa Good’s work to assess threats from marine invasive species to the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea.

Alaska Sea Grant’s blog featured Amanda Kelley’s research on razor clams and how susceptible or resilience they may be to ocean acidification. The first-of-its-kind study is the focus of UAF CFOS grad student Marina Washburn’s master’s project.

Publications

Brewer, P., D. Chambers, R. Hetland, K. Karnauskas, R. Lowe, S. B. Moran, L. Y. Oey, N. Pinardi, and A. Proshutinsky. 2018. Thank you to our 2017 peer reviewers (editorial). Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014410

Ehresmann, R. K., A. H. Beaudreau, and K. M. Green. 2018. Movement patterns of juvenile sablefish within a nursery area in Southeast Alaska. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10099

Message from the Dean

Last week was a particularly exciting time for CFOS. We hosted the Ocean Studies Board (OSB) of the National Academies, which is the first time OSB has met in Alaska. President Johnsen graciously addressed the Board with inspiring remarks on the challenges and opportunities we face as valued members of the university in helping Alaska grow and prosper. Notably, the meeting included presentations by our distinguished faculty Seth Danielson and Russ Hopcroft, Alaska Sea Grant Director Heather Brandon, INE researcher Jeremy Kasper, AOOS Director Molly McCammon, and OSB alumni Keith Criddle and Terry Quinn participated in the Fisheries Subcommittee discussion.

The OSB meeting included a well-attended, full-day Scoping Session focused on the challenge of supporting marine infrastructure in Alaska and the broader Arctic in the face of rapidly changing environmental conditions. The meeting included the full spectrum of attendees and participants from Alaska Native communities and organizations, academia, federal and state agencies, the Governor’s office, the private sector, and our colleagues at IARC, IAB, INE, GI, and the VCR office. Chancellor White’s opening remarks rightly acknowledged the value of CFOS in helping to coordinate such discussions of regional and national importance.

The meetings concluded with the inaugural FOS keynote seminar delivered by Dr. Cisco Werner of NOAA. The seminar was a truly thought provoking presentation on the importance of innovation and emerging technologies to better manage complex marine ecosystems in the face of climate change. It is a pleasure to once again thank Cisco for making the long journey to deliver this wonderful seminar, and for his support of the new NOAA QUEST fisheries faculty position at CFOS.

These meetings would not have been possible with the dedication and energy of our staff; it is a great pleasure to thank Lauren Frisch, Jennifer Harris, John Haverlack, Heather Leavengood and Scott Lonergan for their time and effort in making these high-level events a great success.

To add to this excitement, we are currently hosting multiple on-campus interviews as part of our recruitment of seagoing faculty and the new President’s Professor in fisheries. And, we will soon begin advertising for the NOAA QUEST fisheries and mariculture faculty positions. A big thank-you to all the chairs and members of these search committees and to our faculty, staff and students for their time and effort spent on these important faculty searches.

Finally, as noted at our recent all-hands faculty meeting, we will hold an all-hands faculty retreat at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage on January 27, 2019, one day prior to the start of the 2019 Alaska Marine Science Symposium. The CFOS Dean’s Office will support the retreat. The purpose of the retreat is to review progress in our research, academic and outreach programs since our last retreat in September 2016, and to establish priorities to advance the mission of CFOS. With your input, the DEC will develop the agenda for this important gathering.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is continuing its current mission to support the Stratified Ocean Dynamics of the Arctic (SODA) project fieldwork in the Chukchi Sea, led by Dr. Jen MacKinnon (UCSD/SIO) and co-PI Harper Simmons. Following this cruise, Sikuliaq will host researchers from Columbia University and college students as part of a Science, Technology, Engineering & Math Student Experiences Aboard Ships (STEMSEAS) cruise while transiting to Seward.

Activities and Accomplishments

During the week of September 10, CFOS hosted the 90^th National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Ocean Studies Board meeting, which included a daylong scoping session on Arctic Marine Infrastructure.

On September 12, NOAA Fisheries Chief Science Advisor Dr. Cisco Werner presented the inaugural CFOS Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Keynote Seminar, entitled "Emerging technologies and observations for fisheries and ocean research, operations and management in an ecosystem context."

A radio news piece produced by Compton Consulting featured work by Tanja Schollmeier and Katrin Iken on the impact of sea ice loss on benthic consumers in the Arctic. The radio piece is now part of the Alaska Public Radio Network collection and was recently aired by KBBI.

Lauren Frisch published her 100^th research story for CFOS—go Lauren!

CFOS in the News

UAF Cornerstone and the CFOS website featured work by Casey Clark, Lara Horstmann and Nicole Misarti on the use of zinc in walrus teeth in revealing population health dynamics. The story was republished in SitNews.

The first and second stories in a four-part series on the new Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-term Ecological Research program were republished in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Andrew McDonnell’s research on marine snow was featured in an article on Mashable and in Daily Magazine.

Dean Moran’s briefing on Sikuliaq to the UA Board of Regents on September 6 was highlighted by KUAC. The story is between 2:18–4:15 minutes in the KUAC recording and was republished by Alaska Public Media.

KFSK highlighted the 11^th annual Rainforest Festival led by Sunny Rice, which connects people to the natural world through education, exploration and the arts.

The Petersburg Pilot covered a summer science camp for middle school students organized by Sunny Rice as well.

Frozenfoodsbiz.com reported on a study coauthored by Quentin Fong regarding the large market potential of Alaska wild salmon in China.

National Fisherman highlighted Alaska Sea Grant’s leadership institute for seafood processing managers.

Publications

Anvari, M., B. Smith, C. Sannito, & Q.S.W. Fong. 2018. Characterization of rheological and physicochemical properties of Alaska walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) roe. Journal of Food Science and Technology 55(9): 3616–3624. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13197-018-3287-7

Charapata, P., L. Horstmann, A. Jannasch, and N. Misarti. A novel method to measure steroid hormone concentrations in walrus bone from archaeological, historical, and modern time periods using LC/MS/MS. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8272

Cunningham, C.J.,* P.A.H. Westley, and M.D. Adkison. 2018. Signals of large scale climate drivers, hatchery enhancement, and marine factors in Yukon River Chinook salmon survival revealed with a Bayesian life history model. Global Change Biology 24(9): 4399–4416. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14315

Ehresmann, R.K., A.H. Beaudreau, and K.M. Green. 2018. Movement patterns of juvenile sablefish within a nursery area in Southeast Alaska. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10099.

Hayes, C.T., R.F. Anderson, H. Cheng, T.M. Conway, R.L. Edwards, M.Q. Fleisher, P. Ho, K.-F. Huang, S.G. John, W.M. Landing, S.H. Little, Y. Lu, P.L. Morton, S.B. Moran, L.F. Robinson, R.U. Shelley, A.M. Shiller, and X.-Y. Zheng. 2018. Replacement times of a spectrum of elements in the North Atlantic based on thorium supply. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 32. https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2017GB005839

Whitney, E.J., A.H. Beaudreau, and D.H. Duncan. 2017. Spatial and temporal variation in the diets of Pacific staghorn sculpins related to hydrological factors in a glacially influenced estuary. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146(6): 1156–1167 https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2017.1341852

Grant Awards for August 2018

The new awards for August are as follows (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-12195 "Hot spots of activity in the cold ocean: Ecological characterization of size-fractionated microbial communities" - Eric Collins - NPRB - $174,940.00 (August 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12253 "Graduate Studies Agreement between Laura Stichert and ADFG" - Gordon Kruse - ADFG - $3,015.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12255 "High-Latitude Ocean Change Laboratory: a Kasitsna Bay Laboratory Improvement Grant" - Brenda Konar - NSF - $258,237.00 (August 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12263 "Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Oil Spill Science Outreach Program: Proposal for Health, Social and Economic Disruption Regional Priority Setting" - Victoria Baker - National Academy of Sciences - $64,843.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12273 "140M0118Q0042 Arctic Ocean Circulation Model" - Seth Danielson - BOEM - $10,000.00 (August 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12275 "Fitness Effects of Hatchery Supplementation of Auke Creek sockeye salmon - Phase 2" - Megan McPhee - Pacific Salmon Commission - $12,666.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12305 "Collaborative Research: Development and fabrication of a high-temperature borehole fluid sampler to characterize seawater-basalt and the thermal limits of life on Earth" - Geoff Wheat - NSF - $78,614.00 (August 15, 2018)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of August:

• Grant G-10831 "ASGARD: Arctic Shelf, Advection, Respiration and Deposition Rate Experiments" - Seth Danielson - Mod 6 (Russ Hopcroft) - NPRB - $101,744.00
• Grant G-11073 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska" - Brenda Konar - Mod 5 - AOOS - $29,000.00
• Grant G-11133 "Chukchi Sea Ecosystem Mooring" - Seth Danielson - Mod 4 - AOOS - $100,000.00
• Grant G-11157 "Seward Line Monitoring" - Russ Hopcroft - Mod 3 - AOOS - $105,001.00
• Grant G-11158 "HFR Operations and Maintenance" - Seth Danielson - Mod 5 - AOOS - $156,000.00
• Grant G-11299 "An Arctic marine mammal observing system" - Peter Winsor - Mod 2 - AOOS - $40,000.00
• Grant G-11684 "ECOHAB 2017: Uncovering the mechanisms behind wintertime occurrences of paralytic shellfish toxicity in geoduck fisheries in Southeast Alaska" - Ginny Eckert - Mod 1 - NOAA - $495,887.00
• Grant G-11709 "LTER: Resilience in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem" - Russ Hopcroft - Mod 1 - $1,127,000.00
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Ginny Eckert - Mod 3 - NOAA - $207,029.00
• Grant G-12114 "Inertial and Turbulent Processes in the Iceland Basin: A proposal to the Near Inertial Shear and Kinetic Energy in the North Atlantic Experiment (NISKINE) Departmental Research Initiative" - Harper Simmons - Mod 1 - ONR - $70,000.00

Message from the Dean

As we kick off the fall semester, it is a pleasure to extend a warm welcome to our new and current students. This is an exciting time for the College and UAF, and our faculty and staff stand ready to support your education, training and future success.

Nearly a year has passed since we hosted the Visiting Expert Committee to provide an assessment of the health and needs of CFOS, and we continue to check the boxes of key recommendations in the VEC report. This includes hiring new tenure-track and research faculty, assessing our academic curricula, strengthening the capabilities of the Seward Marine Center and R/V Sikuliaq, and continuing our efforts to engage and collaborate with Alaska Sea Grant. In that regard, going forward the College will reinvest five percent of CFOS indirect cost recovery (ICR) funds returned to CFOS to those faculty that generate ICR from external grants and contracts. Details of this reinvestment in our research enterprise will be forthcoming.

Today marks Gordon Kruse’s last day of work at CFOS. Gordon was hired in 2001 as an inaugural President’s Professor of Fisheries, and it is fitting that he is chairing the search for the new CFOS President’s Professorship of Fisheries and Ecosystems. Gordon’s reputation as an expert in quantitative fisheries is revered, and he notes admirably that the greatest reward of his academic career has been working with students. Please join me in congratulating Emeritus Professor Gordon Kruse on a very productive career at S/CFOS and wishing him the very best in retirement.

Finally, please join me in congratulating Ed deCastro as the new Port Captain at the Seward Marine Center. Ed previously worked as Warehouse Manager and most recently as interim Port Captain at SMC.

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway for Dr. Jen MacKinnon’s (UCSD/SIO) Stratified Ocean Dynamics of the Arctic (SODA) cruise. The overall goal of the SODA project is to study processes controlling the distribution of heat and salt in the Beaufort Sea. Dr. Harper Simmons (UAF/CFOS) is co-PI of the SODA cruise, with operations coordinated with USGCG Healy and NOAA aircraft.

The SODA cruise is scheduled to end in Nome on September 30. After a brief port call, Sikuliaq will embark several college students and a handful of researchers for a Science, Technology, Engineering & Math Student Experiences Aboard Ships (STEMSEAS) cruise while transiting to her homeport of Seward. This STEMSEAS cruise is supported by the National Science Foundation and coordinated by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Kachemak Bay Laboratory received support from a National Science Foundation Field Station and Marine Lab Improvement Grant. With this funding, the lab will advance its capabilities to study ocean acidification in coastal waters, as well as strengthen the Ocean Acidification Research Center and the Gulf Watch Alaska Monitoring Program. Congratulations to Brenda Konar, Amanda Kelley, Katrin Iken and Claudine Hauri for their successful work on this proposal.

A weeklong summer science field camp for 6–8th graders in Petersburg was led by Sunny Rice in partnership with several local organizations. Students explored terrestrial and marine ecosystems, learned sampling techniques and reported on a species of choice to their parents as the final project.

Liz Dobbins participated in OceanHackWeek, a workshop to train scientists in analysis of large oceanographic data sets, including linking Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-term Ecological Research program data with model results on the Alaska Ocean Observing System data portal.

CFOS in the News

A UAF press release highlighted a new study coauthored by Courtney Carothers investigating the shortcomings of ITQ systems for fisheries. The press release was also published on the CFOS website, and republished in Science Daily, SitNews and Science Magazine.

All four parts in the new NGALTER feature story series can now be found in one place on the CFOS website.

Oceans Unmanned published a press release about work by Melissa Good and others to respond to marine mammal strandings in the Aleutian Islands using drones.

Arctic Today ran a story about an Alaska Sea Grant–funded research project in Utqiagvik that involves training citizen scientists to measure impacts of coastal erosion and flooding.

KMXT-FM mentioned Alaska Sea Grant’s efforts to develop a handheld test kit for toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning.

The Nome Nugget published a story about Gay Sheffield’s work to identify a seal satellite tracker that a Golovin resident discovered on the beach.

Publications

Brown, R.J., and J.A. Lopez. 2018. Morphological variability among spawning populations of Bering cisco Coregonus laurettae. Copeia 106(3): 405–413. https://doi.org/10.1643/CG-17-702

Dissen, J.N., A.C.M. Oliveira, L. Horstmann, and S.M. Hardy. 2018. Regional and temporal variation in fatty acid profiles of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) in Alaska. Polar Biology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-018-2386-2

Miller, G.H., J.W. Magee, M.L. Fogel, M.J. Wooller, P.P. Hesse, N.A. Spooner, B.J. Johnson, and L. Wallis. 2018. Wolfe Creek Crater: A continuous sediment fill in the Australian Arid Zone records changes in monsoon strength through the Late Quaternary. Quaternary Science Reviews 197. Available online at Research Gate publication

Young, O.R., D.G. Webster, M.E. Cox, J. Raakjær, N. Einarsson, R. Virginia, J. Acheson, L. Øfjord Blaxekjær, D. Bromley, E. Cardwell, C. Carothers, E. Eythórsson, R.B. Howarth, S. Jentoft, B.J. McCay, F. McCormack, G. Osherenko, E. Pinkerton, R.J. van Ginkel, J.A. Wilson, L. Rivers III, and R.S. Wilson. 2018. Moving beyond panaceas in fisheries governance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1716545115

Message from the Dean

It is a great pleasure to welcome Heather Brandon as director of Alaska Sea Grant. Heather brings significant experience in fisheries and marine policy that will be an asset to Alaska Sea Grant and Alaska’s coastal communities. Heather’s primary office will be located at our Lena Point facility, and she will begin work on August 27. I am grateful to interim director Ginny Eckert for her leadership during this transition and to the search committee for its time and effort dedicated to this key hire. Please join me in welcoming Heather to Alaska Sea Grant, CFOS, and the UAF community.

And, please join me in welcoming Sarah Walters as facility logistics and science coordinator at the Seward Marine Center. One of Sarah’s priorities will be coordinating the annual Alaska Tsunami Bowl.

Next month CFOS will host six interviews for multiple tenure-track positions in fisheries and oceanography. Three candidates for the seagoing faculty cluster hires will visit Fairbanks, and three finalists for the President’s Professorship in Quantitative Fisheries will interview at our Fairbanks and Juneau locations. Details of the interview schedules and candidate expertise will be forthcoming from search chairs Mark Johnson (seagoing faculty search) and Gordon Kruse (President’s Professor search).

Last week, I visited Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to discuss opportunities for collaboration focused on Arctic research and present an overview of our College’s research, teaching and outreach programs. The visit was very productive and it is my hope that this will help to advance research collaborations between Sandia, CFOS and UAF. Many thanks to Lori Parrott and her team and colleagues at Sandia for graciously hosting my visit.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in support of Dr. Carin Ashjian’s (WHOI) Shelf Break Ecology cruise in the Beaufort Sea. The purpose of this cruise is to investigate physical and biological oceanographic processes along the shelf break of the Beaufort Sea during periods of upwelling and relaxation in summer and early fall. The team is sampling both underway and on station using bioacoustics, ADCP, CTD, bongo nets, Tucker trawls, towed profiler, and bird and marine mammal observations. The cruise will end in Nome next week.

Sikuliaq’s next cruise is Dr. Jen MacKinnon’s (SIO) Stratified Ocean Dynamics of the Arctic (SODA) cruise. Dr. Harper Simmons (CFOS) is a co-PI on the SODA project. The SODA cruise operations—deploying autonomous vehicles and moorings in the Beaufort Sea—are being coordinated with USCGC Healy.

Activities and Accomplishments

Jeff Falke, Chris Sergeant and Davin Holen are part of a team investigating the resilience of Southeast Alaska wild salmon to climate change. The group recently met in Juneau to develop a sampling plan.

Jessica Cross is currently on USCGC Healy conducting carbonate chemistry measurements along the Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. This is the second year that the Ocean Acidification Research Center has been involved with the DBO project, focusing on ecosystem vulnerabilities and resilience.

Jessica Pretty is currently participating in the NASA EXPORTS expedition. Andrew McDonnell is a co-PI on this project. Learn more about the cruise in this press release or on the cruise blog.

Melissa Good co-led the 9th annual Pribilof Islands Summer Science youth camp in St. Paul. This year's event honored marine researcher Michelle Ridgway, who passed in January. Ridgway was a passionate advocate for Bering Sea ecosystems and a brilliant outreach educator among Pribilof youth.

Torie Baker presented at the fifth International Fishing Industry Safety and Health conference (IFISH-5) on a NIOSH-sponsored worker health assessment of commercial harvesters, a first in the United States for this workforce.

The Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center is hosting two marine science middle school interns in partnership with the Association of Latin Women in Alaska (ALMA), a family cultural resource center based in Kodiak. Julie Matweyou is the intern supervisor.

CFOS in the News

A feature story series on the May Northern Gulf of Alaska Long-term Ecological Research program cruise was released over the past two weeks.

Story 1, “Sikuliaq expands ways to study Gulf of Alaska ecosystems,” was published on the UAF website, CFOS website and SitNews.

Story 2, “Submarine ‘airplane’ revolutionizes measurement of seawater content,” was published on the UAF website, CFOS website and SitNews.

Story 3, “Sikuliaq improves analysis of phytoplankton’s nutrient needs,” was published on the UAF website, CFOS website and SitNews.

Story 4, “Sikuliaq researchers find odd, abundant animal-plant plankton,” was published on the UAF website and the CFOS website.

Radio Canada International’s Eye on the Arctic program reported on Gay Sheffield’s work monitoring probable shark attacks on pinnipeds in western Alaska waters.

Publications

Nielsen, J. K., C. S. Rose, T. Loher, P. Drobny, A. C. Seitz, M. B. Courtney, and J. Gauvin. 2018. Characterizing activity and assessing bycatch survival of Pacific halibut with accelerometer pop-up satellite archival tags. Animal Biotelemetry 6:10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-018-0154-2

Wild, L. A., E. M. Chenoweth, F. J. Mueter, and J. M. Straley. 2018. Evidence for dietary time series in layers of cetacean skin using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 32(16): 1425–1438. https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8168

van Hardenbroek, M., A. Chakraborty, K.L. Davies, P. Harding, O. Heiri, A. C. G. Henderson, J. A. Holmes, G. E. Lasher, M. J. Leng, V. N. Panizzo, L. Roberts, J. Schilder, C. N. Trueman, and M. J. Wooller. 2018. The stable isotope composition of organic and inorganic fossils in lake sediment records: Current understanding, challenges, and future directions. Quaternary Science Reviews196:154–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.08.003

Schlitzer, R., R. F. Anderson, E. M. Dodas, M. Lohan, W. Geibert, A. Tagliabue, A. Bowie, C. Jeandel, M. Maldonado, W. M. Landing, D. Cockwell, C. Abadie, W. Abouchami, E. P. Achterberg, A. Agather, A. Aguliar-Islas, et al. 2018. The GEOTRACES Intermediate Data Product 2017. Chemical Geology 493:210–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.05.040

Yang, L., K. Nadeau, J. Meija, P. Grinberg, E. Pagliano, F. Ardini, M. Grotti, C. Schlosser, P. Streu, E. P. Achterberg, Y. Sohrin, T. Minami, L. Zheng, J. Wu, G. Chen, M. J. Ellwood, C. Turetta, A. Aguilar-Islas, R. Rember, G. Sarthou, M. Tonnard, H. Planquette, T. Matoušek, S. Crum, and Z. Mester. 2018. Inter-laboratory study for the certification of trace elements in seawater certified reference materials NASS-7 and CASS-6. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 410(18): 4469–4479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-018-1102-y

Hauri, C., S. Danielson, A. M. P. McDonnell, R. R. Hopcroft, P. Winsor, P. Shipton, C. Lalande, K. M. Stafford, J. K. Horne, L. W. Cooper, J. M. Grebmeier, A. Mahoney, K. Maisch, M. McCammon, H. Statscewich, A. Sybrandy, and T. Weingartner. 2018. From sea ice to seals: A moored marine ecosystem observatory in the Arctic. Ocean Science Discussion. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-2018-82.

McConnell, C. J., P. A. H. Westley, and M. V. McPhee. 2018. Differences in fitness-associated traits between hatchery and wild chum salmon despite long-term immigration by strays. Aquaculture Environment Interactions 10:99–113. https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00261

Message from the Dean

The active search to hire sea-going tenure-track faculty is progressing very well. At this stage, three candidates have been invited to present their research and teaching interests, meet with faculty, staff and students, and learn more about the exciting programs and opportunities at CFOS. Candidate interviews will take place in Fairbanks starting next month; details will be forthcoming. Kudos to search chair Mark Johnson and the entire search committee for their time and effort dedicated to this important faculty recruitment process.

CFOS is set to host the 90^th meeting of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Ocean Studies Board (OSB), which will take place in Fairbanks on September 10 and 12. The agenda includes invited presentations by Seth Danielson and Russ Hopcroft (CFOS), Jeremy Kasper (INE) and Molly McCammon (AOOS), who will discuss the response of marine ecosystems to climate warming and changing ice cover, ocean circulation, and coastal processes in North Pacific and Arctic waters. Also presenting will be the new Director of the Alaska Sea Program – that search has concluded and I look forward to introducing our new director.

In conjunction with the OSB meeting, on September 11 CFOS will host a one-day Scoping Session on Arctic Marine Infrastructure that will be conducted jointly by OSB, the Polar Research Board and the Marine Board of NASEM. The objective of the Scoping Session is to explore marine infrastructure needs in the U.S. Arctic and to determine whether this topic would benefit from a focused NASEM study. Interest in this Scoping Session has grown significantly and will feature panels on Arctic coastal communities, navigation and port facilities, safety and communication, and research and observational needs. Invited participants include representatives from Alaska Native villages and corporations, the Arctic research community, federal and state agencies, Alaska governor’s office and the private sector. The Scoping Session is open and will conclude with a reception at the Museum of the North. A detailed agenda will be forthcoming.

Finally, we are extremely fortunate and I am personally thrilled to convey that Dr. Cisco Werner, Chief Science Advisor and Director of Science Programs for NOAA Fisheries, will present the inaugural keynote lecture as part of the 2018 Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (FOS) seminar series. Dr. Werner’s seminar is entitled “Emerging technologies and observations related to fisheries and ocean research, operations and management in an ecosystem context”. The seminar will be held in the Murie Auditorium from 4:30-5:30 pm on September 12. A separate announcement will be forthcoming; please mark your calendars for this open and highly recommended keynote presentation.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway on Dr. Carin Ashjian’s (WHOI) Shelf Break Ecology cruise in the Beaufort Sea. The cruise is investigating the physical and biological oceanography along the shelf break of the Beaufort Sea during periods of upwelling and relaxation in summer and early fall. Researchers are sampling underway and on station via bioacoustics, ADCP, CTD, bongo nets, Tucker trawls, towed profiler, and bird and marine mammal observations. The cruise will end in Nome on August 28^th.

Following Ashjian’s Shelf Break Ecology cruise is Dr. Jen MacKinnon’s (UCSD/SIO) Stratified Ocean Dynamics of the Arctic (SODA) cruise. The SODA cruise is being coordinated with the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy.

Activities and Accomplishments

Amy Kirkham was selected as a Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellow for 2019.

CFOS graduate Kirsten Ressel gave two presentations on “Distribution, life history, and reproductive biology of spawning Capelin, Mallotus villosus, in Norton Sound and local population differentiation in Alaska” for the Nome Rotary Club and the Nome Strait Science series.

The publication listed below titled “Autumn distribution of Bristol Bay red king crab using fishery logbooks” is Gordon Kruse’s 100th coauthored peer-reviewed publication of his career.

Megan McPhee presented “Collaborative Fisheries Education Across the Bering Sea: A Case Study from Alaska and Kamchatka" along with her colleague Professor Alexander Anatolyevich Bonk from Kamchatka State Technical University at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Russian American Pacific Partnership in Anchorage, July 25–26.

CFOS in the News

The work of Gay Sheffield and other scientists to understand the effects of oil dispersants on Arctic wildlife was featured by the Nome Nugget.

KTVA 11 featured research on successful management and sustainable harvesting of kelp and rockweed led by Brenda Konar and Brian Ulaski.

NPR featured a story on “the Blob’s” effect on cod crashes in the Gulf of Alaska, featuring Mike Litzow’s research on whether cod populations will ever recover.

Publications

Alabia, I.D., J. García Molinos, S.-I. Saitoh, T. Hirawake, T. Hirata, and F.J. Mueter. 2018. Distribution shifts of marine taxa in the Pacific Arctic under contemporary climate changes. Diversity and Distributions 2018:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12788.

Holsman, K., A. Hollowed, S.-I. Ito, S. Bograd, E. Hazen, J. King, F. Mueter, and R.I. Perry. 2018. Chapter 6: North Pacific and Pacific Arctic marine fisheries. In: M. Barange, T. Bahri, M.C.M. Beveridge, K.L. Cochrane, S. Funge-Smith, and F. Poulain (eds.), Impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture: synthesis of current knowledge, adaptation and mitigation options. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 627, Rome. https://www.fao.org/3/I9705EN/i9705en.pdf

Wild, L.A., E.M. Chenoweth, F.J. Mueter, and J.M. Straley. 2018. Evidence for dietary time series in layers of cetacean skin using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 32(16): 1425–1438. https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8168

Zacher, L.S., L. Horstmann, and S.M. Hardy. In press. A field-based study of metabolites in sacculinized king crabs Paralithodes camtschaticus (Tilesius, 1815) and Lithodes aequispinus Benedict, 1895 (Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology.

Zacher, L.S., G.H. Kruse, and S.M. Hardy. 2018. Autumn distribution of Bristol Bay red king crab using fishery logbooks. PLoS ONE 13(7): e0201190. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201190.

Grant Awards for July 2018

The new awards for July are as follows:

• Grant G-12117 "CY2018 Navy-funded cruises on R/V Sikuliaq" - Doug Baird Jr. - ONR - $5,000.00 (out of $1,941,391.00) - (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12149 "AINA Revitalization" - Mark Johnson - UA Foundation - $25,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12160 "Ulaski Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Award" - Brenda Konar - UA Foundation - $5,000.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12161 "Pacific Cod Individual Based Model Enhancement and Validation" - Ken Coyle - NPRB - $84,133.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12178 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Ship Operations - CY2018-2022" - S. Bradley Moran - NSF - $2,547,032.00 (July 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12200 "Quintillion - Bowhead Whale Sampling" - Gay Sheffield - UA Foundation - $19,000.00 (July 1, 2018)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of July:

• Grant G-10539 "Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) Continuation" - Mod 5 - C. Geoffrey Wheat - University of Southern California - $205,209.00 (October 1, 2015)
• Grant G-11494 "High-frequency characterization of the physicochemical parameters of Cook Inlet, Alaska" - Mod 1 - Amanda Kelley - BOEM - $26,649.00 (June 5, 2017)
• Grant G-11532 "Coastal Community Vulnerability Index and Visualizations of Change in Cook Inlet, Alaska" - Mod 2 - Davin Holen - BOEM - $50,000.00 (June 14, 2017)
• Grant G-11557 "CAREER: Imaging the global distribution and drivers of the ocean's biological carbon pump" - Mod 1 - Andrew McDonnell - NSF - $136,349.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11653 "Coastal hydrographic physical dynamics and oceanography assessments" - Mod 1 - Seth Danielson - NPS - $104,078.00 (August 2, 2017)
• Grant G-11744 "Synthesizing Optically and Carbon Export-Relevant Particle Size Distributions for the EXPORTS Field Campaign" - Mod 1 - Andrew McDonnell - University of Santa Barbara NCEAS - $66,228.00 (September 15, 2017)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022"- Mod 2 - Ginny Eckert - $819,589.00 (February 1, 2018)

The following grant controlled by another department received incremental funding during July:

• Grant G-11468 "Microbial Biodegradation of Alaska North Slope Crude Oil in Pacific Arctic Marine Environment" - Mod 1 - IAB - Sarah Hardy - BOEM - $34,740.00 (May 15, 2017)

Message from the Dean

It is a great pleasure to convey that Chancellor White will support a new tenure-track faculty in mariculture at CFOS. This tripartite faculty position comes with four years of support from the Chancellor’s office and will be based at our Kodiak facility. Congratulations and many thanks to Brenda Konar on her successful proposal for this faculty position, entitled: UAF Mariculture/Aquaculture Research and Academic investment. Brenda has agreed to lead the search for this important new faculty position.

It is also a pleasure to convey that Dr. Krista Oke has accepted a prestigious UAF Centennial Post-doctoral Fellowship to work at CFOS. Under the direction of Peter Westley, Dr. Oke will work with faculty and collaborators to explore the ecological, economic, and cultural impacts of Alaska salmon as part of the recently launched Center for Salmon and Society. Dr. Oke is an evolutionary ecologist who earned her PhD at McGill University examining patterns and processes of (non) parallel evolution in fishes. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Oke to CFOS and the UAF community.

Extending a warm welcome and congratulations to UAF’s new Provost Anupma Prakash on her first day on the job. CFOS looks forward to working alongside Provost Prakash to help grow UAF’s academic and research mission.

Finally, congratulations to the Summer 2018 graduates!

Summer 2018 Graduates

• Rhea Ehresmann, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
• Janessa Esquible, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Shannon Atkinson
• Tessa Minicucci, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Megan McPhee
• Jacob Metzger, M.S. Marine Biology. Advisor: Brenda Konar
• Maggie Chan, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
• Ellen Chenoweth, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Megan McPhee and Shannon Atkinson
• Benjamin Williams, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Gordon Kruse

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway on the second leg of the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE) led by Dr. Anne Sheehan (University of Colorado) and Dr. Doug Wiens (Washington University). AACSE is a shoreline-crossing community seismic experiment around the Alaska Peninsula. Researchers will deploy about 75 ocean bottom seismometers over the course of the experiment. The AACSE project is scheduled to end in Seward on Wednesday.

On Friday, July 27, Sikuliaq will transit from Seward to Nome to stage for two Arctic projects in August and September—Dr. Carin Ashjian’s (WHOI) Shelf Break Ecology cruise and Dr. Jen MacKinnon’s (UCSD/SIO) Stratified Ocean Dynamics of the Arctic (SODA) cruise. Both of these cruises will be conducted in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The SODA cruise is being coordinated with the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy.

Activities and Accomplishments

Anne Beaudreau published a blog post about UA Fisheries Days on her website. The two-day event at Lena Point featured the 22^nd annual Student Research Symposium and a fisheries open house that attracted nearly 500 visitors.

Gordon Kruse recently participated in a town hall/text-in live radio show on KUHB in St. Paul (watch the interview on the Pribs Blues Muse website). The interview, conducted by Jared Weems and CFOS alumna Lauren Divine, focused on his career involvement in fisheries science and management in Alaska. The following week, Kruse, Weems, Divine, Veronica Padula and Melissa Good participated in the ECO Bering Sea – Pribilof Islands science camp attended by about 30 students from St. George and St. Paul Islands.

Franz Mueter was co-chair of the Ecosystem Studies of the Subarctic and Arctic Seas (ESSAS) Annual Science Meeting held in Fairbanks on June 12–14. The meeting attracted over 40 participants from 7 countries. More information can be found on the meeting’s website.

Anne Beaudreau was involved in the production of the short film called Respect the Land, which illustrates how Iñupiaq values guide approaches to hunting and harvesting.

CFOS in the News

KMXT and the Kodiak Mirror highlighted a meeting earlier this week that discussed a new faculty member who will be based at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center.

Alaska Public Media highlighted Mat Wooller’s new publication on how climate change may have sparked human migration into interior Alaska.

Researchers are now using drones to collect whale snot, which is a more efficient way to collect hormone samples for whales. Ideas.ted.com highlighted this new technology, featuring Shannon Atkinson’s work on whale pregnancies and stress levels.

An Alaska Sea Grant blog post about an uptick in shark attacks on ice-associated seals and sea lions in northern and western Alaska generated stories by Alaska Public Radio, Arctic Today and a front-page article in the Anchorage Daily News. The blog was also republished by Delta Discovery, Sitnews, SanJuanIslander.com and phys.org. Fairbanks television stations KTVF and KXDF also covered the story.

An Alaska Business Monthly story on the graying of the fleet, which refers to the increasing age of fishing captains and crew members in Alaska, highlighted contributions by Paula Cullenberg and Courtney Carothers.

Alaska Sea Grant’s work to better understand an unusual mortality event involving pinnipeds was covered in Sitnews. The event caused widespread public health and food security concerns in more than 50 Alaska and Russian coastal communities along the coast of the Beaufort, Chukchi and Bering Seas in 2011.

Gay Sheffield’s work on a recent seabird die-off in northwest Alaska was covered by the Arctic Sounder and KNOM. The KNOM story was republished in the Anchorage Daily News and Juneau’s KTOO.

Publications

Teerlink, S., L. Horstmann, and B. Witteveen. 2018. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) blubber steroid hormone concentration to evaluate chronic stress response from whale-watching vessels. Aquatic Mammals 44(4): 411–425. https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.44.4.2018.411

Wooller, M.J., E. Saulnier-Talbot, B.A. Potter, S. Belmecheri, N. Bigelow, K. Choy, L.C. Cwynar, K. Davies, R.W. Graham, J. Kurek, P. Langdon, A. Medeiros, R. Rawcliffe, Y. Wang, and J.W. Williams. 2018. A new terrestrial palaeoenvironmental record from the Bering Land Bridge and context for human dispersal. Royal Society Open Science 5:180145. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.180145

Message from the Dean

I hope that everyone had a relaxing and safe July 4th break.

It seems hard to believe that we are already into the second week of July. As we have now passed the halfway mark of this calendar year, it is timely to reflect on what we have accomplished to date and what we can look forward to achieving in the coming months.

Here are a few noteworthy points. We managed to close FY18 above our projected budget deficit; this is a significant achievement given the financial challenges we faced at this time last year. The sacrifices that all of you have made to help advance the College are most appreciated—thank you. We were successful in our submission of the R/V Sikuliaq Ship Operations CY2018–2022 proposal to NSF. An RFP has been submitted to build a new and more capable coastal research vessel to replace the Little Dipper. And, we are proceeding with a number of important staff and faculty searches.

It is a pleasure to thank the members of these CFOS search committees, the Dean’s Executive Committee, the Management Team and all CFOS staff who work hard to advance the mission of the College—your collective work is helping to ensure that our students and faculty achieve excellence in research, teaching, and service. Great work CFOS!

Next week, UAF Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization (OIPC) Director Gwen Holdmann and I will visit our Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center. The purpose of the visit is to better familiarize Gwen and her OIPC team with our facility, programs and activities at Kodiak, and to help foster intellectual property development and technology transfer related to seafood and marine sciences, including engagement with local community organizations and businesses.

Finally, as some of you may already be aware, CFOS Development Officer Teresa Thompson has accepted the position of Executive Assistant to UA President Jim Johnsen. Teresa’s last workday at CFOS will be July 13. For over a decade Teresa has worked passionately as the Development Officer in the former SFOS and now CFOS. We will organize a proper farewell event later next month—stay tuned for details. Please join me in thanking Teresa for her dedication and valued contributions to S/CFOS and wishing her the very best going forward in her new position.

In that regard, please send future C-Notes information to Lauren Frisch at lcfrisch@alaska.edu.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored in Seward to stage for the second leg of the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE). Dr. Anne Sheehan (University of Colorado) and Dr. Doug Wiens’ (Washington University) AACSE project is a shoreline-crossing community seismic experiment around the Alaska Peninsula. The AACSE project will end in Seward with offloading gear on July 26th. Sikuliaq then transits from Seward to Nome to start two Arctic projects in August and September—Dr. Carin Ashjian’s Shelf Break Ecology cruise and Dr. Jen Mackinnon’s SODA cruise.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS in Juneau hosted the BRIGHT Girls (Budding Research Investigators in Geosciences, Habitat, and Technology) program for two weeks in June. Dr. Andy Seitz, Dr. Anupma Prakash, and Jamie Womble, '03, are Co-PIs; Dr. Laura Oxtoby, '16, is the Project Manager and Lisa South Wirth, '10, is an instructor, among others.

Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC) member Dr. Jessica Cross, ’13, recently participated in POLAR 2018 in Davos, Switzerland. Dr. Cross presented at Arctic Science Summit Week, the Pacific Arctic Meeting group, and the Arctic Observing Systems to demonstrate the effects of OA in the Arctic and Alaska.

CFOS in the News

Last month KUAC and 220 news outlets around the country covered a report on Cook Inlet Beluga whale feeding ecology based on isotopes in bone and teeth. Mark A. Nelson, Lori T. Quakenbush, Barbara A. Mahoney, Brian D. Taras and CFOS faculty member Matthew Wooller published the report.

The Nome Nugget, KNOM radio and KTOO public media ran segments about Seth Danielson’s ASGARD cruise last month.

Publications

Muller-Karger, F.E., P. Miloslavich, N.J. Bax, S. Simmons, M.J. Costello, I. Sousa Pinto, G. Canonico, W. Turner, M. Gill, E. Montes, B. Best, J. Pearlman, P. Halpin, D. Dunn, A. Benson, C. Martin, L. Weatherdon, W. Appeltans, P. Provoost, E. Klein, C. Kelble, R.J. Miller, F. Chavez, K. Iken, S. Chiba, D. Obura, L.M. Navarro, H.M. Pereira, V. Allain, S. Batten, L. Benedetti-Cecchi, J.E. Duffy, R.M. Kudela, L-M. Rebelo, Y. Shin, and G. Geller. 2018. Advancing marine biological observations and data requirements of the complementary essential ocean variables (EOVs) and essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) frameworks. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00211.

Ansong, J.K., B.K. Arbic, H.L. Simmons, M.H. Alford, M.C. Buijsman, P.G. Timko, J.G. Richman, J.F. Shriver, and A.J. Wallcraft. 2018. Geographical distribution of diurnal and semidiurnal parametric subharmonic instability in a global ocean circulation model. Journal of Physical Oceanography 48(6): 1409–1431. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0164.1.

Zhao, Z., M.H. Alford, H.L. Simmons, D. Brazhnikov, and R. Pinkel. 2018. Satellite investigation of the M₂ internal tide in the Tasman Sea. Journal of Physical Oceanography 48(3): 687–703. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0047.1.

Waterhouse, A.F., S.M. Kelly, Z. Zhao, J.A. MacKinnon, J.D. Nash, H. L. Simmons, D. Brazhnikov, L. Rainville, M.H. Alford, and R. Pinkel. 2018. Observations of the Tasman Sea internal tide beam. Journal of Physical Oceanography 48(6). https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0116.1.

Watson, J.T., A.C. Haynie, P.J. Sullivan, L. Perruso, S. O'Farrell, J.N. Sanchirico, and F.J. Mueter. 2018. Vessel monitoring systems (VMS) reveal an increase in fishing efficiency following regulatory changes in a demersal longline fishery. Fisheries Research 207:85–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2018.06.006.

Sugihara, G., K.R. Criddle, H. Ye, A. Lee, G. Pao, C. James, E. Saberski, and A. Giron-Nava. 2018. Comprehensive incentives for reducing Chinook salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea walleye pollock fishery: Individual tradable encounter credits. Regional Studies in Marine Science 22:70–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2018.06.002.

Grant Awards for June 2018

• Grant G-12114 "Inertial and Turbulent Processes in the Iceland Basin: A Proposal to the Near Inertial Shear and Kinetic Energy in the North Atlantic Experiment (NISKINE) Departmental Research Initiative" - Harper Simmons - ONR - $100,000 (out of a total $1,100,222) (April 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12127 University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Support - Year 1 of 5" - Steven Hartz - NSF - $752,072 (out of $4,152,072) (June 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12134 "Heritability of Life History Traits in Little Port Walter Chinook Salmon" - Megan McPhee - UA Foundation - $28,500 (June 7, 2018)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of June:

• Grant G-10779 "Shear microstructure and towed body measurements of internal waves and turbulence in the Beaufort Sea" - Harper Simmons - ONR - $50,043 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11630 "Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Survey (IES) Phase II" - Franz Mueter - BOEM - $371,593 (July 31, 2017)

Message from the Dean

Governor Walker signed the Fiscal Year 2019 spending bill and CFOS has submitted its projected balanced budget for the coming fiscal year. The Dean’s Office is working to finalize the annual CFOS FY19 budget overview memo that outlines our fiscal challenges and opportunities going forward; that memo will be transmitted to CFOS and the Provost in the coming weeks.

The recent Seward Marine Center (SMC) site visit conducted as part of the UAF Campus Master Plan was productive and informative. Related to this effort, a meeting chaired by VCAS Kari Burrell will soon be held to discuss strategies to replace Sikuliaq’s homeport pier in Seward, which has exceeded its intended lifetime of 35 years. As described in the CFOS Decadal Plan and VEC report, investment in our shoreside facilities and laboratories is important given our national responsibility as operator of Sikuliaq and as the lead institution for the new NGA LTER project. It is encouraging and appropriate that SMC will be included in the UAF vision of a top-tier research university.

In addition, as part of the broader Campus Master Plan effort, a separate meeting was recently held to consider improvements to facilities and buildings across the entire UAF campus. A possible future space envisioned for CFOS headquarters is a new building on the south side of O’Neill, equipped with modern offices, meeting areas, and laboratories. A rendering of this new complex idea is expected by September.

Last week, interviews were held in Anchorage for the next Director of Alaska Sea Grant (ASG). The two finalists, Heather Brandon (currently with the NOAA Office of International Fisheries and Seafood Inspection) and Glenn Haight (currently with the Alaska Board of Fisheries), presented their vision for the future of ASG. The Search Committee is soliciting input; please provide feedback to Interim Director Ginny Eckert by June 29.

Finally, as many of you may already be aware, Sue Keller will retire this month after 35 years of service at Alaska Sea Grant. Sue has worked diligently as ASG publications manager on books, newsletters, and reports. Please join me in thanking Sue for her valued contributions and wishing her the very best going forward.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq completed the second cruise of the ASGARD (Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration and Deposition) Rate Experiments project under the direction of Dr. Seth Danielson (UAF-CFOS). The ASGARD project is part of the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (AIERP).

Sikuliaq is currently in Nome and will stage the next cruise for Dr. Hongsheng Bi’s (University of Maryland) project entitled “Demographic structure and recruitment patterns of the scyphozoan, Chrysaora melanaster, in the Bering Sea: the influence of climate on ecosystem function,” also known as the Bering Sea jellyfish cruise. Dr. Bi’s cruise will end in Dutch Harbor on July 3.

Sikuliaq will celebrate Independence Day at Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, and then transit to Seward to stage for the second leg of the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE).

Dr. Russ Hopcroft has provided a 3D printer to manufacture parts in support of Sikuliaq science operations.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS Ph.D. student Lauren Wild was awarded best student oral presentation at the Western Division AFS conference in Anchorage last month. Also, Fisheries M.S. student Tessa Minicucci won an award for best Pink and Chum oral presentation.

Trent Sutton has been selected by the American Fisheries Society (AFS) as one of the new editors of Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (TAFS). TAFS is the oldest and most recognized scientific journal of AFS.

Melissa Good organized a community cleanup with the Unalaska Divers Association and Unalaska City Parks, Culture and Recreation Department. Melissa and 12 volunteers hauled underwater trash and cleaned the shoreline of Iliuliuk Creek. Melissa also represented CFOS at the Unalaska City Career Fair, which was attended by 250 people, and assisted with logistics for researchers on Sikuliaq.

Marilyn Sigman visited three classrooms at College Gate and Chester Creek elementary schools and led stream field trips for two Chester Valley classes, reaching 125 students. She also trained 10 volunteers to give lessons on the Westchester Lagoon field trips.

Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC) collaborator Darren Pilcher gave a presentation entitled “Impact of local biogeochemical processes and climate variability on ocean acidification in the Bering Sea” at the Ecosystem Studies of Subarctic and Arctic Seas (ESSAS) meeting recently held in Fairbanks. OARC researchers have been monitoring OA in the Bering Sea through ship-based sampling, moored platforms, and autonomous vehicles such as gliders and saildrones since 2008.

CFOS in the News

The Bristol Bay Times published a story about an investigation of invasive species at docks in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. Melissa Good is working to deploy detection devices following up on a Marine Invasive Species Risk Assessment.

Stories on health issues in Alaska fishermen based on research done by Torie Baker and others were published by Anchorage Daily News, HealthNewsDigest.com, Medical Xpress, SeafoodNews.com, SitNews, and UW Medicine Newsroom.

Arctic Today published the story "Mysterious marine mammal injuries hint that some sharks are shifting their range northward into the Arctic," based on research done by Gay Sheffield and colleagues.

Publications

Seigel, J.E., M.D. Adkison, and M.V. McPhee. 2018. Changing maturation reaction norms and the effects of growth history in Alaskan Chinook salmon. Marine Ecology Progress Series 595:187–202. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12564.

Message from the Dean

Today marks the annual recognition of World Oceans Day and serves as a reminder of the important work of CFOS and our primary outreach arm Alaska Sea Grant/Marine Advisory Program that benefits Alaska, its coastal communities, and the nation.

After over a year of effort and with the support of many stakeholders, CFOS is officially now part of the NOAA Quantitative Ecology and Socioeconomic Training (QUEST) program. The goal of this program is to support the education and training of the next generation of ecosystem scientists, stock assessment scientists, and economists. This is the first time the QUEST program has existed in Alaska, and we are now part of a network of QUEST institutions located in California, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Washington.

Going forward, a search committee will be formed to hire a new tenure-track faculty in quantitative fisheries at CFOS, which we anticipate will be fully supported by this program for at least five years. It is a pleasure to acknowledge the support of NOAA as well as Uma Bhatt and her team at CIFAR in facilitating the administration of this award under a tight timeline

Next week Jennifer Harris, Mark Johnson, and I will join UAF facilities and Seward Marine Center (SMC) staff and consultants from DLR Group on a site visit to SMC as part of the UAF Campus Master Plan effort. This is an important site visit that will help transform the vision for the future of SMC into a detailed plan; in particular, infrastructure needs to meet our research, teaching, and outreach programs at SMC as well as shoreside support for R/V Sikuliaq.

Please note in advance that CFOS will be observing Friday, July 6, 2018, as a “soft closure” date. During a soft closure, departments have the option to close their offices or reduce business hours. Please contact subject area managers within the College if you have deadlines that may be impacted by this closure.

Finally, a note that future editions of C-Notes will be disseminated every other Monday, beginning on June 25, 2018.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway on the ASGARD (Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration and Deposition Rate Experiments) project with Dr. Seth Danielson (UAF-CFOS). The ASGARD project is a coordinated ensemble of vessel- and mooring-based process studies consisting of physical, chemical, biological, and biogeochemical rate measurements that are designed to better constrain carbon and nutrient dynamics of the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas continental shelves. The ASGARD project gear was loaded aboard Sikuliaq in Seward last week, and after a brief stop in Dutch Harbor, the cruise started in earnest on Monday, June 4.

Sikuliaq will complete the ASGARD cruise on June 24^th in Nome, where the ship will stage for the next cruise. Dr. Hongsheng Bi (University of Maryland) will study demographic structure and recruitment patterns of the scyphozoan, Chrysaora melanaster (the Bering Sea jellyfish), in the Bering Sea: the influence of climate on ecosystem function.

In other boat news, CFOS is moving forward to purchase a new coastal research vessel to replace the R/V Little Dipper. The 38-ft. boat will be based in Seward to support coastal research and education and will operate in the southern Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound. The RFQ will be announced soon with the intent to receive the new boat in spring 2019.

Activities and Accomplishments

Professor Brenda Norcross and Emeritus Professor Stephen Jewett received the Wally Noerenberg Award for Fishery Excellence. Norcross is the first woman to receive this award in its 37-year history. The Wally Noerenberg Award for Fishery Excellence is awarded for outstanding contributions to Alaska fisheries and is the highest award of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) Alaska Chapter.

The AFS Western Division annual meeting, hosted by AFS Alaska Chapter, was held May 21–25, 2018. The meeting was a huge success with over 500 registered attendees. CFOS had an excellent showing at the meeting with approximately 20 students presenting oral papers or posters, and 10 faculty members in attendance. Jeff Falke was sworn in as President of the AFS Alaska Chapter for 2018–2019.The meeting program and abstracts are available at: Full program.

Courtney Carothers and colleague Rachel Donkersloot gave an invited presentation to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting June 6 entitled, “Turning the tide: A review of programs and policies to address access challenges in Alaska fisheries.”

Richard Buzard, an Alaska Sea Grant research trainee, has been named a NOAA Digital Coast Fellow. A doctoral student in geology in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Buzard will work for the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Coast Hazards Program in Anchorage.

Melissa Good coordinated the eighth annual Dockside Discovery event in Unalaska last month. Local partners taught safety, tidepooling, knot tying, archaeology and more to 130 Unalaska grade-school students. Read more in the KUCB story.

CFOS in the News

In the news: A Peninsula Clarion story about beluga whale research by Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow Kim Ovitz was picked up by the Associated Press and carried by the New York Times, US News & World Report, Seattle Times, Anchorage television stations KTUU, and KTVA, Anchorage commercial radio station KFQD, and several other outlets.

Delta Sound Connections recently printed a story about the State of Alaska Salmon and People (SASAP) project. Peter Westley is part of the knowledge synthesis project designed to bring together integrated, accurate, and up-to-date information that will help support better salmon decision-making.

SitNews published an Alaska Sea Grant blog about Gary Freitag providing a graduate student training in ROV skills.

Seafoodnews.com wrote a story about Chris Sannito’s business assistance to the Mississippi Delta catfish industry.

KTOO published an article about marine scientists Mike Litzow and Alisa Abookire working on a project to determine why Pacific cod stocks are crashing in the Gulf of Alaska. Alaska Public Media also picked up the story.

Publications

Glassburn, C.L., B.A. Potter, J.L. Clark, J.D. Reuther, D.L. Bruning, and M.J. Wooller. 2018. Strontium and oxygen isotope profiles of sequentially sampled modern bison (Bison bison bison) teeth from Interior Alaska as proxies of seasonal mobility. Arctic Institute of North America 71(2): 183–200. Article on Research Gate.

Cram, J.A., T. Weber, S.W. Leung, A.M.P. McDonnell, J.H. Liang, and C. Deutsch. 2018. The role of particle size, ballast, temperature, and oxygen in the sinking flux to the deep sea. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 32(5): 858–876. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017GB005710.

Grant Awards for May 2018

• Grant G-12071 "University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq SSSE" - Steven Hartz - NSF - $174,711.00 (May 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12077 "KSMSC - Summer Interns and Seafood Training Workshop Support" - Quentin Fong - AK Seafood Marketing Institute - $35,000.00 (May 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12082 "Oceanographic data processing and analyses" - Stephen Okkonen - North Slope Borough - $9,399.00 (May 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12083 "Bowhead Whale Harvest Sampling at Saint Lawrence Island and Katovik - 2018" - Gay Sheffield - North Slope Borough - $30,279.00 (March 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12089 "Uncovering the mechanisms behind wintertime occurrences of paralytic shellfish toxicity in geoduck clam fisheries in SE Alaska" - Ginny Eckert - UA Foundation - $9,500.00 (April 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12090 "Changes in Ecological Processes and Effects on Walleye Pollock Predation in the Northern Gulf of Alaska" - Anne Beaudreau - UA Foundation - $5,000.00 (May 1, 2018)

The following grants received incremental funding during the month of May:

• Grant G-2200 "CFOS Dean General Support" - Brad Moran - UA Foundation - $6,500.00 (start date July 1, 2004)
• Grant G-10583 "Flow and Turbulence in the wakes of abrupt topography" - Mod 4 - Harper Simmons - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - $21,397.00 (start date April 25, 2015)
• Grant G-10804 "Measuring Wave Forces Along Alaska's Coastal Sea Ice" - Mod 2 - Mark Johnson - BOEM - $81,596.00 (start date May 15, 2016)
• Grant G-11399 "Nearshore food web structure in the OCS Cook Inlet region" - Mod 1 - Katrin Iken - BOEM - $65,044.00 (start date May 8, 2017)
• Grant G-11498 "Riverine Carbon Contributions to Alaskan Arctic Coastal Margins" - Mod 1 - Stephen Okkonen - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - $38,913.00 (start date March 16, 2017)

Message from the Dean

The Dean’s Executive Committee recently met to discuss action items based on the Visiting Expert Committee (VEC) report on CFOS. Among the immediate actions was a reassessment of the operating structure of the Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC), which over the past few years has consisted of a director (Jeremy Mathis, currently on detail as a NOAA Fellow in the office of Senator Murkowski), a deputy director (Natalie Monacci), and a co-director (Amanda Kelley).

Going forward, Associate Dean for Research (AD-R) Brenda Konar will serve as OARC leader. This is consistent with the new CFOS organizational structure[BROKEN LINK] where the AD-R oversees the major research institutes and centers in the College (e.g., IMS, CMI). OARC meetings will now be held on a regular basis and focus on ocean acidification measurement and biological impact programs and opportunities, strengthened communications, and financial operations. The goal is to improve coordination and help grow OARC’s research, education and outreach activities to meet the needs of Alaska and the nation in the face of increasing acidity of ocean waters.

This action is one of several priorities that CFOS is actively pursing to improve our operation and competitiveness, including hiring new tenure-track and research faculty, increasing support for research faculty, and improving our coastal facilities such as the home port dock of R/V Sikuliaq, the Seward Marine Center, and the Kasitsna Bay Lab.

I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq continues to work Dr. Geoff Abers’ (LDEO) and Dr. Lindsay Worthington’s (UNM) project entitled: Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE). The AACSE project will deploy 75 broadband Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) instruments and 30 broadband land instruments which will collect data for 15 months in 2018–19. The AACSE project will end in Seward and off-load gear May 30.

Sikuliaq’s next cruise is the ASGARD project led by Dr. Seth Danielson (UAF/CFOS). The ASGARD project is a coordinated ensemble of vessel- and mooring-based process studies consisting of physical, chemical, biological and biogeochemical rate measurements that are designed to better constrain carbon and nutrient dynamics of the northern Bering and Chukchi Sea continental shelves. This is the second year of the ASGARD project. Last year’s ASGARD cruise was a big success and we are planning for a similar outcome this year.

Activities and Accomplishments

Seven CFOS students were awarded Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center (RFRC) fellowships at a recent board meeting. Congratulations to Cheryl Barnes, Katja Berghaus, Kelly Cates, Carlton Hautala, Jeanette Gann, Julia McMahon and Kirsten Ressel.

Alaska Sea Grant selected six graduate students as 2018 State Fellows to work in yearlong jobs in Anchorage and Juneau with the United States Geological Survey, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, North Pacific Research Board, Alaska Ocean Observing System, NOAA Protected Resources Division, and Alaska Sea Grant communications. Among these Fellows are CFOS students Marguerite Tibbles and Ali Schüler.

Marine Biology Ph.D. student Casey Clark participated in an Academics Program contest to encourage CFOS staff, students, and faculty to help with recruiting. As a result, he won an iPad mini. Next year’s incentive item will be a GoPro Hero 5.

Davin Holen served on the panel “Good Health and Well-Being: Human-Environmental Resilience” at the North by North Festival on innovation in Anchorage. Davin also gave a presentation at an Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund meeting in Anchorage on climate impacts to salmon habitat and the Alaska Sea Grant–funded life cycle modeling project.

CFOS in the News

Seward City News announced a program on May 24 about the history of the Seward Marine Center. Phyllis Shoemaker will review how the UAF Institute of Marine Science grew to be the important institution it is today.

UAA Green and Gold News interviewed Marilyn Sigman about her MFA degree and new book, entitled Entangled: People and Ecological Change in Kachemak Bay.

SitNews published an Alaska Sea Grant blog post on kelp mariculture in Alaska.

The Juneau Empire wrote about Franz Mueter and scientists and managers from NOAA and ADF&G participating in a ‘mock "Fishery Management Council.’ The panelists reviewed and considered recommendations made by 7th-grade students at Floyd Dryden Middle School regarding whether to change pollock quotas for the Bering Sea.

Publications

Kohut, J.T., P. Winsor, H. Statscewich, M.J. Oliver, E. Fredj, N. Couto, K. Bernard, and W. Fraser. 2018. Variability in summer surface residence time within a West Antarctic Peninsula biological hotspot. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A 376. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2017.0165.

Siegel, J. E., M. D. Adkison, and M.V. McPhee. 2018. Changing maturation reaction norms and the effects of growth history in Alaskan Chinook salmon. Marine Ecology Progress Series 595:187–202. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12564.

Springer, A.M., G.B. van Vliet, N. Bool, M. Crowley, P. Fullagar, M.-A. Lea, R. Monash C. Price, C. Vertigan, and E.J. Woehler. 2018. Transhemispheric ecosystem disservices of pink salmon in a Pacific Ocean macrosystem. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1720577115.

Message from the Dean

Last week I attended the annual spring meeting of the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) in Anchorage. Discussions focused on future research strategies, in particular core research priorities and integrated research programs (e.g., the ASGARD project is co-funded through NPRB’s Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Research Program). Annual funding decisions for research projects and graduate student awards were also made. It was heartening to see the breadth and depth of quality proposal submissions from CFOS. The outcome of this round of proposal submissions will be communicated by NPRB.

It is my pleasure to recognize the CFOS staff members who were honored this week at the annual UAF Staff Recognition event. These individuals and all of our hardworking staff help to ensure that CFOS operates efficiently and effectively. Please join me in congratulating the following employees for their dedicated service to CFOS and to the University: Christina Barile, Katie Ridenour, Jared Weems (5 years of service); Jennifer Elhard, Cheryl Hopcroft, Rachel Potter, Elizabeth Stockmar (15 years of service).

In addition, CFOS Financial Manager Wendy Rupe graduated from UAS with her Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Alaska Sea Grant Fiscal Coordinator Jared Jeffery graduated from UAA with his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.

It is also a pleasure to convey that several CFOS faculty were successful in the most recent UAF Promotion and Tenure process. Please join me in congratulating Gary Freitag (promotion to professor), Julie Matweyou (promotion to associate professor with tenure) and Andrew McDonnell (promotion to associate professor with tenure).

And, please join me in congratulating the CFOS faculty recently awarded emeritus status: Paula Cullenberg, Terry Johnson, Gordon Kruse, Terry Quinn and Tom Weingartner.

With spring semester and commencement officially over, we can look forward to the warmer summer months. Have a safe and pleasant weekend—and happy Mother’s Day!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Gulf of Alaska working Dr. Geoff Abers’ (LDEO) and Dr. Lindsay Worthington’s (UNM) project entitled Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE). The AACSE project is a shoreline-crossing community seismic experiment around the Alaska Peninsula. The Alaska Peninsula was identified as a top priority site to address questions fundamental to GeoPRISMS and EarthScope goals at the recent Amphibious Array Facilities Workshop.

Sikuliaq’s next cruise is the ASGARD project with Dr. Seth Danielson (UAF-CFOS). The ASGARD project is a coordinated ensemble of vessel- and mooring-based process studies consisting of physical, chemical, biological and biogeochemical rate measurements that are designed to better constrain carbon and nutrient dynamics of the northern Bering and Chukchi Sea continental shelves. The question Seth is looking to answer is, “What regulates variations in carbon transfer pathways, and how will the changing ice environment alter these pathways and ecosystem structure in the Pacific Arctic and beyond?”

Activities and Accomplishments

Torie Baker taught over 250 Kodiak fishermen and crew at the annual Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS) Fishing Vessel Oil Spill Response marine training in partnership with UAA Prince William Sound College.

Gay Sheffield gave presentations on marine mammals and seabirds at the annual Savoonga Tribal Meeting.

Gary Freitag gave a presentation on ocean acidification as part of a fundraising event for the Ketchikan High School National Ocean Sciences Bowl team as well as a presentation on underwater life to Ketchikan community members at the Tongass School DaVinci Night.

CFOS in the News

The National Science Foundation covered an unusual story about scientists discovering a giant group of octopus moms and their eggs nearly two miles deep while researching fluids on 20-million-year-old crust west of Costa Rica. CFOS faculty member Geoff Wheat participated in this research, which was published in Deep Sea Research, and has reached nearly 60 news agencies spanning several countries including National Geographic.

A feature story on Harper Simmons' work in Palau was published by UAF Cornerstone. The story is also published on the CFOS website and was picked up by Ocean News and Technology.

NCEAS recently published a story about how synthesizing knowledge of Alaskans’ relationships with salmon could support salmon management. Courtney Carothers and Peter Westley are part of a collaboration of researchers, cultural leaders, and others called State of Alaska Salmon and People (SASAP) working to bring together integrated, accurate and up-to-date information that will help to support better salmon decision-making.

The Bristol Bay Times picked up Paula Dobbyn’s heartbreaking story about the effect of climate change on Port Heiden.

KTOO interviewed Melissa Good for a story about ringed seals—an Arctic species that typically lives far north of the ice-free Aleutian Islands. Over 50 have been sighted in Unalaska.

KNOM spoke with Gay Sheffield and Kawerak’s Brandon Ahmasuk about how the spring subsistence season is playing out thus far.

Publications

Hartwell, A.M., J.R. Voight, and C.G. Wheat. 2018. Clusters of deep-sea egg-brooding octopods associated with warm fluid discharge: an ill-fated fragment of a larger, discrete population? Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 135:1–8. doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2018.03.011

Stasko, A.D., B.A. Bluhm, H. Swanson, P. Archambault, C. Michel, J. Reist, and M. Power. 2018. Trophic structure in the Canadian Beaufort Sea: The interaction of water mass structure and organic matter flux in determining benthic-pelagic coupling. Marine Ecology Progress Series 154:1–19. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12582.

Stasko, A.D., B.A. Bluhm, H. Swanson, J.D. Reist, and M. Power. 2018. Heterogeneity in the depth-dependence of Arctic benthic consumer δ¹⁵N among regions and trophic groups. Deep-Sea Research 135:56–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2018.03.010.

Bluhm, B.A., H. Hop, M. Vihtakari, R. Gradinger, K. Iken, I.A. Melnikov, and J. Søreide. 2018. Sea ice meiofauna: meta-analysis of distribution and abundance documents large variability on local to pan-Arctic scales and across seasons. Ecology and Evolution 8(4): 2350–2364. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3797.

Ward, E.J., S.C. Anderson, A.O. Shelton, R.E. Brenner, M.D. Adkison, A.H. Beaudreau, J.T. Watson, J.C. Shriver, A.C. Haynie, and B.C. Williams. 2018. Effects of increased specialization on revenue of Alaskan salmon fishers over four decades. Journal of Applied Ecology 55(3): 1082–1091. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13058.

Beaudreau, A.H., M.N. Chan, and P.A. Loring. 2018. Harvest portfolio diversification and emergent conservation challenges in an Alaskan recreational fishery. Biological Conservation 222:268–277. (Open access until 16 June 2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.04.010.

Grant Awards for April 2018

• Grant G-12038 "Hilcorp Arctic Fisheries Study 2018" - Trent Sutton - Hilcorp Alaska LLC - $24,952 (January 1, 2018)
• Grant G-12044 "Development of Scalable Coastal and Offshore Macroalgal Farming-ARPA-E" - Michael Stekoll - Department of Energy - $497,133 (April 11, 2018)
• Grant G-12050 "University of Alaska Fairbanks Sikuliaq Oceanographic Instrumentation" - Steven Hartz - NSF - $240,066 (April 15, 2018)
• Grant G-12070 "Ecological Barriers and Bridges to Interactions Between Hatchery and Wild Pink Salmon on the Spawning Grounds of Prince William Sound, AK (Julia McMahon)" - Peter Westley - UA Foundation - $10,000 (April 23, 2018)

The following new award is controlled by a different department:

• Grant G-12052 "Maintenance work of the flux observation super site at Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) 2018" - IARC - Brita Irving - Japan Marine Science & Technology Center - $7,525 (CFOS Funds) - (April 1, 2018)

The following grant was set up on assumption during April:

• Grant G-12047 "Part III: Real-Time Sensor System for Detecting Freeze-up on Arctic Shelves" - Peter Winsor - AOOS - $20,000 (start date April 4, 2018)

The following grant received incremental funding during April:

• Grant G-10620 "ASG/MAP Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) FFO" - Quentin Fong - Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference - Mod 3 $138,079 (January 1, 2016)

Message from the Dean

The CFOS Visiting Expert Committee (VEC) has now transmitted their assessment of the health and needs of our College. As I recently communicated to students, staff and faculty, this report is a thoughtful and cogent set of findings and recommendations for the benefit of CFOS. It is a pleasure to express my deep appreciation to the VEC for their hard work and constructive recommendations for the future of CFOS. Going forward, the DEC and Management Team will identify specific actions based on the VEC’s recommendations; I also encourage and welcome your input on this report.

This week I attended the 89^th meeting of the National Academies Ocean Studies Board (OSB) in Washington, D.C. I am very pleased to convey that the Board has decided to hold their next meeting in Fairbanks this September. Not only will this be the first time the OSB will meet in Alaska, this will be the first joint meeting with the Polar Research Board and Marine Board, which will include a one-day scoping session on Arctic Marine Infrastructure. Stay tuned for further details.

Today marks the second annual CFOS State of the College. This event is important because it provides an opportunity to close out the academic year on a positive note and reflect on the great work being conducted by our students, staff and faculty. It is a pleasure to thank the Dean’s office staff for successfully coordinating this event.

As I noted earlier today, this year marked another period of significant change and adapting to challenges. Together, we have managed these challenges with energy, skill and determination. All of you deserve many thanks for making budgetary sacrifices while conducting first-class research, teaching and service for the benefit of Alaska and the nation. Congratulations CFOS on a job very well done!

As part of the State of the College, please join me in congratulating this year’s recipients of the 2018 Dean’s Recognition Award in the following categories:

• Dr. Andy Seitz: Outstanding Advisor
• Dr. Amanda Kelley: Outstanding Instructor
• Dr. Franz Mueter: Outstanding Researcher
• Ms. Torie Baker: Outstanding Public Service
• Ms. Gabrielle Hazelton and Ms. Christina Sutton: Outstanding Staff
• Mr. Wendel Raymond: Outstanding Graduate Student
• Ms. Jennifer Peeks: Outstanding Undergraduate Student

Finally, next Saturday, May 5, is UAF Commencement 2018—congratulations to our graduates! I look forward to congratulating each of you on the commencement stage.

Spring 2018 Graduates

• Elizabeth Figus, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Keith Criddle
• Leah Sloan Zacher, Ph.D. Marine Biology. Advisor: Sarah Hardy

• Sky (Brandt) Guritz, B.S.
• Carlton Hautala, B.S.
• Stephanie Jump, B.S.
• Michael McNulty, B.S.
• Joseph Spencer, B.S.
• Jonah Yakunin, B.A.

Outstanding Undergraduate Student Awards

• Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Jennifer Peeks
• Outstanding Senior: Kennan Sanderson
• Outstanding Junior: Noah Khalsa
• Outstanding Sophomore: Monroe Morris

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway in the Gulf of Alaska with Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s project titled Long Term Ecological Research: Resiliency in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem (NGA LTER). The NGA LTER project will investigate processes important to the physical and biogeochemical variability of the Northern Gulf of Alaska, with particular emphasis on freshwater input and spring bloom conditions. The NGA LTER cruise is scheduled to end in Seward on May 5.

The next cruise will host Dr. Geoffrey Abers from Cornell University for the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE).The AACSE cruise is a shoreline-crossing community seismic experiment around the Alaska Peninsula. The Alaskan Peninsula was identified as a top priority site to address questions fundamental to the National Science Foundation GeoPRISMS and EarthScope program goals. The deployment will include 75 broadband Ocean Bottom Seismometer instruments and 30 broadband land instruments, recording for 15 months in 2018–2019.The array includes a transect in the Kodiak/Katmai region from the far outer rise to the distal back arc.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS graduate students Aaron Bland and Brian Ulaski discussed the projects they conducted during the spring break scientific diving field excursion to Kasitsna Bay during the final talk in the 2018 Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Seminar Series sponsored by CFOS.

Dr. Matthew Wooller is the recipient of the 2018 Emil Usibelli Award for Research. Each year three UAF faculty members are awarded for their expertise in research, teaching and service.

Pre-Award Manager Erin Christian and Proposal Coordinator Brandy Pedersen both recently passed the CPRA exam. The Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator designation is granted by the Research Administrators Certification Council to individuals who demonstrate the knowledge necessary to serve as an administrator of professional and sponsored research programs.

Executive Officer Jennifer Harris recently obtained Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification. Lean Six Sigma is a methodology that relies on a collaborative team effort to improve performance by systematically removing waste and reducing variation in production.

Three CFOS graduate students were recently awarded the Northern Gulf of Alaska Applied Research Award. Cheryl Barnes (Ph.D. Fisheries, advisor Anne Beaudreau), Julia McMahon (M.S. Fisheries, advisor Peter Westley), and Brian Ulaski (M.S. Marine Biology, advisor Brenda Konar) received the awards courtesy of a generous anonymous donor.

The following CFOS students were presented with the awards below at the 22^nd Annual AFS Student Symposium:

Long Talks:

• April Rebert – First Place
• Caitlin Forster – Second Place
• Ali Schuler – Third Place

Short Talk

• Matt Callahan

Best Introduction

• Justin Priest

Alaska Sea Grant’s Davin Holen and Paula Dobbyn and UAF Ph.D. student Richard Buzard visited the Native Village of Port Heiden last week to hold an adaptation workshop in collaboration with Erica Mitchell from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. The workshop focused on economic resilience, including directing community resources to reestablish Port Heiden as a hub for fishing and tourism.

Kodiak Marine Advisory agent Julie Mateweyou is a new member of the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association board of directors, a longtime Alaska Sea Grant partner in marine safety training.

Dillingham Marine Advisory agent Gabe Dunham built a diesel engine training aid platform, paid for by Alaska Technical Vocational Education Program funds. Gabe taught “Introduction to Diesel Engines,” attended by nine commercial fishermen who learned operation theory, fuel and mechanical systems, diagnosis, and maintenance.

CFOS in the News

Alaska Business Monthly announced the new online portal to help improve access to salmon research and tackle emerging challenges in salmon conservation. The story was originally published in UAF Cornerstone.

Publications

Lovvorn, J.R., A.R. Rocha, A.H. Mahoney, and S.C. Jewett. 2018. Sustaining ecological and subsistence functions in conservation areas: eider habitat and access by Native hunters along landfast ice. Environmental Conservation. Article on Research Gate website.

Valenzuela-Molina, M., S. Atkinson, K. Mashburn, D. Gendron, and R.L. Brownell. 2018. Fecal steroid hormones reveal reproductive state in female blue whales sampled in the Gulf of California, Mexico. General and Comparative Endocrinology 261:127–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.02.015.

Dobiesz, N.E., J.R. Bence, T. Sutton, M. Ebener, T.C. Pratt, L.M. O'Connor, and T.B. Steeves. 2018. Evaluation of sea lamprey–associated mortality sources on a generalized lake sturgeon population in the Great Lakes. Journal of Great Lakes Research 44(2): 319–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2018.01.005.

Matter, A.N., J.A. Falke, J.A. López, and J.W. Savereide. 2018. A rapid-assessment method to estimate the distribution of juvenile Chinook salmon in tributary habitats using eDNA and occupancy estimation. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 38(1): 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10014.

Fraley, K.M., J.A. Falke, M.V. McPhee, and A. Prakash. 2018. Rainbow trout movement behavior and habitat occupancy are influenced by sex and Pacific salmon presence in an Alaska river system. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 75(4): 525–537. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2016-0459.

Stimmelmayr, R., G.M. Ylitalo, G. Sheffield, K. Beckmen, K. Burek-Huntington, V. Metcalf, and T. Rowles. 2018. Oil fouling in three subsistence-harvested ringed (Phoca hispida) and spotted seals (Phoca largha) from the Bering Strait region, Alaska: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon bile and tissue levels and pathological findings. Marine Pollution Bulletin 130:311–323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.02.040

Eckert, C., T. Baker, and D. Cherry. 2018. Chronic health risks in commercial fishermen: A cross-sectional analysis from a small rural fishing village in Alaska. Journal of Agromedicine 23(2): 176–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2018.1425172.

Watson, J.T., and A.C. Haynie. 2017. Paths to resilience: Alaska pollock fleet uses multiple fishing strategies to buffer against environmental change in the Bering Sea. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2017-0315.

Douglas III, H.D., A.S. Kitaysky, and E.V. Kitaiskaia. 2018. Odor is linked to adrenocortical function and male ornament size in a colonial seabird. Behavioral Ecology. Behavioral Ecology, Volume 29, Issue 3.

Message from the Dean

The Alaska State Legislature has now submitted budgets to fund the university for FY19. Spending proposals from both the Senate Finance Committee ($322.5M) and full House ($336M) are higher than the current fiscal year ($317M). The Governor proposed to flat fund the university next year. While it remains to be seen what FY19 budget will be signed into law, the proposed increase from our legislature is a welcome reinvestment in higher education in the State of Alaska. Thank you to those individuals who submitted testimony in support of the university—your input is important and very much appreciated.

Discussions are progressing with the National Academies Ocean Studies Board (OSB), US Arctic Research Commission, Alaska Ocean Observing System and CFOS to hold a one-day joint OSB, Polar Research Board and Marine Board scoping session on Arctic Marine Infrastructure. At this time, the proposal is to hold the meeting this September in Fairbanks. A final decision on the date and meeting agenda will be made later this month at the spring OSB meeting in Washington D.C.

A reminder to mark your calendars for the annual CFOS State of the College, which will start at noon on Friday, April 27, in 201 O’Neill and be broadcast by VCON. As with last year, we will start with a presentation summarizing our major accomplishments over the past year, followed by recognition of some of our exceptional students, staff and faculty, and concluding with a BBQ. And, this year we will feature the world premier of the CFOS Research video, produced and directed by Lauren Frisch—should be a fun time!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway off the coast of British Columbia, transiting north to Seward to start several projects in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The first of these projects is Dr. Russ Hopcroft’s (UAF/CFOS) project entitled Long Term Ecological Research: Resiliency in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem (NGA LTER). The NGA LTER project will investigate processes important to the physical and biogeochemical variability of the Northern Gulf of Alaska, with particular emphasis on freshwater input and spring bloom conditions. The NGA LTER is scheduled to start April 18 and will end in Seward on May 5.

Activities and Accomplishments

UA Fisheries Days at Lena Point was a huge success. There were more than 70 people in attendance at the 22^nd Annual Student Research Symposium on Friday, about half of whom were not affiliated with UA. And, the first Fisheries Open House held on Saturday brought in almost 500 people, including many kids and families.

Eighteen seafood processing professionals recently graduated from the 2018 Alaska Seafood Processing Leadership Institute, hosted by Alaska Sea Grant. The mid-level managers attended a week of training in November and again in March, completed a plant project during the intervening months, and many attended the International Seafood Expo in Boston. Quentin Fong, Chris Sannito and others taught the institute. Over the last 10 years nearly 100 students have participated in ASPLI, helping to strengthen the industry in Alaska.

The Scientific Diving class once again brought marine invertebrates back to UAF from the Kasitsna Bay Lab. Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, and their graduate students are now taking these animals around the community for outreach, including large events (Science Potpourri and Super Saturday), homeschool visits, K–12 classes, and local preschools. These animals also spend some time with MSL classes.

Marine Advisory agent Gay Sheffield was appointed to the Nome Port Commission. Sunny Rice and Gabe Dunham are new members of the UA Fisheries Seafood and Maritime Initiative Leadership Team.

On March 28, Davin Holen gave the presentation "Climate Impacts to Subsistence Economies and Community and Regional Adaptation Planning" to the House Resources Committee. A bill before the house would make the Governor’s Climate Panel permanent and provide a small amount of funding for activities.

CFOS in the News

A new international Salmon Science Network recently launched an online portal to help improve access to salmon research and tackle emerging challenges in salmon conservation. The news was covered online at UAF News and Information as well as on the CFOS homepage.

Sikuliaq’s Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research (NGA LTER) project referred to above was picked up by Webcenter11.com. A virtual education program will be available that has multiple tools to keep viewers involved—including daily newsletters, chat rooms, and interviews with scientists.

Laine Welch included a story about the Alaska Sea Grant interactive commercial fisheries map in Fish Factor, and Alaska Native News also ran a story. Alaska Sea Grant’s “Graying of the Fleet” research was mentioned in the Kodiak Daily Mirror

The Juneau Empire covered the 22nd Annual Research Symposium at Lena Point on Friday, April 6. Each presenter’s topic is summarized in the article.

Publications

Foley, K. M., A. Rosenberger, and F. J. Mueter. 2018. Longitudinal patterns of juvenile Coho Salmon distribution and densities in headwater streams of the Little Susitna River, Alaska. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 147(2): 247–264. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10014

Westley, P. A. H., A. M. Berdahl, C. J. Torney, and D. Biro. 2018. Collective movement in ecology: from emerging technologies to conservation and management. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373(1746). https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0004

Yeakel, J. D., J. P. Gibert, T. Gross, P. A. H. Westley, and J. W. Moore. 2018. Eco-evolutionary dynamics, density-dependent dispersal and collective behaviour: implications for salmon metapopulation robustness. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373(1746). https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0018

Berdahl, A. M., A. B. Kao, A. Flack, P. A. H. Westley, E. A. Codling, I. D. Couzin, A. I. Dell, and D. Biro. 2018. Collective animal navigation and migratory culture: from theoretical models to empirical evidence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373(1746). https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0009

Grant Awards for March 2018

New grant awards for March are as follows (with official start date in parentheses):

• Grant G-11992 "Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium: A strategy for meeting the needs for marine-based research in the Arctic (ARICE)" - Bradley Moran - Alfred Wegener Institute - $555,741.00 (January 1, 2018)
• Grant G-11993 "Collaborative Research: Molecular profiling of the ecophysiology of diapause induction in calanoid copepods of the Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER Site" - Russell Hopcroft - NSF - $441,222.00 (March 1, 2018)

The following grants received incremental funding during March:

• Grant G-11400 "Long Term Monitoring: Ecological Communities in Kachemak Bay, Phase 2" - Katrin Iken - PWSSC - $50,900.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11485 "Long Term Monitoring of the Alaska Coastal Current" - Seth Danielson - PWSSC - $136,200.00 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11936 "Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Paula Cullenberg (Changing to Ginny Eckert) - NOAA - Mod 1 Funding $510,700.00 (February 1, 2018)

Message from the Dean

Last week the federal FY18 Omnibus Appropriations Act passed with Congress and the White House agreeing to the $1.3 trillion spending bill just ahead of the March 23 deadline, when the Continuing Resolution was set to expire. From the perspective of UAF and CFOS, there are indeed reasons to be positive about the FY18 budget outcome.

In particular, the National Sea Grant College program was funded at $76.5M, of which $11M is allocated for aquaculture. And one of our major federal funding agencies, the National Science Foundation, saw a 4% increase over FY17; increases in funding for ocean science research and technology also held for several other federal agencies. Overall, this was not a bad way to end a different kind of March Madness inside the beltway.

In Alaska, budget discussions continue and we are hopeful for some reinvestment from recent year-over-year state funding decrements. One bright spot is that both the Senate (SB 116) and House (HB 233) have issued bills to extend the Education Tax Credit (ETC) through 2025, which is due to sunset at the end of 2018. This week, I testified to the House Finance Committee in support of this legislation, noting that CFOS has utilized the ETC for nearly 20 years and greatly benefitted from the ETC with over $25 million in research, scholarship, fellowship, and outreach funding. We thank Senator Coghill, Representative Tuck, and others who have worked to continue this program for the benefit of the University and Alaska.

The proposed UAF STEM MBA has been approved by Faculty Senate and is slated to appear in next year’s academic catalog. This action paves the way for CFOS to continue to work with the School of Management (SOM) to jointly offer a UAF “Blue MBA” degree. The UAF Blue MBA is designed to increase the marketability and opportunities of individuals interested in pursuing a career focused on the business of fisheries and ocean sciences. Graduates would have the knowledge and skills needed to develop business models to ensure a more sustainable use of Alaska’s natural aquatic resources. This degree program will be offered online, and CFOS is currently identifying courses to be offered as part of this program.

Alaska Sea Grant director Paula Cullenberg will enjoy her last weekend as an employee of UAF/CFOS; she will officially retire on Monday, April 2. For many years, Paula has been a strong leader and advocate for coastal communities and related maritime activities. Please join me in thanking Paula for her tireless energy and dedication to Alaska Sea Grant and the Marine Advisory Program.

Speaking of which, the search for the next director is progressing well, while Ginny Eckert has agreed to serve as Interim Director. We look forward to working with the next director to lead Alaska Sea Grant, working alongside CFOS and our many stakeholders.

I wish you all a pleasant Easter weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway off the Washington/Oregon coast for Dr. Ed Dever’s Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Endurance Array maintenance. Sikuliaq is scheduled to return to Newport, Oregon, on April 8. After unloading Dr. Dever’s gear at the Oregon State University pier, Sikuliaq will transit to Seward to start several Alaskan projects from the Gulf of Alaska north to the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.

The first of the Alaskan Sikuliaq projects is Russ Hopcroft’s project entitled Long Term Ecological Research: Resiliency in the Environmental Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem (NGA LTER). The NGA LTER project will investigate processes important to the physical and biogeochemical variability of the Northern Gulf of Alaska, with particular emphasis on freshwater input and spring bloom conditions. The NGA LTER is scheduled to start April 18 from Seward.

Steve Hartz and Ethan Roth were successful in the first NSF instrumentation proposal that has been submitted for Sikuliaq. Specifically, their proposal has been recommended for funding to provide new instrumentation and engineering modifications to the vessel, including a new SBE 9/11 CTD and sensors for the MOCNESS, upgrading the EK60 transceivers to Simrad EK80, addition of a 12kHz transducer on the centerboard, and engineering improvements to the traction winch and storage drum to support fiber-optic electro cable.

Activities and Accomplishments

Four faculty and six graduate students gave presentations at the 2018 Kachemak Bay Science Conference in Homer last week to share their research with local scientists, teachers, and the general public. Associate Dean of Research Brenda Konar was one of the organizers and also gave a special talk that highlighted the Kasitsna Bay Lab and the subtidal organisms found in the bay.

The Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program sponsored several events at ComFish last weekend in Kodiak. Julie Matweyou and Astrid Rose hosted the 3rd annual Fishermen’s Showcase, a friendly competition for Kodiak fishermen to demonstrate their skills and compete for the honor of the Most Able Fisherman. Julie and Astrid also cosponsored Sea Stories Above the Harbor.

Gay Sheffield was the principal organizer for the 11th Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference and Forum, held this year at the UAF Northwest Campus, March 28–30.

Davin Holen gave a presentation at the 2018 Social Coast Forum in Charleston, South Carolina. The forum is a multipartner conference to share social science tools and methods to address the nation’s coastal issues. Holen is also co-leading a Sea Grant national visioning effort on Traditional and Local Knowledge.

During the Traditional and Local Knowledge workshop, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Education Specialist Marilyn Sigman organized a panel presentation to tell “ the Sea Week story.” Sea Week is an example of a program that has kept its focus on local knowledge even as ASG expanded it into a statewide marine and aquatic education program.

CFOS in the News

The Peninsula Clarion interviewed Professor Milo Adkison about the recently established Center for Salmon and Society. The article reports on the Center’s collaboration with other partners around the state. Outdoor News covered the story as well as AP News and the San Francisco Chronicle.

UAF Cornerstone highlighted a special journal issue on collective movement that was organized by a team of international researchers including Peter Westley. The story was also picked up by SitNews and Alaska Native News, and highlighted by Science Magazine. Read the longer version of the story on the CFOS website.

CFOS recently started a LinkedIn profile page to continue to share our news and job openings with broader audiences. Please follow the page and share it with others who might be interested. We are still building the page, so feel free to send Lauren Frisch any content that you are interested in sharing through LinkedIn.

Stories on the Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Network were published in the Peninsula Clarion, Kodiak Daily Mirror and Cordova Times.

KMXT Radio ran a story about fishermen who took ASG’s HACCP class in Kodiak.

Pacific Fishing magazine ran an interview by Paula Dobbyn about Alaska Sea Grant director Paula Cullenberg’s impending retirement.

Alaska Native News ran Sue Keller’s blog post about a new interactive fisheries map spearheaded by Marine Advisory Leader Sunny Rice.

Melissa Good responded to reports of two live stranded ringed seal yearlings and a dead northern sea otter in the Unalaska area. KUCB published a story about one of the seals. The Cordova Times also ran a story about the stranding, as well as another article about the 14^th Copper River Delta Science Symposium this week.

Publications

Levin, P. S., T. E. Essington, K. N. Marshall, L. E. Koehn, L. G. Anderson, A. Bundy, C. Carothers, F. Coleman, L. R. Gerber, J. H. Grabowski, E. Houde, O. P. Jensen, C. Möllmann, K. Rose, J. N. Sanchirico, and A. D. M. Smith. 2018. Building effective fishery ecosystem plans. Marine Policy 92:48–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.01.019

Dobiesz, N. E., J. R. Bence, T. Sutton, M. Ebener, T. Pratt, and M. Steeves. 2018. Evaluation of sea lamprey-associated mortality sources on a generalized lake sturgeon population in the Great Lakes. Journal of Great Lakes Research 44:319–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2018.01.005

Westley, P. A. H., A. M. Berdahl, C. J. Torney, and D. Biro. 2018. Collective movement in ecology: from emerging technologies to conservation and management. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0004

Berdahl, A. M., A. B. Kao, A. Flack, P. A. H. Westley, E. A. Codling, I. D. Couzin, A. I. Dell, and D. Biro. 2018. Collective animal navigation and migratory culture: from theoretical models to empirical evidence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373. https://doi.org/10.1101/230219

Yeakel, J. D., J. P. Gibert, T. Gross, P. A. H. Westley, and J. W. Moore. 2018. Eco-evolutionary dynamics, density-dependent dispersal and collective behaviour: implications for salmon metapopulation robustness. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0018

Olson, A. P., C. E. Siddon, and G. L. Eckert. 2018. Spatial variability in size at maturity of golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus) and implications for fisheries management. Royal Society Open Science. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.171802

Message from the Dean

One of the inspirational aspects of working for CFOS is the recognition of our powerful research and teaching enterprise on the national front. This is made clear on a regular basis when I meet on behalf of our College with ocean science and policy leaders in the nation’s capital.

Last week, the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL) convened its annual Public Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., with this year’s theme entitled: Power of Partnerships: Advancing Ocean Science and Technology. I was grateful to moderate a case study panel on federal interagency partnering and coordination, specifically through the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST). This included current SOST co-chairs Captain Lindy Bunn of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and NSF Division Director Rick Murray. Three recommendations from this panel are: build on UNOLS as a successful partnership between academia (vessel operators) and federal agencies (vessel owners); improve utilization of the congressionally mandated National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP); and foster international partnerships to advance the nation as a global leader in ocean sciences research, technology, and training.

Later I had the honor to introduce Senator Lisa Murkowski, who gave a rousing speech that identified many of Alaska’s ocean challenges and opportunities, including reference to the great work of CFOS, Alaska Sea Grant and the new ARICE program—an international polar research vessel partnership that includes R/V Sikuliaq—naturally inspiring indeed!

Following the Policy Forum, the COL trustee and members meeting featured a presentation by NSF Geosciences (GEO) Assistant Director Dr. Bill Easterling. Director Easterling discussed the convergence of GEO’s priorities around climate change and food security, which is the nexus of our planned NSF-STC proposal. Subsequently, Director Easterling and Division Director Rick Murray, a longtime friend and colleague, provided an overview of NSF's budget, noting that while the budget is essentially flat going forward, it includes $30M in GEO to fund NSF’s Big Idea Navigating the New Arctic (NNA)—of which CFOS has set an important research proposal goal with NORTHPASS. It was a great pleasure to finally meet Bill, and I extended an invitation to visit UAF—stay tuned on that front.

Following the COL meeting, I participated in a series of Senate Committee meetings with COL members and staff to advocate for federal ocean science and technology programs, policies and budgets. I also joined AOOS director Molly McCammon and Prince William Sound Science Center executive director Katrina Hoffman in a meeting with Senator Murkowski and members of her staff, including former SFOS faculty Jeremy Mathis. Our discussion focused on strengthening federal ocean observing programs, particularly offshore Alaska given the rapidly changing ocean and sea-ice conditions.

Finally, referring back to last November’s meeting of the Ocean Studies Board (OSB), discussions are progressing to hold a joint OSB, Polar Research Board and Marine Board scoping session focused on Arctic Marine Infrastructure. The proposal is to hold the scoping session in Fairbanks, tentatively scheduled for late August, or early September. This idea is gaining traction, with support being conveyed by the US Arctic Research Commission and possibly other federal agencies. It would be a wonderful feather in the cap for CFOS to help coordinate this important meeting—my sense is that the stars are beginning to line up.

I wish you all a safe and enjoyable St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq just completed a cruise for Dr. Mark Ohman (University of California San Diego/Scripps Institute of Oceanography), a five-day project off the southern California coast to service interdisciplinary biogeochemical moorings.

On Sunday, March 18, Sikuliaq will begin her transit to Newport, Oregon, for Dr. Ed Dever’s Ocean Observatories Initiative Endurance Array maintenance off the Oregon coast. After Dr. Dever’s cruise, Sikuliaq will return to Seward to start several Alaskan projects from the Gulf of Alaska north to the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.

Activities and Accomplishments

Dean Moran has been appointed as Treasurer of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership.

The Sea Grant programs in Alaska and Washington published a new edition of the popular Fishermen’s Direct Marketing Manual. The manual, edited by Terry Johnson, is a how-to guide for commercial fishermen who want to sell their catch directly to brokers, restaurants and other buyers. More than 4000 copies of former editions of the book have been distributed to fishermen since the mid-1990s.

Marilyn Sigman authored the book Entangled: People and Ecological Change in Alaska's Kachemak Bay (University of Alaska Press).

Melissa Good was elected secretary of the Unalaska Native Fisherman’s Association Board of Directors. The organization is developing a plan for monitoring and restoring local salmon streams.

CFOS in the News

Alaska Business magazine published the CFOS press release about the newly established Center for Salmon and Society.

Thanks to a dedicated research team from the UA Museum of the North, the museum’s marine invertebrate collection is organized and available for researchers around the world. The story can also be found on the CFOS website.

The Cordova Times reports that after 19 years, Tuesday Night Talks are still going strong. Torie Baker is a partner in the community science talk series.

A UAF Cornerstone article reported on the new edition of the popular Fishermen’s Direct Marketing Manual, published by Alaska and Washington Sea Grant programs.

Amanda Kelley is part of a team of scientists planning to gather near-shore data on Kachemak Bay to study ocean acidification. Their work was highlighted by the Inquisitr, in a KBBI article, and in other coverage.

Ginny Eckert and Julie Matweyou are part of a group of Alaskans—including state officials, tribes, nonprofit organizations and researchers—who have recently come together to try to combat marine toxins.

In the past year, two ice seals have appeared in ice-free Unalaska. Alaska's Energy Desk spoke with Melissa Good about this unusual activity.

Newsdeeply.com recently reported on the “Graying of Alaska’s Fishing Fleet” and how this phenomenon is putting the key industry in peril.

Publications

Siwicke, K.A., and A.C. Seitz. 2018. Spatial differences in the distributions of arctic and Pacific lampreys in the Eastern Bering Sea. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 147(1); 111–127. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10018

Figus, E., C. Carothers, and A.H. Beaudreau. 2018. Using local ecological knowledge to inform fisheries assessment: Measuring agreement among Polish fishermen about the abundance and condition of Baltic cod (Gadus morhua). ICES Journal of Marine Science 74(8): 2213–2222. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsx061.

Powell, J.E., M.S. Wipfli, K.R. Criddle, and E.R. Schoen. 2018. Will Alaska's fisheries regime prove resilient? Kenai River fishery management as a model for adaptive governance. Fisheries 43(1): 26–30. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10022.

Chan, M.N., A.H. Beaudreau, and P.A. Loring. 2018. Evaluating the recreational fishery management toolbox: Charter captains’ perceptions of harvest controls, limited access, and quota leasing in the guided halibut fishing sector in Alaska. Marine Policy 91:129–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.02.013.

Yanchilina, A.G., S. Yelisetti, M. Wolfson-Schwehr, N. Voss, T. Bryce Kelly, J. Brizzolara, K.L. Brown, J.M. Zayac, M. Fung, M. Guerra, B. Coakley, and R. Pockalny. 2017. Exploring methane gas seepage in the California Borderlands. Eos 98. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017EO087843.

Message from the Dean

As stated in our Decadal Plan, a priority for the College is to ensure ongoing support for the sustained use of our major facilities and centers. To the extent possible under the current budget challenges, investing in our facilities is essential to maintain our competitive edge in research and teaching.

In this regard, the UA Board of Regents Policy requires a Campus Master Plan for each campus to provide academic, strategic, and capital plans and a framework for implementation. This year, CFOS is part of the UAF Campus Master Plan, focusing on our coastal facilities located in Seward and Lena Point. The Seward Marine Center in particular will benefit from this effort given the research needs of our new Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER program and shoreside support of R/V Sikuliaq. We are currently working with UAF Facilities and the selected consulting firm and will hold a kick-off meeting in Seward next month to begin this important exercise.

We received some very good news from VCR Hinzman that our White Paper entitled Center for Sustainable Ocean Production and Prediction (C-SOPP) has been approved to develop a full proposal for the anticipated NSF solicitation for new Science and Technology Centers (STC). The next step is to develop the concept into a full proposal to address fundamental societal, economic and environmental needs associated with ocean stewardship and food security issues that increasingly face Alaska, the nation and the world. Congratulations to the CFOS STC team and partners!

On the national front, next week I will moderate a roundtable discussion at the Ocean Leadership Public Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., focusing on the federal Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST). The purpose of this roundtable is to consider ways the SOST can strengthen interagency partnerships and coordination to advance all facets of federal ocean science and technology programs and activities. Indirectly, this forum affords yet another opportunity to communicate CFOS strengths to a broader audience in our nation’s capital.

Finally, there has been some positive discussion regarding the state budget support for UA; however, we still have a long way to go with the FY19 budget. I encourage you to communicate your support to our legislature about the importance and many benefits of UA, UAF and CFOS to the State of Alaska.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is moored at the Oregon State University pier in Newport, Oregon, until Monday when she will begin a transit to Port Hueneme, California, for her next cruise. Dr. Mark Ohman, University of California San Diego/Scripps Institute of Oceanography, has a 5-day project off the southern California coast March 12–17. This California Current Ecosystem LTER will service interdisciplinary biogeochemical moorings.

Upon completing the CCE project, Sikuliaq will return to Newport where Dr. Ed Dever with the Ocean Observatories Initiative North Pacific Endurance Array is up next performing maintenance work on the Array off the Oregon coast.

Activities and Accomplishments

Last week, Professor Gordon Kruse and Dean Moran provided testimony to the Alaska House Fisheries Committee that addressed CFOS programs, facilities and activities, and in particular the many strengths of the CFOS Department of Fisheries.

Following this testimony, Dean Moran participated in a panel discussion on Alaska’s ocean economy at the annual Innovation Summit, which was hosted by the Juneau Economic Development Council. The discussion provided an opportunity to delve into Alaska’s vast economic strengths and potential in fisheries, ocean observing, climate change, Arctic security and related topics; the need for strategic coordination and planning; and in particular the new Mariculture Task Force report submitted to Governor Walker on March 1.

Six members of the CFOS Oceanography Department recently attended a workshop on the processing of ship-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data using the UHDAS/CODAS software suite, which brought them up to speed on the modern suite of UNOLS-standard ADCP tools.

Marine Advisory agent Davin Holen co-led a 2-day workshop in Juneau with Louisiana Sea Grant’s research director on how Sea Grant programs can develop best practices with tribal communities and incorporate traditional knowledge into nationwide efforts. Sea Grant and tribe collaborators from Guam and Palau to Maine and Louisiana attended.

CFOS Ph.D. student Cheryl Barnes (advisor Anne Beaudreau) won Best Student Paper at the 20^th Western Groundfish Conference in Seaside, California, in February.

At the Alaska Forum on the Environment (AFE) in Anchorage, Davin Holen gave presentations on adaption strategies for coastal communities grappling with climate change. Davin also led a session on tribal efforts to monitor ocean acidification, and facilitated a field trip to the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery for the Alaska Ocean Acidification Tribal Working Group. Marilyn Sigman gave a talk on how to engage youth.

Professors Courtney Carothers and Peter Westley, among other researchers, were panelists on a forum at AFE discussing an integrated statewide effort to synthesize and share knowledge about Alaska’s wild salmon and salmon communities.

Marine Advisory agents Gay Sheffield, Melissa Good, and Sunny Rice participated in a NOAA Marine Mammal Stranding Network meeting in Anchorage. Jenna Malek, of the Marine Mammal Commission, wrote a blog on Gay’s presentation. In Nome, Gay hosted a Strait Science talk for the public on marine mammal stranding, which was covered by the Nome Nugget, and she helped coordinate a NOAA oil spill workshop.

Ketchikan Marine Advisory agent Gary Freitag, a member of the Chinook Technical Committee of the Pacific Salmon Commission, attended the first session of treaty renegotiations in Portland, Oregon. The PSC treaty, between the United States and Canada, was established in 1985.

CFOS in the News

A UAF press release recently highlighted Sikuliaq’s role in the new Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium. The piece is also posted on the CFOS website. The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) also featured an article on ARICE.

The Cordova Times distributed an article written by Alaska State Representative Louise Stutes about the State House remaining dedicated to passing a responsible budget. Rep. Stutes mentions the presentation Dean Moran gave to the Fisheries Committee about CFOS. Professor Gordon Kruse also provided testimony at the Committee meeting.

KQED Science published an article about CFOS Fisheries graduate student Veronica Padula and Professor Elise Granuk from Portland State University, who presented their findings on emerging plastic and chemical contaminants in coastal ecosystems at the 2018 Ocean Sciences meeting in Portland.

A new feature by UAF highlights Marine Advisory agent Julie Matweyou’s role in trying to combat marine toxins (harmful algal blooms) believed to be the cause for mass mortality of seabirds, marine mammal deaths, and Alaskans sickened by shellfish.

A UAF press release announced the formal establishment of the Center for Salmon and Society, a collaboration of partners around the state focused on sustaining Alaska’s salmon and salmon-connected communities and people. The story is also posted on the CFOS website.

Publications

Gaglioti, B.V., D.H. Mann, P. Groves, M.L. Kunz, L.M. Farquharson, R.E. Reanier, B.M. Jones, and M.J. Wooller. 2018. Aeolian stratigraphy describes ice-age paleoenvironments in unglaciated Arctic Alaska. Quaternary Science Reviews 182:175–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.01.002

Chan, M.N., A.H. Beaudreau, and P.H. Loring. 2018. Evaluating the recreational fishery management toolbox: Charter captains’ perceptions of harvest controls, limited access, and quota leasing in the guided halibut fishing sector in Alaska. Marine Policy91:129–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.02.013

Sme, N., S. Lyon, M. Canino, N. Chernova, J. O’Bryhim, S. Lance, K. Jones, F. Mueter, and A.J. Gharrett. 2018. Distinction of saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) from several other gadid species by using microsatellite markers. Fisheries Bulletin 116:60–68.

Marshall, K.N., P.S. Levin, T.E. Essington, L.E. Koehn, L.G. Anderson, A. Bundy, C. Carothers, F. Coleman, L.R. Gerber, J.H. Grabowski, E. Houde, O.P. Jensen, C. Möllmann, K. Rose, K., J.N. Sanchirico, and A.D.M. Smith. 2018. Ecosystem-based fisheries management for social–ecological systems: Renewing the focus in the United States with Next Generation Fishery Ecosystem Plans. Conservation Letters 11(1): e12367. https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12367

Mariash, H.L., M. Cazzanelli, M. Rautio, L. Hamerlik, M.J. Wooller, and K.S. Christoffersen. 2018. Changes in food web dynamics of low Arctic ponds with varying content of dissolved organic carbon. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 50(1). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15230430.2017.1414472

Grant Awards for February 2018

• Grant G-11908 "Knauss Fellowship for Maggie Chan" - Paula Cullenberg - NOAA - $61,500 (February 1, 2018)
• Grant G-11936 "Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2018-2022" - Paula Cullenberg - NOAA - $300,000 (of the total $6,521,156.00) (February 1, 2018)
• Grant G-11963 "Collaborative Research: An examination of human social and cultural adaptation through archaeological and paleoclimate data from the Aleutian Islands" - Melissa Good - Boston University - $23,853 (May 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11978 "Program Income for G11936" - Paula Cullenberg - Program Income Account - Initial Budget of $180,000 (February 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11983 "Youth Engagement in Community-Based Responses to Alaska Coastal Hazards" - Marilyn Sigman - National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program - $26,694 (July 1, 2017)

The following grants received incremental funding:

• Grant G-4710 "Marine Research, Training, and Technology Program" - Shannon DeMaster - UA Foundation - $3,100.00 (May 5, 2008)
• Grant G-11073 "Time-Series Monitoring of Ocean Acidification in Alaska" - Jessica Cross - AOOS - $58,000.00 (June 1, 2016)
• Grant G-11408 "Environmental Drivers: Seward Line" - Russell Hopcroft - Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC) - $124,900.00 (February 1, 2017)

Message from the Dean

The past two weeks have seen a flurry of activity with our College engaged at the state, national and international level—and some terrific news for fisheries—that once again underscores the incredible engine we all contribute to in CFOS.

To start, last week the kick-off meeting for the EU funded ($7M) Arctic Research Ice Breaker Consortium (ARICE) project was held in Bremerhaven, Germany. The meeting featured R/V Sikuliaq as one of six international polar research vessels that over the next four years will support up to seven ship days for Arctic research. How can CFOS take advantage of this international research opportunity? In two important ways: first, by encouraging our international colleagues to collaborate and apply for ship days through ARICE to work on Sikuliaq-supported field programs (the NGA LTER and ASGARD are just two major projects that come to mind); and second, by proposing to work on ARICE-funded foreign polar research vessels and in so doing leverage your work and grab some wire time. Go for it CFOS—a twofer!

This week, the ASLO/AGU Ocean Sciences Meeting took place in Portland, Oregon. CFOS had a very strong presence, with numerous outstanding presentations by our students, researchers and faculty. A special thank-you to Lauren Frisch for organizing an excellent CFOS booth, and to those who volunteered their time to work the booth—notably frequented by many scientists interested in our faculty searches. It was clear that no other fisheries or oceanographic institution had anywhere near the number of faculty or post-doc hires literally on the table—naturally inspiring indeed!

Of the many important side meetings that took place, a highlight was that Katrin Iken met directly with Admiral Tim Gallaudet, the recently confirmed Assistant Administrator for Atmosphere and Oceans in the Department of Commerce (aka NOAA’s Deputy Administrator). Katrin conveyed in particular the many great connections and collaborations NOAA and partners have with CFOS and UAF, including the co-managed K-Bay Lab, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Alaska Sea Grant, CIFAR, AOOS, NERR, NOPP… and she also had an opportunity to personally thank the Admiral for that great news referred to above.

Back here in our great state, the 21^st Alaska Tsunami Bowl—yes, 21 consecutive years!—took place last weekend in Seward. This year featured another rousing competition, with 22 high school teams participating from across the state. Congratulations to the winner, Cordova High School, who in April will head to Boulder, Colorado, to vie for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl title. It is indeed a pleasure to thank the many CFOS staff and faculty for making this event a great success. Best wishes to Cordova to bring home the prize!

Next week, the Juneau Economic Development Council will host the annual Innovation Summit. I will participate in a panel discussion on the opportunity for Alaska to diversify its economy and further develop a sustainable “blue” ocean economy, which CFOS contributes to in important ways. My goal is to advocate for two important opportunities for CFOS and for Alaska: to grow our state’s burgeoning mariculture industry and to invest in ocean engineering and technology research and training in support of Alaska’s dominant position in energy and fisheries resource industries.

As part of this visit to our state’s capitol, CFOS is scheduled to present at the Alaska Senate Resources Hearing and the House Fisheries Committee. These discussions are part of a larger effort to communicate the many benefits and opportunities that UA, UAF and our College bring to Alaska. Indeed, with roughly $8 generated for every $1 of state funding appropriated to CFOS, not only is our work important to Alaska’s economy, it represents an excellent return on the state’s investment. With half of the nation’s coastline and that Alaska defines the US as an Arctic Nation, building the ocean economy is our opportunity to seize.

Along the lines of applied research and training to meet Alaska’s future ocean economic opportunities, today CFOS submitted two proposals in response to the UAF enrollment and research initiative envisioned by Chancellor White. First, a proposal led by Brenda Konar would create a new faculty position in mariculture research, based at our Kodiak facility. This strategic concept would take advantage of roughly $10M in funding through the National Sea Grant program and build on other federal funding opportunities (e.g., ARPA-E), as well as align with recommendations of Governor Walker’s Mariculture Task force to grow the estimated $1B mariculture industry in Alaska.

Consistent with this applied research emphasis, a second proposal has been submitted jointly by CEM and CFOS for a new Ocean Engineering and Technology (OE&T) minor degree program at UAF. Currently, there is no ocean engineering degree program offered in the state, yet there is a projected doubling of the ocean economy on a global basis by 2030 (OECD, 2016) that directly involves marine engineering applied research and training. Not only would the proposed OE&T minor degree increase STEM enrollment at UAF, it would directly involve and serve marine and freshwater resource extraction industries in Alaska and beyond, including: offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, fisheries technology, sensor development, marine biotechnology, mariculture, and coastal infrastructure.

So what about that terrific news? This week, during the Scientific and Statistical Committee meeting of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, NOAA Science Director Doug DeMaster provided an update on the Alaska Fisheries Sciences Center budget, and confirmed that Quantitative Ecology and Socioeconomics Training (QUEST) funding will be directed to CFOS for FY18 and FY19 (and we cautiously anticipate beyond). This innovative NOAA program will provide funding to support the recruitment of a quantitative fisheries faculty at CFOS, necessitated in part by the recent retirement of Terry Quinn. A QUEST funded faculty position will be a first for Alaska and an important NOAA investment that has garnered strong support from CFOS, UAF, and the entire Alaska congressional delegation.

Finally, I will hold off commenting on the active federal budget discussions taking place inside the beltway, which certainly created a buzz at the ocean sciences meeting this week, other than to point to one important fact: Congress writes the federal budget!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is underway on a 10-day cruise with Dr. Robert Cowen of Oregon State University titled “Meso-zooplankton food webs.” The goal is to sample zooplankton during the winter downwelling conditions off the Oregon coast.

Sikuliaq returns to Newport, Oregon, on February 24 and then prepares to transit to Port Hueneme, California, for her next cruise—Dr. Mark Ohman’s five-day project off the southern California coast in mid-March.

Activities and Accomplishments

Alaska Sea Grant director Paula Cullenberg won the 2018 Alaska Ocean Leadership Award for outstanding achievement in marine outreach and education. The Alaska Ocean Observing System sponsors the award, presented at the annual Alaska Marine Gala in Anchorage.

Gordon Kruse has been elected to serve as co-chair of the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for 2018; SSC members also include CFOS faculty Terry Quinn and Franz Mueter. The SSC sets acceptable biological catches and overfishing levels for federally managed fisheries off Alaska, and provides scientific advice on the management of these fisheries.

Chris Sannito, Alaska Sea Grant seafood quality specialist and outgoing president of Pacific Fisheries Technologists, chaired the organizing committee for the PFT annual meeting in Girdwood. More than 80 international representatives of academia, industry and regulating agencies exchanged the latest information at the three-day conference.

CFOS in the News

The first Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Seminar of the spring semester, about Chinook salmon spawning areas in the Yukon River, was given to a packed classroom. Randy Brown’s presentation was covered in a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article.

The Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Network, coordinated by Alaska Sea Grant and the Alaska Ocean Observing System, has launched a new website. The network brings together information from monitoring groups and researchers around the state to address human and wildlife health risks from toxic algal blooms. CFOS faculty members Ginny Eckert and Julie Matweyou serve on the network executive committee. SitNews ran Alaska Sea Grant’s press release.

The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman covered a story about deferred maintenance on public buildings in Alaska, including the importance of building a dock appropriate for operating the world-class Sikuliaq.

A new study about Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska led by Mike Litzow was covered in three media outlets, KMXT, the Kodiak Daily Mirror, and Alaska Native News.

Forty residents in Cordova tested their cold-water safety skills during the annual Iceworm Survival Suit Races. Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory agent Torie Baker and local fishermen organized the event, which highlights the importance of marine safety training in the Prince William Sound community. An article was published in Alaska Native News.

Publications

Eisner, L.B., A.I. Pinchuk, D.G. Kimmel, K.L. Mier, C.E. Harpold, and E.C. Siddon. 2018. Seasonal, interannual, and spatial patterns of community composition over the eastern Bering Sea shelf in cold years. Part I: Zooplankton. ICES Journal of Marine Science 75(1): 72–86. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsx156.

Message from the Dean

The outstanding research of CFOS is communicated in many important ways, including peer-review publications, participation in national and international scientific meetings, and informal lectures that convey the broader impacts of our work to the public. Last week, CFOS students, researchers and faculty participated in three symposia in Anchorage that span the range of our collective expertise in fisheries, marine biology and ocean sciences.

The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) featured numerous interesting presentations, including many oral and poster presentations by CFOS. The quality and diversity of these studies was impressive and a testament to the strength of the research, education and public outreach activities of our College. And, our CFOS booth organized by Lauren Frisch wonderfully conveyed our many programs, facilities and activities, as well as new CFOS swag—great stuff!

Notable were the AMSS awards for best student oral presentations to CFOS students Jacob Metzger (MS candidate; advisor Brenda Konar) and Leah Zacher (PhD candidate; advisor Sarah Hardy). Congratulations Jacob and Leah, and congratulations to all CFOS students on their excellent presentations at AMSS this year.

Following the conclusion of AMSS, the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center (PCCRC) held its annual symposium on Friday. Since 2000, the PCCRC has been a major supporter of CFOS basic and applied research to improve understanding of marine ecosystems in the North Pacific and Bering Sea. This symposium featured a number of presentations by CFOS students, faculty and collaborators on topics ranging from value-added products and nutritional value of pollock, to fisheries ecology and marine trophic dynamics. Thanks to Keith Criddle, Patrick Barry and Gabrielle Hazelton for organizing the Board meeting and symposium.

Concurrent with the PCCRC symposium, the Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) ran its annual series of presentations of research projects, which are funded through support from BOEM. Of the fifteen presentations, two-thirds were from CFOS, including six by our students. All student talks were excellent, and two were recognized for best student presentation: Casey Clark (PhD candidate; advisors Lara Horstmann and Nicole Misarti) and Lauren Sutton (MS candidate; advisor Katrin Iken). Thanks to Brenda Konar and Ruth Post for organizing this series of presentations.

Continuing with this theme, next week I will participate in the Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium for Europe (ARICE) kick-off meeting in Bremerhaven, Germany. The purpose of this meeting is to establish plans for greater coordination and use of polar research vessels, including R/V Sikuliaq, by the international research community. The ARICE project is part of the EU Horizon 2020 initiative and provides funding to CFOS over the next four years. As part of this trip, I will give a presentation at the Alfred Wegener Institute on CFOS strengths and opportunities for collaboration, of which there are many.

Speaking of Sikuliaq, this week the UAF R/V Sikuliaq Ship Operations proposal for CY2018-2022 was submitted to NSF. This is a critical next step in our responsibility to operate the ship for the next five years. Thanks to Wendy Rupe and Doug Baird for their hard work in helping prepare this proposal.

Following the ARICE meeting, the AGU/ASLO Ocean Sciences meeting will take place in Portland, Oregon, where again CFOS will have a strong presence, as well as a CFOS booth, #607—please stop by if you plan to attend this meeting.

It is a pleasure to announce our newest Research Faculty at CFOS, Dr. Kristen Gorman. Kristen completed her PhD in biology at Simon Fraser University, and her evolutionary ecology interests include a variety of wildlife ecological systems, from waterfowl of western Alaska to Antarctic seabirds. Kristen also holds a research appointment at the Prince William Sound Science Center, where she is working on juvenile herring energetics. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Kristen Gorman to our College, where she will be based at our Fairbanks campus.

Last, I am very pleased to convey that several of our faculty have been recognized by Chancellor White for academic excellence. These include: Anne Beaudreau, Lara Horstmann and Julie Matweyou for excellence in teaching, and Katrin Iken and Franz Mueter for excellence in research. Congratulations!

Each passing day brings with it a little more sunshine, and one can begin to sense that spring is around the corner. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend and the refreshing, peaceful winter we are fortunate to experience.

R/V Sikuliaq

The repairs and maintenance on Sikuliaq, as well as crew training taking place for the past two and a half months in San Diego, California, are coming to a close. Sikuliaq will get underway to perform a Patch Test on the ship’s two multibeam systems (EM302 and EM710) and calibrate the EK-60 echo sounder this weekend and then transit to Newport, Oregon, to begin the 2018 field season.

The first project is a 10-day cruise with Dr. Robert Cowen of Oregon State University titled “Meso-zooplankton food webs.” The goal is to sample during the winter downwelling conditions off the Oregon coast.

In other Seward Marine Center news—the 28-ft. R/V Little Dipper has been sold. Little Dipper was a stout vessel that performed research in and around the Resurrection Bay/northern Gulf of Alaska area for the past 31 years. The proceeds from the sale of Little Dipper combined with some of the R/V Alpha Helix sale proceeds and Dean’s funds will be used to procure a new small research boat based out of Seward.

Activities and Accomplishments

Alaska Sea Grant has selected six research projects for funding during 2018–2020, with the majority of the work getting under way next month. The researchers will receive $1.3 million to study a diverse range of topics intended to help Alaskans understand, conserve and sustainably use the state’s rich marine and coastal resources.

Alaska Sea Grant marine advisory program agent Gabe Dunham assisted with "Fisheries and Legislative Process,” a UAF Bristol Bay Campus course taught each year by emeritus professor Mike Davis. Students met with 18 legislators, Governor Walker and Lieutenant Governor Mallott and commissioners.

As mentioned in the Message from the Dean, two CFOS graduate students came home with best student oral presentation awards at the 2018 Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS):

• Leah (Sloan) Zacher - King Crab zombification—can metabolites tell us how it happens? (Ph.D. candidate; advisor Sarah Hardy).

• Jacob Metzger - Aleutian Archipelago nearshore community variation following the loss of a keystone species (M.S. candidate; advisor Brenda Konar).

Two CFOS graduate students were honored for best research project presentations at the annual Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) scientific meeting:

• Casey Clark - Using trace elements in Pacific walrus teeth to track the impacts of petroleum production in the Alaskan Arctic (Ph.D. candidate; advisors Lara Horstmann and Nicole Misarti).

• Lauren Sutton - Functional diversity of epibenthic communities on the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea shelves (M.S. candidate; advisor Katrin Iken).

CFOS in the News

CFOS is one of fourteen partners of a new EU–funded project titled Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium (ARICE), whose mission is to improve capacities for Arctic marine research. R/V Sikuliaq is one of six ice-capable research vessels that will support outstanding science advancement in the Arctic.

Gov. Bill Walker’s remarks at the Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit in December, organized by Alaska Sea Grant, were covered by Fishermen's News.

Seward City News featured a short article about R/V Sikuliaq, which was written while the ship was in her homeport of Seward last July.

Alaska Sea Grant’s research awards were mentioned in Seafoodnews.com and on Fairbanks television station Fox 4 at 9.

Alaska Sea Grant received two award mentions from columnist Laine Welch in her January 2 Fish Factor. “Best fish knowledge sharers: Alaska Sea Grant and its Marine Advisory agents” and “Most important fish study: Turning the Tide,” which offers hope and guidelines for Alaska’s next generation of commercial fishermen.

Publications

Bluhm, B.A., H. Hop, M. Vihtakari, R. Gradinger, K. Iken, I.A. Melnikov, and J.A. Søreide. 2018. Sea ice meiofauna distribution on local to pan-Arctic scales. Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3797.

Luoto, T. P., A.E.K. Ojala, L. Arppe, S.J. Brooks, E. Kurki, M. Oksman, M.J. Wooller, and M. Zajączkowski. 2018. Synchronized proxy-based temperature reconstructions reveal mid- to late Holocene climate oscillations in High Arctic Svalbard. Journal of Quaternary Science 33(1): 93–99. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3001.

Grant Awards for January 2018

New awards with official start dates in parentheses:

• Grant G-11877 "Port Valdez Environmental Studies 2018" - Arny Blanchard - Alyeska Pipeline Service Company - $50,282.00 (January 1, 2018)
• Grant G-11909 "Ocean Phoenix Fund: Juvenile cod research in Kodiak" - Michael Litzow - UA Foundation - $27,260.00 (January 1, 2018)
• Grant G-11928 "Ecosystem monitoring and detection of wind and ice-mediated changes through a year-round physical and biogeochemical mooring in the Northeast Chukchi Sea Years 4-5" - Seth Danielson - NPRB - $232,891.00 (December 1, 2017)

The following grant is controlled by another department (dollar amount is amount to CFOS researcher):

• Grant G-11568 "Ocean circulation mapping to aid monitoring programs for HAB and marine invasive transport in south-central Alaska" - Mark Johnson (UAA Lead) - AK Department of Fish & Game - $47,236.00 (July 1, 2017)

The following grant received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11545 "CY2017 Navy-funded cruises on R/V Sikuliaq" - Doug Baird Jr. - Office of Naval Research - $989,499.00 (July 1, 2017)

Message from the Dean

As we transition from winter break and prepare for a busy spring semester, this is a time to reflect on the milestones we achieved the prior year and to establish key goals for our College this coming year. Accordingly, with input from the Dean’s Executive Committee (DEC) this week I transmitted the 2018 CFOS Key Goals and Priorities memorandum that specifies our near-term top priorities: these include new faculty hires, student recruiting and retention, development of online courses, and new interdisciplinary research initiatives. These priorities are part of the continued strategic implementation of the CFOS Decadal Plan, and provide a North Star to help guide our academic, research and administrative efforts for the current year.

In this regard, and as an update, the search for the President’s Professor in quantitative fisheries is under way, as is the search for seagoing faculty. And, we are about to launch the search for the next Director of Alaska Sea Grant. These new hires are essential to advance our mission in academics, research and public engagement for the benefit of Alaska.

Our ongoing effort to recruit and retain the best and brightest students has been bolstered with the recent hire of Kelly Walker. Kelly will dedicate half of her time to student recruiting and the remainder as the new CFOS facilities coordinator, replacing Pat Rivera who recently transitioned to IAB. Many at CFOS will know Kelly, who is one of our alumni (BS and MS) and recently worked as a technician with Franz Mueter and Brenda Norcross. Please join me in welcoming Kelly in her new capacity at CFOS.

In regard to supporting the development of new online courses, which will facilitate delivery of our new Master of Marine Studies degree and proposed STEM “Blue” MBA being developed with SOM, the Dean’s Office is offering on a limited basis new laptop computers to those faculty interested in developing a new online graduate course; modifications may also be made to faculty workload to further facilitate this effort. Please contact the Dean’s Office if you are interested in developing a new or existing graduate CFOS course to be delivered online in support of one of these degree programs.

As part of our emphasis on interdisciplinary research, this week a subgroup of the CFOS Research Working Group finalized a White Paper entitled Center for Sustainable Ocean Production and Prediction (C-SOPP). The vision of this Center is to address fundamental societal, economic and environmental needs associated with ocean stewardship and seafood security issues that increasingly face Alaska, the nation and the world. This forward-looking White Paper represents a first step to develop a full proposal for the anticipated call by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for new Science and Technology Centers (STC). While the NSF-STC proposal solicitation has yet to be announced, the UAF internal review process currently under way will ultimately allow up to three proposals to be submitted to NSF. Development of the C-SOPP document is the result of months of hard work by several individuals: Franz Mueter and Seth Danielson (co-leads), Eric Collins, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Andrew McDonnell, and Geoff Wheat.

A new CFOS Distinguished Lecture will be featured as part of our Fisheries and Ocean Sciences seminar series. The invited speaker will be an individual of renowned expertise in fisheries or ocean sciences, science policy, or science administration, and will deliver a science or policy lecture as well as a public seminar. The Dean’s Office welcomes recommendations for CFOS Distinguished Lecture speakers.

Next week, many of us will attend the Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) in Anchorage. As in prior years, this symposium will showcase much of our important work in academics, research and public engagement. This year we will have a CFOS booth, so please stop by to view all that we have to offer. A highlight of this year’s AMSS is the keynote presentation by the new Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and former Oceanographer of the Navy RDML (Ret.), Dr. Tim Gallaudet. I have the honor of being invited to meet with Dr. Gallaudet prior to AMSS and will use this opportunity to convey the many strengths and opportunities of our College. Our thanks to AOOS Director Molly McCammon for inviting Dr. Gallaudet to visit Alaska and participate in AMSS.

Last but not least, it is a pleasure to welcome back the current and new CFOS undergraduate and graduate students, and acknowledge our fall 2017 graduates. Your work is very important and CFOS faculty and staff are here to support you—we wish you great success going forward!

Fall 2017 degree recipients

Congratulations to the CFOS fall 2017 graduates:

Alina Fairbanks, B.A. Fisheries
Melissa Rhodes-Reese, B.S. Fisheries
Sarah Apsens, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Brenda Norcross
Stephanie Berkman, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Trent Sutton
Casey McConnell, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. P. Westley, Dr. M. McPhee
Kristin Neuneker, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Falke
Kelly Walker, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Brenda Norcross
Dean Courtney, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Milo Adkison
Thomas Farrugia, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Andrew Seitz
Jordan Watson, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Franz Mueter
Vincent Domena, M.S. Oceanography. Advisor: Dr. Ana Aguilar-Islas
Ying-Chih Fang, Ph.D. Oceanography. Advisor: Dr. Thomas Weingartner
Mark Nelson, M.S. Marine Biology. Advisor: Dr. Matthew Wooller
Ann Riddle-Berntsen, M.S. Marine Biology. Advisor: Dr. Tuula Hollmen

Fall 2017 new students

A warm welcome to the following new students:

Zane Chapman, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Franz Mueter
Courtney Hart, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Ginny Eckert
Donald Arthur, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Falke

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is undergoing repairs, maintenance and crew training in San Diego, California. The Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) installation is complete and the new unit has been tested; installation of a hydraulic fluid filter for the cranes and A-frame is under way, as is replacing hydraulic hoses with piping on both cranes; and the high-voltage circuit boards have been cleaned and torqued (connections tightened).

Sikuliaq will perform a Patch Test on the ship’s two multibeam systems (EM302 and EM710) and calibrate the EK-60 echo sounder in early February, and then transit to Newport, Oregon, to begin the 2018 field season.

Activities and Accomplishments

Marine advisory program agent Julie Matweyou co-instructed an Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA) drill conductor class in Kodiak to nine fishing industry participants, with AMSEA instructor Art Schultz.

Coastal resilience specialist Davin Holen facilitated a Fishermen’s Roundtable in Valdez, in collaboration with the Copper River Watershed Project; 20 participants represented diverse users—commercial, sport and subsistence fisheries. This process is based on a Fishermen’s Roundtable organized in Maine by lobster fishers, where the process lasted 10 years and led to changes in management and an emphasis on ocean acidification research.

Professor Quentin Fong gave talks at the Alaska Shellfish Growers Association annual meeting in Ketchikan on Risk Mitigation, Profit Maximizing and Farm Efficiencies, Making Your Balance Sheet Useful, and Pros and Cons of Different Types of Loans.

CFOS in the News

Seward Marine Center faculty member Alexei Pinchuk and colleagues are featured in an online article in Earth Times discussing research results on the effects of a colder Bering Sea on walleye pollock.

Alaska Fish Radio highlighted the findings of a multiyear study conducted by Fisheries assistant professor Courtney Carothers that aimed to gauge how Kodiak fishermen feel about privatizing the resource through things like catch shares and IFQs.

Publications

Ward, E. J., S. C. Anderson, A. O. Shelton, R. E. Brenner, M. D. Adkison, A. H. Beaudreau, J. T. Watson, J. C. Shriver, A. C. Haynie, and B. C. Williams. 2017. Effects of increased specialization on revenue of Alaskan salmon fishers over four decades. Journal of Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13058

Whitefield, C. R., A. C. M. Oliveira, and S. M. Hardy. 2017. Composition of phytodetrital food resources affects reproductive success in the deposit-feeding sea cucumber, Parastichopus californicus (Stimpson 1857). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 500:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2017.12.004

Yun, M. S., T. E. Whitledge, D. Stockwell, S. H. Son, J. H. Lee, J. W. Park, D. B. Lee, J. Park, and S. H. Lee. 2016. Primary production in the Chukchi Sea with potential effects of freshwater content. Biogeosciences 13:737–749. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-737-2016

Seigel, J. E., M. V. McPhee, and M. D. Adkison. 2017. Evidence that marine temperatures influence growth and maturation of Western Alaska Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 9(1): 441–456. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19425120.2017.1353563

Grant, W. S., J. Jasper, D. Bekkevold, and M. D. Adkison. 2017. Responsible genetic approach to stock restoration, sea ranching and stock enhancement of marine fishes and invertebrates. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 27(3): 615–649. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-017-9489-7

Adkison, M. D., and K. R. Criddle. 2017. Incorporating non-baseline characters into genetic mixture analyses. Fisheries Research 193:217–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2017.04.016

Ward, E. J., M. D. Adkison, J. Couture, S. C. Dressel, M. A. Litzow, S. Moffitt, T. H. Neher, J. Trochta, and R. Brener. 2017. Evaluating signals of oil spill impacts, climate, and species interactions in Pacific herring and Pacific salmon populations in Prince William Sound and Copper River, Alaska. PLOS ONE 12(3): e0172898. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172898

Sewall, F., B. Norcross, J. Mathis, G. Kruse, F. Mueter, and R. Heintz. 2017. Comparisons of empirically-based models of oceanographic and trophic influences on Pacific herring recruitment in Prince William Sound. Fisheries Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.07.004

Sme, N., S. Lyon, M. Canino, N. Chernova, J. O’Bryhim, S. Lance, K. Jones, F. Mueter, and A. Gharrett. 2017. Identification of saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) and its distinction from several other gadid species by microsatellite differences. Fishery Bulletin 116(1): 60–68. https://doi.org/10.7755/FB.116.1.6

Van Pelt, T. I., H. P. Huntington, O. V. Romanenko, and F. J. Mueter. 2017. The missing middle: Central Arctic Ocean gaps in fishery research and science coordination. Marine Policy 85:79–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.08.008

Ruesink, J., J. J. Stachowicz, P. Reynolds, C. Boström, M. Cusson, J. Douglass, J. Eklöf, A. Engelen, M. Hori, K. Hovel, K. Iken, P. O. Moksnes, M. Nakaoka, M. O'Connor, J. Olsen, E. Sotka, M. Whalen, and E. Duffy. 2017. Form-function relationships in a marine foundation species depend on scale: a shoot to global perspective from a distributed ecological experiment. Oikos. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.04270.

Blanchard, A. L., R. H. Day, A. E. Gall, L. A. M. Aerts, J. Delarue, E. L. Dobbins, R. R. Hopcroft, J. M. Questel, T. J. Weingartner, and S. S. Wisdom. 2017. Ecosystem variability in the offshore northeastern Chukchi Sea. Progress in Oceanography 159:130–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2017.08.008

Blanchard, A. L., H. M. Feder, M. K. Hoberg, and A. L. Knowlton. 2017. Abiotic/biological interactions in coastal marine communities: Insights from an Alaskan fjord. Estuaries and Coasts 40(5): 1398–1417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0230-5.

Message from the Dean

On this last day of the UAF soft closure over winter break, I would like to wish everyone a warm welcome back from what was hopefully a relaxing and enjoyable holiday season spent with family and friends. Happy New Year CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is undergoing repairs, maintenance, and crew training in San Diego, California. The testing of the new Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) is set to begin in the next week. New non-skid is being applied to the weather decks and other repairs scheduled for January include installing a hydraulic fluid filter for the cranes and A-frame, replacing some hydraulic hoses with piping, and cleaning the high-voltage circuit boards.

The USCG District 17 Commander, RADM Michael F. McAllister, sent a complimentary letter to Sikuliaq—in appreciation for “best nautical tradition – mariners helping mariners in distress at sea.” Sikuliaq assisted in searching for two lost boaters in June in the Bering Strait near Wales, Alaska.

Publications

Hadden, J. T., N. J. Smith, and T. M. Sutton. 2018. Effects of transmitter application procedures on growth, survival, and tag retention of juvenile least cisco Coregonus sardinella. Fisheries Research 199:196–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2017.11.007

Grant Awards for December 2017

• Grant G-11834 "Data Interpretation and Writing Assistance FY18" - Lara Horstmann - AK Department of Fish & Game - $37,643 (start date July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11880 "Movements and Habitat Use of Pacific Arctic Seals and Whales via Satellite Tracking and Ocean Sensing" - Stephen Okkonen - AK Department of Fish & Game - $19,789 (start date July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11887 "Northern Gulf of Alaska Marine Ecosystem Monitoring" - Seth Danielson – M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust - $398,000 (start date November 16, 2017)

Message from the Dean

As we close out 2017 and look forward to the New Year, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the students, staff, and faculty for the good work you do as part of CFOS. This is a time to reflect on your collective effort and how your work benefits the State of Alaska and the nation.

We accomplished many important goals together this year to help advance our College and UAF. In particular, in February I issued a memorandum outlining the 2017 CFOS key goals and priorities to “…further strengthen internal and external communications and increase philanthropic giving in support of our academic and research activities.” In this regard, we published the CFOS Decadal Plan, inaugural CFOS Annual Report, R/V Sikuliaq CECSOP document, disseminated numerous scientific communications, and we increased philanthropic giving to CFOS by roughly 40% over the prior year, totaling $1.1M.

Also notable was our engagement with a Visiting Expert Committee to assess the health and needs of CFOS (the VEC’s report is expected early in the New Year). We successfully completed the Business Systems Review for R/V Sikuliaq and we initiated new faculty searches that will strengthen our mission in research, instruction, and service. These and many other accomplishments this past year would not have been realized without a lot of hard work—great job CFOS!

To add one very recent accomplishment, Chancellor White officially approved the Center for Salmon and Society. The overarching goal of this Center is to engage salmon-connected Alaskans in objective dialogue to advance the science-based management of one of Alaska’s most treasured natural resources—wild salmon. It has taken a lot of work over several years and by many individuals to create this Center, and it is important to acknowledge those individuals that were particularly focused on this successful effort: Milo Adkison, Courtney Carothers, Paula Cullenberg, Megan McPhee, Teresa Thompson and Peter Westley.

It is an honor to acknowledge two long-standing CFOS faculty who will retire at the end of this year: Professor Tom Weingartner and Professor Terry Quinn III. Tom is widely regarded for his outstanding contributions to understanding the physical oceanography of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas. Terry is a world-renowned scholar who is revered for his expertise in quantitative fisheries. Thank you both for a wonderful career and for your many important and lasting contributions to the former SFOS, now CFOS, UAF, and the State of Alaska—all the best going forward!

This is also a time to express our appreciation to the Captain, crew and shoreside staff that work tirelessly to ensure the efficient and effective operation of R/V Sikuliaq. I am very pleased to convey that Doug Baird has accepted the position as Marine Superintendent and SMC Director. And, we also welcome Marcel Beaudin as our new Port Engineer. Congratulations Doug and Marcel. This is great news in regard to our important UAF and national responsibility as operator of R/V Sikuliaq.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year, CFOS!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is undergoing repairs, maintenance, and crew training in San Diego, California. The Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) was replaced and will be tested in early January. The fire bricks were replaced in the incinerator, and non-skid is being applied to the weather decks. Other repairs scheduled for January include installing a hydraulic fluid filter for the cranes and A-Frame, replacing some hydraulic hoses with piping, and cleaning the high-voltage circuit boards. Sikuliaq will perform a Patch Test on the ship’s multibeam echo sounder bathymetric mapping systems and calibrate the EK-60 echo sounder in early February. We expect the transit to Newport, Oregon, to begin the 2018 field season.

Activities and Accomplishments

The CFOS 2017 Annual Report is complete. Kudos to Lauren Frisch for producing this inaugural report.

CFOS Ph.D. student Maggie Chan, Alaska Sea Grant’s 2018 Knauss Fellow, has taken a staff position in Washington, D.C., on the congressional Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Majority), Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

Alaska Sea Grant community resilience specialist Davin Holen helped facilitate 12 sessions of the Sustainability and Resilience track at the Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management in Anchorage in November.

Alaska Sea Grant seafood quality specialist Chris Sannito recently assisted a dozen processors and food product entrepreneurs, providing expertise on a variety of seafood processing techniques, seafood business opportunities, seafood wastewater energy recovery, and registering with the Food and Drug Administration.

Marine Advisory agent Gary Freitag facilitated two workshops to Ketchikan Girl Scouts on seaweeds for the Women of Science STEM Day.

CFOS in the News

The Alaska Young Fishermen's Summit drew dozens of fishing industry newcomers to Anchorage in early December, eager to learn how to run a successful commercial fishing operation. Joining them were Gov. Bill Walker, Lt. Governor Byron Mallott, bankers and loan officers, state officials and industry veterans. U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan sent video greetings. Alaska Sea Grant sponsored the event, the seventh since the summit began in 2007. With 85 participants it was the largest group ever to attend. About half of the attendees were women. The Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit was covered by the Anchorage Daily News, KTUU, KTVA, The Cordova Times, Bristol Bay Times, Arctic Sounder and Juneau Empire.

A panel of stakeholders, experts and legislators gathered for a forum in Kenai on December 14 to open a broad conversation on state law regarding salmon habitat. The forum was organized by the Center for Salmon and Society, Salmon Connect, and United Fishermen of Alaska’s Salmon Habitat Information Program. The purpose of the forum was to bring diverse salmon stakeholders together to discuss their issues and goals relating to Alaska salmon habitat.

The CFOS-led Turning the Tide report made the news in the Anchorage Daily News, Kodiak Daily Mirror, KINY, KMXT-FM, The Cordova Times, Sitnews and Fishermen’s News. The public radio station in Haines, KHNS, interviewed local fishermen and the study's lead author, Associate Prof. Courtney Carothers, and put the story into a statewide context. Read or listen to the story here. The Turning the Tide report was coauthored by Alaska Sea Grant director Paula Cullenberg and Rachel Donkersloot, Ph.D., with the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, with research assistance from UAF graduate student Jesse Coleman and UAF fisheries research associate Danielle Ringer.

A recently published article in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society regarding the high-latitude heat wave of 2016 and its impacts on Alaska (also referenced below in Publications) was highlighted at the AGU Annual Meeting in New Orleans recently. The paper was also referenced in a recent New York Times article entitled How Global Warming Fueled Five Extreme Fire Events.

A public notice by Alaska Sea Grant about saxitoxin showing up in four walruses in the Bering Strait region generated stories in Arctic Today and KNOM. The KNOM story was republished in the Anchorage Daily News. Over several months 39 walruses washed ashore coinciding with a massive seabird die-off. Alaska Sea Grant’s Gay Sheffield worked with tribes and agencies to provide clues as to what caused the events.

Marine Advisory agent Gay Sheffield hosted the scientists’ Strait Science talk on the 2017 trawl survey in the northern Bering Sea and coordinated interviews with KNOM Radio and Nome Nugget.

Publications

Walsh, J. E., R. L. Thoman, U. S. Bhatt, P. A. Bieniek, B. Brettschneider, M. Brubaker, S. Danielson, R. Lader, F. Fetterer, K. Holdereid, K. Iken, A. Mahoney, M. McCammon, and J. Partain. 2017. The high latitude heat wave of 2016 and its impacts on Alaska. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society DOI: Online article link PDF link to article

Traiger, S. B., and B. Konar. 2017. Supply and survival: glacial melt imposes limitations at the kelp microscopic life stage. Botanica Marina 60(6): 603–617. https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2017-0039

Breslow, S., M. Allen, D. Holstein, B. Sojka, R. Barnea, X. Basurto, C. Carothers, S. Charnley, S. Coulthard, N. Dolšak, J. Donatuto, C. García-Quijano, C. C. Hicks, A. Levine, M. B. Mascia, K. Norman, M. Poe, T. Satterfield, K. St. Martin, and P. S. Levin. Evaluating indicators of human well-being for ecosystem-based management. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability https://doi.org/10.1080/20964129.2017.1411767

Message from the Dean

Last week, the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) held its annual meeting in Alexandria, VA. CFOS had a strong presence at the meeting with Interim Marine Superintendent Doug Baird, Marine Technician Ethan Roth and me in attendance. One of the topics discussed was the competition for the next institution to host the UNOLS Office, for which CFOS is one of nine institutions that has submitted a Letter of Intent. The full proposal is due March 16, 2018. The Sikuliaq Ship Committee is planning to prepare a proposal to host the UNOLS Office based at the Seward Marine Center. Discussions are under way at CFOS regarding staffing needs for the Office, which would support the entire national academic fleet and related marine research and education operations.

Along these lines, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recently issued a Dear Colleague Letter entitled Request for Information (RFI) on Midscale Research Infrastructure, with submissions due today at NSF. This RFI is one NSF’s Ten Big Ideas, and calls for investments in the range of $20M to $100M to support research and scientific breakthroughs through infrastructure investments that exceed the scope and cost of typical NSF infrastructure proposals. The CFOS Dean’s Office has responded with a submission entitled Mid-scale Infrastructure to Support Oceanographic Research in Navigating the New Arctic, which addresses yet another of NSF’s Ten Big Ideas: Navigating the New Arctic.

The proposed concept is to fully modernize the Seward Marine Center (SMC), including construction of a new pier, laboratory renovations and related facility improvements, with the total project cost estimated at $35M. The project would support current and future Arctic research needs and scientific advances, improve opportunities for interagency partnerships and international collaboration, and help guide policy decisions in a rapidly changing Arctic that impact the health and economy of the nation and international community. While funding for this effort has yet to be allocated, NSF plans to use the RFI to help formulate budgets and a future Request for Proposals. CFOS has a compelling case given the recent major NSF investments in Sikuliaq, two new LTERs and other research programs. Also important is the strategic location of Seward as the northernmost deepwater, ice-free port in the nation, and hence a key Arctic gateway.

Following the UNOLS meeting, I was joined by Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL) President and CEO RADM (Ret.) Jon White and Senior Specialist for Communications and Policy Allison Hays in meetings with each of Alaska’s congressional delegation. Discussions focused on federal agency budgets and policies related to fisheries and ocean sciences research and education, and in this regard CFOS’s strengths and opportunities. We are fortunate to have such strong congressional leadership that is aligned with CFOS’s mission to provide research, education and outreach in fisheries and ocean sciences for the benefit of the State of Alaska and the nation. Senator Sullivan in particular conveyed his goal to bring additional resources for fisheries and ocean sciences research to Alaska, including ports and shoreside infrastructure such as conveyed in the CFOS RFI submission to NSF. We also received positive assurances that the entire delegation is aware of, and not inclined to support, the provision in the highly discussed tax reform bill (H.R.1) that calls for taxation of graduate student tuition waivers. As the House and Senate work to reconcile differences in their two versions of the bill, CFOS and COL will continue to elevate this issue as a priority concern with our Alaska delegation and the congressional conference committee.

While visiting COL, it was a pleasant coincidence to meet associate professor Courtney Carothers as she was about to present her work on community researcher relationships in Utqiagvik as part of an Arctic Research Researchers Seminar sponsored by ARCUS (also noted below). While I was unable to attend, by all accounts her lecture was very well received.

Today, members of the Alaska State Legislature visited Fairbanks to learn more about the economic benefits of the federal and state-funded research programs at the university. I presented a summary of the many ways the research, education and public engagement programs and resources at CFOS benefit Alaska’s public, Native communities, and state and federal agencies and councils. In particular, I highlighted our work in fisheries, mariculture and ocean observing, as well as the approximately eightfold return on investment of the FY17 $6.4M state appropriation to CFOS that generated roughly $54M in annual expenditures and related economic benefit within the state. As with the meetings with our federal delegation, this discussion provided an important opportunity to convey the broader value of our work in helping grow Alaska’s blue economy.

The inaugural CFOS Annual Report is printed, ready for distribution, and will soon be posted on the CFOS website. It is a pleasure to acknowledge PIO Lauren Frisch for leading the production of this report as well as those individuals who contributed to this informative and sharp-looking document. Well done!

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is undergoing repairs, maintenance, and crew training in San Diego, California. Two of the ongoing larger repair items are replacing the Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) and replacing the fire bricks in the incinerator. The previous MSD only worked in calm waters, so replacement was deemed necessary to keep things flowing. As previously reported, Sikuliaq will remain in San Diego in the next couple of months. In early February, Sikuliaq will begin the 2018 field season with three projects off the Oregon coast and then return to homeport to start eight projects in Alaskan waters.

R/V Sikuliaq researchers presented their 2018 arctic funded projects to the Arctic Waterways Safety Committee and the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission this week in Anchorage. These researchers included Carin Ashjian from WHOI, Russ Hopcroft from CFOS/UAF, and Craig Lee from University of Washington. In addition, Laurie Juranek from Oregon State University presented her preliminary results from prior cruises on Sikuliaq and Brenda Konar gave an update on Sikuliaq's Community and Environmental Compliance Standard Operating Procedures. All presentations were very well received by both groups. Also in attendance from CFOS were Sikuliaq Science Liaison Lauren Frisch and Interim Marine Superintendent Doug Baird.

Activities and Accomplishments

On November 30, CFOS Associate Professor of Fisheries Courtney Carothers and Purdue University Associate Professor of Anthropology Laura Zanotti gave a presentation at the ARCUS Arctic Research Seminar Series in Washington, D.C. where leading Arctic researchers and community leaders are invited to share the latest findings in Arctic research and what they mean for decision-making. The presentation was entitled, “In a Climate of Change: Co-producing Knowledge and Community-Researcher Relationships in the Leadership and Strength Project in Utqiagvik, Alaska.” The video recording of the talk will be useful for researchers working with Indigenous communities and anyone interested in the topic of knowledge co-production. More information of the Leadership and Strength project is available on their website.

Marine Advisory Program Agent Gabe Dunham hosted a month-long, weekly series of brown bag lunch talks on state politics, the budget and how they affect life in Bristol Bay. The Dillingham series featured state legislators, representatives of local and regional governments, education leaders, law enforcement officials, court representatives and natural resource managers.

Alaska Sea Grant’s Gay Sheffield provided helpful regional subsistence and other information for the new National Marine Fisheries Service publication Arctic Marine Mammal Disaster Response Guidelines. The purpose is to increase preparedness in communities and by agencies, as directed under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

CFOS in the News

A UAF news story by CFOS PIO Lauren Frisch reported that a research team led by CFOS will be able to continuously measure ocean conditions in the productive Gulf of Alaska ecosystem thanks to major support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, matching funds from the Alaska Ocean Observing System and additional support from UAF, the National Science Foundation, the North Pacific Research Board and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council.

A new report entitled “ Turning the Tide: A review of programs and policies to address access challenges in Alaska’s Fisheries,” was created by a research team at CFOS, Alaska Sea Grant, and Alaska Marine Conservation Council. As reported in online journal Phys.org, the document identifies ways to rejuvenate Alaska’s commercial fishing fleet. The report is based on a global review of access to commercial fisheries.

A Scientific American article on Alaska coastal communities affected by erosion due to lack of sea ice cited work by Alaska Sea Grant–funded investigator Jacquelyn Overbeck of the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys.

The Cordova Times and SeafoodNews.com published a story on Alaska Sea Grant’s Alaska King Crab Research, Rehabilitation and Biology program, co-directed by CFOS Fisheries Professor Ginny Eckert. The project is close to moving from research to production of red king crab.

Publications

Heintzman, P.D., G.D. Zazula, R.D.E. MacPhee, E. Scott, J.A. Cahill, B.K. McHorse, J.D. Kapp, M. Stiller, M.J. Wooller, L. Orlando, J. Southon, D.G. Froese and B. Shapiro. 2017. A new genus of horse from Pleistocene North America. eLife 6:e29944. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.29944

Grant Awards for November 2017

New awards (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-11819 "Development of Age Determination Models for Crabs in Alaska" - Gordon Kruse - UA Foundation - $24,750 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11846 "Collaborative Research: Effects of Changing Temperature on the Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem" - Mike Litzow - NSF - $55,229 (UAF start date August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11851 "Participation as a Member of the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Sustainable Salmon Initiative's Independent Review Panel to Review Run Reconstruction and Spawner-Recruit Models for Chinook salmon in the Kuskokwim River" - Milo Adkison - Bering Sea Fishermen's Association - $20,312 (September 1, 2016)

The following grant is within another department (amount to CFOS researcher below):

• Grant G-11830 "UAF Technical Support at Amchitka Island Underground Nuclear Test Sites" - Seth Danielson (co-PI) - State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation - $18,850 (July 1, 2017)

The following grant received incremental funding:

• Grant G-10583 "Flow and Turbulence in the wakes of abrupt topography" - Harper Simmons - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - Mod 3 - $80,490

Message from the Dean

As we usher in the winter holiday season, it is a pleasure to wish everyone a safe and restful Thanksgiving with friends and family. We are an important part of the university community and have much to be thankful for. We have dedicated and hardworking staff that support the mission of the College. Our students, researchers and faculty continue to improve our understanding of diverse aquatic ecosystems and resources for the benefit of the state and nation. And our Captain, crew and shoreside staff operate an outstanding research vessel.

This will be the last edition of C-Notes produced by Barb Hameister, who will soon retire from UAF. We owe Barb a big debt of gratitude for her outstanding ability to expertly prepare C-Notes. I am extremely thankful for Barb’s excellent work and wish her the very best going forward. Teresa Thompson will be taking the pen from Barb; going forward, please send your contributions to C-Notes to Teresa.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is undergoing repairs, maintenance, and crew training in San Diego, California. Sikuliaq will remain in San Diego and perform tests on the repaired gear and also perform a Patch Test on the ship’s multibeam echo sounder bathymetric mapping systems in the next couple of months. In early February, Sikuliaq will begin the 2018 field season with three projects off the Oregon coast and then return to homeport to start eight projects in Alaskan waters.

Activities and Accomplishments

Four representatives from UAF attended the annual Research Vessel Technical Enhancement Committee (RVTEC) meeting held by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) in Duluth, Minnesota. Steven Hartz (Sikuliaq Science Operations Manager), Ethan Roth (Sikuliaq Science Systems Engineer), John Haverlack (CFOS IT Manager), and Britton Anderson (UAF OIT Network Operations Manager) have been heavily involved in RVTEC for many years. All four made presentations at this year’s conference.

As a member of the UNOLS Satellite Network Advisory Group (SatNAG), John Haverlack has been tasked with working on several important areas including cybersecurity and a fleet-wide Internet policy. SatNAG is charged with assessment, definition of project scope, and development of common tools, resources, and solutions for the UNOLS fleet.

Investigators on the Alaska Sea Grant Graying of the Fleet project, Courtney Carothers, Danielle Ringer, Rachel Donkersloot, and Paula Cullenberg, produced six “Tip Tuesday” videos for fishermen, for weekly distribution via Facebook. The public service announcements share advice from seasoned fishermen and industry experts to help support young and new fishermen.

Gay Sheffield, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory agent in Nome, helped produce a one-page advisory for the public regarding biotoxins found in three dead stranded walruses as well as one harvested walrus in the Bering Strait region. The advisory resulted from moderate to high levels of biotoxins detected in the stomach contents and feces of four walruses in the Bering Strait region. The findings are of interest due to the large number of walruses that washed ashore as well as a concurrent die-off of seabirds in the same location. Alaska Sea Grant worked collaboratively with tribes, federal and state agencies, and others to provide clues as to what may have contributed to the stranding events.

Sunny Rice and other Marine Advisory agents created a new map section on the FishBiz website. The clickable map shows locations for species, gear, season, etc., for different Alaska fisheries. FishBiz provides financial and business tools for Alaska commercial seafood harvesters.

Amanda Blackburn is featured in the latest Student Spotlight on the CFOS homepage, part of a series of profiles highlighting CFOS students, faculty and staff on a rotating basis.

CFOS in the News

The Ocean Acidification Research Center’s collaborative research with the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish hatchery on the effects of ocean acidification on shellfish was highlighted on the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit website.

KMXT-FM (Kodiak) interviewed Mike Stekoll, who has a joint appointment with UAF and UAS, for a story about his seaweed research.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror and KMXT covered part one of the Alaska Seafood Leadership Institute, sponsored by Alaska Sea Grant, held at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center. Twenty participants from 10 seafood processors took part in the educational and training program, designed to create future industry leaders.

Results from a recent paper in Nature Geoscience by Andrew McDonnell and colleagues provided the focus for a story by KBBI-FM (Homer) on the ocean’s role in storing carbon.

KMXT-FM aired an 18-minute interview with Alaska Sea Grant’s Julie Matweyou and Sunny Rice, Marine Advisory agents in Kodiak and Petersburg, about next month’s Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit in Anchorage, hosted by ASG. The Anchorage Daily News and Sitnews also ran a column by Laine Welch about the summit. The Cordova Times published a story that was also picked up by Seafoodnews.com.

Several CFOS faculty provided input for a news story in the Nome Nugget about the possible role of toxic algae in a recent seabird die-off. Gay Sheffield, Seth Danielson, and Dean Stockwell were quoted in the story.

Alaska Business Monthly published a story about Alaska Sea Grant receiving some $400,000 in a grant from the National Sea Grant College Program. The funds will go toward three aquaculture-related research projects. Juneau commercial radio station KINY did a story as did Ketchikan’s public radio station, KRBD-FM.

Message from the Dean

This week, Alaska Sea Grant held its annual Advisory Committee meeting, which included updates from National Sea Grant Director Dr. Jon Pennock and Program Officer Dr. Joshua Brown. A second day of meetings included an all-hands gathering of the Marine Advisory Program faculty and staff, who discussed their collective work and future priorities. It was informative to learn about the variety of activities and future directions of the primary outreach arm of CFOS. Chancellor White was able to briefly attend and share his perspective on the value of Alaska Sea Grant and its important partnership with UAF/CFOS in support of Alaska’s coastal communities and maritime workforce.

After many years of dedicated service to Alaska Sea Grant and to the State of Alaska, Paula Cullenberg has announced that she will step down as Director of Alaska Sea Grant and retire from UAF, effective at the end of March 2018. And, longtime MAP faculty Terry Johnson will retire at the end of calendar year 2017. We thank Paula and Terry for their service and wish them the very best going forward.

On the academic front, the proposed STEM-MBA degree is being shepherded by the School of Management (SOM) through the Faculty Senate—many thanks to SOM Dean Mark Herrmann and Associate Dean Kevin Berry for their efforts in this regard. Building on the STEM-MBA, CFOS is in the initial stages of developing a “Blue MBA” degree program that is designed for individuals with a science and/or engineering background that are interested in pursuing a career in the business community. Why develop this degree? The accelerating environmental changes occurring throughout the Arctic and particularly in Alaska’s oceans, coasts and inland waters present significant challenges to a broad range of businesses. As such, there is a growing demand for leaders that possess the combined skills of business and science, particularly in fisheries and ocean/climate sciences, to profitably address these challenges. This new program, to be offered entirely online, will increase the scope of CFOS academic programs while providing a new source of revenue.

The CFOS Dean’s Office is working on a number of important faculty and staff searches that are in various stages of progress. Applications for the next Port Engineer have been reviewed and interviews will soon be under way. The Search Committee for the new Marine Superintendent and Director of the Seward Marine Center has reviewed candidate applications and is working to schedule interviews. The search for the President’s Professor of Quantitative Fisheries, led by search chair Gordon Kruse, will soon advertise the position. The Provost has signed the request-to-fill paperwork for up to five new tenure-track seagoing faculty positions at CFOS; Mark Johnson has agreed to chair this search, which we hope will commence early in the new year. And, Ginny Eckert has agreed to serve as interim Director of Alaska Sea Grant following Paula’s retirement as well as chair the search for the next Director, who we hope to have aboard in the first half of 2018.

CFOS administrative staff recently completed the Business Systems Review (BSR) for R/V Sikuliaq and submitted all required documentation to NSF. The BSR was conducted to ensure that the administrative business systems supporting Sikuliaq are in compliance with governing federal regulations and meet NSF’s expectations for stewardship of federal funds. NSF Program Director for Ship Operations, Rose Dufour, participated in a recent teleconference and voiced positive feedback regarding the submitted materials. A big thank you to Wendy Rupe, Jennifer Harris, Jennifer Elhard, Doug Baird, Ed DeCastro and the numerous participants across CFOS and UAF who contributed to this important task.

Last, the inaugural CFOS Annual Report being developed by Lauren Frisch is in the final stages of completion. We expect to have the final version ready for distribution before the Christmas break.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq recently completed the Allied Munitions Detection Underwater (ALMOND-U) project in southern California for the US Navy and has commenced winter in-port repairs, maintenance, and crew training in San Diego.

Sikuliaq will remain in San Diego for several months and during this time tests will be performed on the repaired gear. Also a Patch Test will be performed on the ship’s multibeam echo sounder bathymetric mapping systems. In early February, Sikuliaq begins the 2018 field season with three projects off the Oregon coast, and then returns to homeport to start eight projects in Alaskan waters.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ph.D. student Casey Clark was awarded both the Frederic Fairfield Memorial Award for innovative research techniques and the audience favorite award at the 22nd Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in Halifax, Canada. Casey gave an oral presentation on his trace element work on walrus teeth. His advisors are Lara Horstmann and Nicole ;Misarti.

Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory faculty Quentin Fong, Terry Johnson, Gabe Dunham and Chris Sannito taught a 6-session distance delivery class—Starting and Operating a Direct Seafood Marketing Business—to 20 enrolled fishermen who are looking to expand their Alaska businesses.

CFOS faculty members Anne Beaudreau and Franz Mueter and Master’s students Matt Callahan and Rhea Ehresmann were among the UAF presenters at a “Sablefish Summit” research coordination meeting held in Juneau. Representatives from NOAA and ADF&G, many of whom are CFOS fisheries alumni, also participated in the summit.

Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow Danielle Meeker is helping to develop the new climate change strategy for the state, at the office of Lt. Governor Byron Mallott where she has a position.

An underwater robot with a custom-built arm is a useful tool in seaweed farming, an emerging industry in Alaska. Alaska Sea Grant’s Gary Freitag modified the seaweed-plucking arm to help our state’s aquaculture industry expand its reach.

Ph.D. student Lauren Wild was interviewed for a story about SEASWAP (Southeast Alaska Sperm Whale Avoidance Project) that appeared in The Economist. SEASWAP began in 2003 as a collaborative effort between scientists, fishermen, and managers to better understand sperm whale depredation of commercial longline fishing gear in the Gulf of Alaska, with a goal to minimize these interactions.

Alaska Sea Grant’s Marine Advisory agents Gay Sheffield and Melissa Good contributed data to the September 2017 USFWS update on the dead seabird event in western Alaska, and alerted the public.

Natalie Monacci participated in Cordova’s Ocean Acidification and Alaska Fisheries Roundtable, hosted by the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network and the Prince William Sound Science Center. Natalie was also a guest lecturer for the physical science classes at Cordova Jr./Sr. High School to teach students about chemical oceanography.

Publications

Glass, J.R. and G.H. Kruse. 2017. Spatiotemporal variability of benthic communities on weathervane scallop beds off Alaska. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 9:521–534. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19425120.2017.1370041

Whitney, E.J. , A.H. Beaudreau and D.H. Duncan. 2017. Spatial and temporal variation in the diets of Pacific staghorn sculpins related to hydrological factors in a glacially influenced estuary. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146(6):1156–1167. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2017.1341852

Eisner, L.B., A.I. Pinchuk, D.G. Kimmel, K.L. Mier, C.E. Harpold and E.C. Siddon. 2017. Seasonal, interannual, and spatial patterns of community composition over the eastern Bering Sea shelf in cold years. Part I: zooplankton. ICES Journal of Marine Science .

Tempestini, A., L. Fortier, A. Pinchuk and F. Dufresne. 2017. Molecular phylogeny of the genus Themisto (Guérin, 1925) (Amphipoda: Hyperiidae) in the Northern Hemisphere. Journal of Crustacean Biology.

CFOS in the News

A UAF news release by PIO Lauren Frisch highlighted the new Master of Marine Studies program. The non-thesis program will prepare students for science-based management jobs by providing a background in scientific processes.

Pacific Fishing Magazine published a feature story on alumni of Alaska Sea Grant’s Alaska Young Fishermen’s Summit, written by Paula Dobbyn. The 7th summit will be held in Anchorage December 6–8, 2017.

An AOOS news story on the Chukchi Ecosystem Observatory was noted in the Consortium for Ocean Leadership’s Ocean News Weekly. CFOS faculty Seth Danielson, Russ Hopcroft, Andrew McDonnell and Peter Winsor are among the investigators involved in the multi-institutional partnership that operates and maintains a subsurface moored observatory on the northeast Chukchi shelf.

Alaska Sea Grant’s publication Seaweed Farming in Alaska was mentioned in Laine Welch’s Fish Factor article about Alaska’s potential to grow seaweeds for biofuel and other uses, in the Alaska Dispatch News, Cordova Times and Alaska Journal of Commerce.

Alaska Sea Grant’s announcement on three new aquaculture grants to OceansAlaska, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, and the Pacific Shellfish Institute was highlighted by KRBD Radio in Ketchikan, and appeared in Seafood News.

Grant Awards for October 2017

New awards (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-11779 “Salmon Life History, Diversity - Life history diversity and productivity: the effect of freshwater growth, seaweed migration, and marine survival of Sockeye salmon” - Peter Westley - UA Foundation - $5,000 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11783 “Bowhead Whale Sampling and Education” - Gay Sheffield - North Slope Borough - $11,193 (August 26, 2017)
• Grant G-11788 “Cleaver Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship” - Paula Cullenberg - North Pacific Fishery Management Council - $24,150 (October 23, 2017)
• Grant G-11801 “Adapt Alaska: Resilient Communities Across Alaska” - Davin Holen - US Fish & Wildlife Service - $97,537 (September 1, 2017)

The following grant was opened on assumption:

• Grant G-11778 “FY18 Support for Marine Scientist Hollmen” - Tuula Hollmen - AK Sea Life Center (October 1, 2017)

The following grants received incremental funding:

• Grant G-11133 “Chukchi Sea Ecosystem Mooring” - Seth Danielson - AOOS - $100,000
• Grant G-11157 “Seward Line Monitoring” - Russell Hopcroft - AOOS - $100,000
• Grant G-11158 “HFR Operations and Maintenance” - Tom Weingartner - AOOS - $156,000
• Grant G-11299 “An arctic marine mammal observing system” - Peter Winsor - AOOS - $40,000

Message from the Dean

Last week, Provost Henrichs indicated her approval to undertake a “block” hire of up to 5 tenure-track sea-going faculty in support of our mission in fisheries and ocean sciences, with a staggered approach to commence immediately with two searches followed by additional searches beginning in FY19. This approval is contingent on CFOS having the fiscal resources to fund these positions.

This request is part of a broader vision to elevate CFOS and its UAF partners to the next level by building on recent and future investments, programs and assets within the College: a prestigious President’s Professorship in Quantitative Fisheries, a pending NOAA QUEST faculty position in fisheries (a first for Alaska), two pending EPSCoR faculty hires allocated to CFOS (one each in fisheries and oceanography), two new LTER programs (one as lead), R/V Sikuliaq and the Seward Marine Center, and our goal to bring the UNOLS Office to UAF.

Taken together, these investments will help fortify CFOS and its UAF partners as a leader in high-latitude aquatic systems science, Arctic change, and the impacts of rapidly changing aquatic ecosystems on society and human health, including Alaska Native communities. This initiative will increase the ability of CFOS to recruit top-tier students and deliver outstanding academic programs, including the new joint undergraduate program and the Blue MBA (online) being developed with SOM. And, this effort will help build the knowledge base and provide resources to grow Alaska’s blue economy – an objective recently communicated by Governor Walker.

This week, I met with officials from NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences and Office of Polar Programs to discuss NORTHPASS: a white paper science proposal being developed by the CFOS Research Working Group that would bring R/V Sikuliaq through the Northwest Passage. Overall, these meetings were encouraging and further bolstered during a discussion with Dr. William Easterling, Assistant Director of NSF Geosciences, who indicated this white paper is very much in line with one of NSF’s Ten Big Ideas: Navigating the New Arctic.

The NORTHPASS initiative is being led by Peter Winsor in collaboration with Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Andrew McDonnell, Franz Mueter, Alexei Pinchuk and Claudine Hauri. The next steps are to develop a full proposal for submission in 2018 and to work closely with NSF, UNOLS and other partners to plan for an optimal field campaign. If successful, Sikuliaq would be the first UNOLS vessel to navigate the Northwest Passage – a historic scientific voyage.

These recent developments serve as yet another positive reminder of our dynamic and creative organization, and what the future holds as we carry out our important mission in research, teaching and service for the benefit of Alaska and the nation.

Finally, it is a pleasure to welcome Heather Leavengood, who will begin her appointment as Assistant to the Dean on Monday, October 30. Heather previously worked in various capacities at UAF and we look forward to her joining the CFOS Dean’s Office.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently working off the southern California coast on Dr. Jesse Angle’s Allied Munitions Detection Underwater (ALMOND-U) project. The US Navy project is scheduled to be completed on Wednesday, November 8 when Sikuliaq returns to San Diego, California to off-load Dr. Angle’s equipment and begin winter in-port repairs and maintenance.

Last week while moored alongside the NOAA facility in Newport, Oregon, Sikuliaq hosted 20 high school students from Toledo High (Toledo, Oregon) for a tour of the ship and insight into the variety of science missions Sikuliaq performs. By all accounts, the students had a very enjoyable and informative tour—but the best reviews were of the snacks provided by the galley crew.

Activities and Accomplishments

Ethan Roth, R/V Sikuliaq Shipboard Instrumentation Engineer, has been appointed to the UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee.

As part of her work with Arctic SEARCH, Courtney Carothers participated in a U.S. Senate briefing to the Oceans and Arctic caucuses on Arctic environmental change.

Alaska Sea Grant’s Nome-based Marine Advisory agent Gay Sheffield spent an hour this month on a live call-in show on KNOM-FM fielding questions about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision not to list the Pacific walrus under the Endangered Species Act, her work with marine mammals and seabirds, and other topics. The audio and a transcript are on Alaska Sea Grant’s blog.

CFOS professor Megan McPhee participated in an expert panel as part of a public forum hosted by Trout Unlimited to discuss possible causes for declining Chinook salmon populations around the state. In addition to answering questions, she presented a summary of recent and ongoing CFOS work on Chinook salmon including contributions from the research groups (postdocs and students) of Mark Wipfli, Trent Sutton, Milo Adkison, Andy Seitz, and Peter Westley, as well as her own group.

ASG-funded investigator Heidi Pearson, a UAS professor with a joint appointment at CFOS, produced a video highlighting her work on “Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Whale Watching in Juneau, Alaska.”

CFOS fisheries professor Terry Johnson, a Marine Advisory agent with ASG, wrote a four-part blog series about a recent adventure at sea aboard the research vessel Tiglax in the Gulf of Alaska.

Staff research analyst and Ph.D. oceanography student Hank Statscewich wrote a couple of stories for Codar Currents newsletter.

Publications

Johnson, J.L., L. Zanotti, Z. Ma, D.J. Yu, D.R. Johnson, A. Kirkham and C. Carothers. In press. Interplays of sustainability, resilience, adaptation and transformation. In W. Leal Filho, R.W. Marans and J. Callewaert (eds.), Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science Research. Berlin, Germany: Springer. 485 pp. To be published in January 2018.

CFOS in the News

A UAF news story by CFOS PIO Lauren Frisch highlighted the standard operating procedures now in place for Sikuliaq that guide interactions between the ship and Alaska Native hunters in waters off Alaska.

Another UAF story by Lauren reported on five new sensors that will continuously monitor ocean acidification conditions in Kachemak Bay. Amanda Kelley leads the research team that installed and will monitor the sensors.

A third UAF story focused on recent work by CFOS professor Andrew McDonnell and colleagues that employed high-resolution underwater cameras to help track ocean carbon and nutrients.

Seafoodnews.com and KMXT ran stories on Alaska Sea Grant’s recent smoked seafood school at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center. The school was also mentioned in The Cordova Times.

ASG’s coastal community resilience specialist Davin Holen was interviewed for a KBBI-FM (Homer) story that looked at a new tool to help first responders of Cook Inlet oil spills take into account subsistence uses of natural resources in a spill zone.

Haiki Magazine featured Gary Freitag’s work helping oyster farmers in California and Washington obtain oyster seed from Alaska. The two West Coast states are experiencing trouble growing oysters due to ocean acidification. Freitag, an associate professor at CFOS, is ASG’s Marine Advisory agent in Ketchikan.

Laine Welch’s Fish Factor column featured work by biochemistry professor Mike Stekoll, who has a joint appointment with CFOS and UAS, to develop seaweed as a biofuel by determining the most cost-effective ways to grow, harvest and transport large amounts of sugar kelp in Alaska. The project, funded by U.S. Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, builds on earlier research by Stekoll that was sponsored by Alaska Sea Grant.

Message from the Dean

This week, Chancellor White and I met to discuss some of the key challenges facing CFOS. As with every other UAF unit, CFOS faces many challenges and these are largely driven by the recent decline in the state budget. To this end and with your hard work, the College has responded with a structural reorganization that saves roughly $250K in administrative costs annually, and by developing a CFOS Decadal Plan that outlines our priorities in research, education, and public outreach. While we are in a good position compared to many other units, we need to continue to be strategic and work together and across UAF as we chart our future course.

A critical priority for the College is to immediately start rebuilding our faculty. This is necessary because between the end of FY17 and FY18 CFOS has/will retire 5 tenured faculty; in fact, in just the past 3 years (since 2014) CFOS has lost 12 tenured and 8 research faculty, roughly one-third of total faculty, and hired only 3 tenure-track faculty (one being a President’s Professor). The sharp reduction in CFOS faculty is manifest in many ways but perhaps most seriously in the recent decline in ICR; this path is not financially sustainable for the College. We must hire additional faculty to support our mission of research, teaching and public service for the benefit of Alaska.

Why is this important to UAF? First, investing in new CFOS faculty is consistent with the mutual goal of the Chancellor and President to increase academic enrollment and research funding at UAF. Second, by many measures CFOS is unique and important to the future of UAF and Alaska; fisheries is the largest private employer in Alaska and the rapid environmental changes occurring in our oceans, coasts and inland waters demand our attention to support the health, economy and prosperity of the state. Third, CFOS faculty create vital new knowledge regarding our aquatic resources and provide essential education, training and public service in fisheries and oceans sciences. Strategic investment in CFOS must be a priority to help make UAF the premier Arctic University in the nation and beyond.

Chancellor White will next meet with members of the CFOS Management Team and Dean’s Executive Committee, providing another opportunity to convey the importance of CFOS to UAF and Alaska. These issues will be outlined in further detail in the CFOS Visiting Expert Committee Report, which will be submitted in the coming weeks to the Chancellor and in turn to the Board of Regents.

At the end of the day this is a value proposition: new faculty hires are needed to recruit students and help deliver the new joint undergraduate program—and new faculty, particularly seagoing faculty, are essential to keep major research programs and facilities including the new Gulf of Alaska LTER program and R/V Sikuliaq at UAF.

Despite the headwinds, the current fiscal challenges will abate. Now is the time to work together and position CFOS and UAF for success well into the future.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently working off the Oregon coast in support of Dr. Jonathan Fram’s Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Endurance Array mooring project. The Oregon State University (OSU) project is scheduled to be completed on Tuesday, October 17, when Sikuliaq returns to Newport, Oregon, to off-load Dr. Fram’s equipment.

Sikuliaq will then transit to San Diego to prepare for Dr. Jesse Angle’s ALMOND-U (Allied Munitions Detection Underwater) cruise off the southern California coast in late October into early November.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS has submitted a Letter of Intent to compete to bring the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) office to the Seward Marine Center. The proposal submission is due in March 2018. The CFOS Sikuliaq Ship Committee is leading the proposal development effort. Individuals interested in assisting with crafting this proposal are welcome to contact the CFOS dean’s office. This is a bold effort and we are well positioned to compete to run UNOLS.

The CFOS Research Working Group is drafting a white paper to compete for a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center (STC) at UAF. This is one of the most competitive programs at NSF, and one that has never been awarded to UAF. While the NSF STC call for proposals has yet to be formally announced, discussions and partners are coming together at CFOS to compete in the internal UAF process that will ultimately allow for up to three proposals to be submitted to NSF.

In September Alaska Sea Grant’s Torie Baker and affiliate faculty Jerry Dzugan of the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association trained 13 fishermen and mariners in Sitka. AMSEA has trained over 1700 marine safety instructors nationwide since 1995, and Baker has been an AMSEA instructor since 2003.

At the Alaska Cross Content Conference in Fairbanks Sept. 29–Oct. 1, Marilyn Sigman helped train teachers on using Alaska Sea Grant’s Alaska Seas and Watersheds K–8 curriculum. About 400 statewide educators attended the conference for professional development.

Publications

Konar, B., L. Frisch and S.B. Moran. 2017. Development of best practices for scientific research vessel operations in a changing Arctic: A case study for R/V Sikuliaq. Marine Policy, 86:182–189. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.09.021

Fang, Y-C., R.A. Potter, H. Statscewich, T.J. Weingartner, P. Winsor and B.K. Irving. 2017. Surface current patterns in the northeastern Chukchi Sea and their response to wind forcing. Journal of Geophysical Research–Oceans. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2017JC013121

Kiko, R., A. Biastoch, P. Brandt, S. Cravatte, H. Hauss, R. Hummels, I. Kriest, F. Marin, A.M.P. McDonnell, A. Oschlies, M. Picheral, F.U. Schwarzkopf, A.M. Thurnherr and L. Stemmann. 2017. Biological and physical influences on marine snowfall at the equator. Nature Geoscience. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo3042

Wild, L., A. Thode, J. Straley, S. Rhoads, D. Falvey and J. Liddle. 2017. Field trials of an acoustic decoy to attract sperm whales away from commercial longline fishing vessels in the western Gulf of Alaska. Fisheries Research, 196:141–150. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2017.08.017

CFOS in the News

A UAF news release recounted the tale of Sikuliaq’s late August rescue of an errant research glider. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner picked up the story.

The News-Miner also ran a story about Mike Stekoll’s new grant funding for research on sugar kelp farming, based on a UAF news release by Paula Dobbyn.

A story on Smithsonian.com featured Professor Geoff Wheat’s collaborative research on methane bubbling up from lakes in Canada’s Mackenzie River Delta region.

A story about near-record open water in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas was published in the Alaska Dispatch News and mentioned in the USARC’s Arctic Daily Update. It was based on a presentation during the September Alaska Marine Policy Forum sponsored by Alaska Sea Grant and AOOS.

Courtney Carothers was highlighted in an item from USARC’s Arctic Daily Update about an upcoming seminar in DC that she and collaborator Laura Zanotti are co-leading. The November 30 seminar, “In a Climate of Change: Co-producing knowledge and community-researcher relationships in the Leadership and Strength project in Utqiagvik, Alaska,” is part of the ARCUS DC Arctic Research Seminar Series.

The news site Oceans Deeply interviewed Brenda Konar about the new paper in Marine Policy she co-wrote with CFOS PIO Lauren Frisch and Dean Moran.

A UAF news story by Lauren Frisch highlighted Jeff Falke’s work demonstrating that logjams in rivers can provide important habitat for juvenile salmon.

Grant Awards for September 2017

New awards (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-11629 “Clawson Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship” - Paula Cullenberg - USDI Geological Survey - $24,150.00 (September 4, 2017)
• Grant G-11636 “Assisting Alaska Shellfish Managers to Avoid Emergency Rainfall Closures” - Paula Cullenberg - NOAA - $94,535.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11685 “Geoduck spawning, nursery techniques, seed security and technology transfer for Alaska” - Paula Cullenberg - NOAA - $149,974.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11692 “Marine Mammal Stranding Response and Reporting in Western Alaska” - Gay Sheffield - NOAA - $67,149.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11697 “Seasonal patterns of energy allocation and implications for overwinter survival of post-settlement juvenile sablefish”- Anne Beaudreau - NPRB - $224,333.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11709 “LTER: Resilience in the Environment Mosaic of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) Shelf Ecosystem” - Russell Hopcroft - NSF - $1,127,000.00 (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11713 “Fitness effects of hatchery supplementation of Auke Creek sockeye salmon - Phase 2” - Megan McPhee - Pacific Salmon Commission - $12,743.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11733 “A review of data in salmon stock-recruitment analysis: types of data, information content, and methods to incorporate it” - Milo Adkison - NPRB - $15,000.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11750 “FY18 Graduate Studies Agreement between Rhea Ehresmann and ADFG” - Anne Beaudreau - AK Dept. of Fish & Game - $5,000.00 (July 1, 2017)

Grants awarded to other departments with CFOS co-PI's:

• Grant G-11704 “Collaborative Research: Three-dimensional structure of Arctic tides and near-inertial oscillations, and their role in changing the Arctic Ocean and ice pack” - Seth Danielson (co-PI) - NSF- $33,507.00 (CFOS funds only) (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11707 “Chemical, Physical and Biological processes linking snow and sea ice to the Arctic Ocean mixed layer: improving models through the MOSAiC platform” - Ana Aguilar-Islas (co-PI) - NSF - $378,038.00 (CFOS funds only) (September 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11755 “Yakutat Wave Energy Converter Impact Assessment” - Andy Seitz (Co-PI) - BOEM - $233,694.00 (CFOS funds only) (September 20, 2017)

The following grant was set up on assumption:

• Grant G-11744 “Synthesizing Optically- and Carbon Export-Relevant Particle Size Distributions for the EXPORTS Field Campaign” - Andrew McDonnell - UCSB NCEAS (September 15, 2017)

Message from the Dean

CFOS had a strong presence at the international OCEANS ’17 conference held last week in Anchorage. One of the highlights was the panel presentation on building Alaska’s blue economy, co-hosted by the Alaska Ocean Cluster Initiative and CFOS. The panel discussed a number of topics related to Alaska’s sustainable blue economy, including the importance of ocean technology, observing and prediction, defense and national security, entrepreneurial challenges and opportunities, renewable energy, and strengthening partnerships with public, Alaska Native and private entities.

Notable was the comment by Admiral Jon White regarding Alaska’s “Blue Rush” opportunity, in reference to the historic Gold Rush and that Alaska’s future is closely tied to the evolution of its maritime economy. CFOS has an important role to play in developing Alaska’s blue economy as we work to further align our academic, research, outreach and philanthropic work with the various blue economic sectors in the State. A pleasant surprise shortly after this panel was Governor Walker’s Tweet: It is time to build Alaska’s blue economy!

This week CFOS hosted members of the Visiting Expert Committee (VEC)—Dr. John Farrell, Dr. Roberta Marinelli, Dr. Larry Mayer and Dr. Steve Murawski—on a tour of our Juneau, Anchorage, Seward and Fairbanks locations. By all accounts, the meetings with faculty, staff and students were productive and enjoyable as the Committee learned about our academic, research, public engagement and philanthropic activities and our major research centers, institutes and facilities. The committee will soon provide a written report of their findings to Chancellor White and recommend the report be shared with members of his Cabinet and the Board of Regents.

One of the high points from the VEC tour was the strong praise Chancellor White had for our CFOS programs—a real feather in the CFOS cap. It is a great pleasure to sincerely thank the VEC for taking a week from their busy schedules to provide a fresh perspective and guidance on the future path of the College. It is also a pleasure to acknowledge the many CFOS students, staff and faculty who worked hard to ensure a productive VEC visit.

Gordon Kruse, Teresa Thompson and I recently met in Juneau with Sealaska Corporation CEO Anthony Mallott, VP Derik Frederiksen and Board Chair Joseph Nelson to explore ways to develop a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship in support of educating Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska engaged in fisheries and ocean sciences. Their vision is to provide a multifaceted approach to career development for their shareholders and to contribute to building the next generation of scholars and leaders for Alaska, thereby partnering with the University to protect and sustain the health of fisheries and the marine environment.

The fall season is progressing and one can sense winter is just around the corner. I hope everyone is taking time to enjoy the falling leaves and crisp weather before the season’s first snowfall.

R/V Sikuliaq

UAF social media coordinator Andrew Cassel UAF joined Sikuliaq’s crew on the recent transit from Nome to Newport to document what it’s like to live and work on a research vessel. Andrew posted photos and videos featuring the crew in the Facebook event Social Window: Life Aboard Sikuliaq. His updates were also shared on CFOS and Sikuliaq social media accounts.

Sikuliaq is currently moored at the Oregon State University pier in Newport, Oregon, staging for Dr. Jonathan Fram’s (Oregon State University) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Endurance Array mooring maintenance off the coast of Oregon and Washington.

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS undergraduates Keenan Sanderson and Carlton Hautala have been awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships from Crowley Fuels. Gabe Smith, who is majoring in wildlife biology with a minor in fisheries, and Carlton’s twin brother Kendrick Hautala, who is majoring in natural resource management, will also receive scholarships.

Alaska Sea Grant Coastal Community Resilience Specialist and anthropologist Davin Holen was appointed to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council Bering Sea Fishery Ecosystem Plan Team.

Professor Seth Danielson is the author of several blog posts describing recent work in the Northwest Passage as part of the Kitikmeot Sea Science Study. The study is led by CFOS graduate Bill Williams; former CFOS professor Bodil Bluhm is also involved.

Quentin Fong gave two invited workshops at the Pacific Coast Shellfish Grower’s Association conference in Welches, Oregon.

The Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC) has been busy this month with research on all four of Alaska’s major ocean regions. They turned around sensors on moorings in the Beaufort Sea as part of the Marine Arctic Ecosystems Study (MARES), and were aboard the USCGC Healy to collect and analyze OA samples in the Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) area of the Chukchi Sea. In the Bering Sea, surface and subsurface OA moorings were serviced from the NOAA ship Oscar Dyson. And, OARC participated in the 20th Seward Line cruise, wrapping up a decade of OA measurements. They will be busy working up the data this winter.

UAF Professor Emerita Dolly Garza, who was a longtime Marine Advisory agent in Southeast Alaska, was profiled as a UAF alum recently.

Publications

Clark, C.T., L. Horstmann and N. Misarti. 2017. Quantifying variability in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios within the skeletons of marine mammals of the suborder Caniformia. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 15:393–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.09.007

Anderson, S.C., E.J. Ward, A.O. Shelton, M.D. Adkison, A.H. Beaudreau, R.E. Brenner, A.C. Haynie, J.C. Shriver, J.T. Watson and B.C. Williams. 2017. Benefits and risks of diversification for individual fishers. PNAS. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702506114

CFOS in the News

Sunday’s edition of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner included another story about Sikiliaq’s recent cruise in the Beaufort Sea, this one highlighting the role of Dr. Carin Ashjian (WHOI) as Chief Scientist for the cruise. The story was noted in USARC’s Arctic Daily Update email.

The Alaska Journal of Commerce ran a story on the “Building Alaska’s Blue Economy” panel held last week at OCEANS ‘17. The panel was moderated by CFOS Dean Moran, who was also quoted in the story.

Mat Wooller and Mark Nelson’s work on beluga teeth was featured in an Alaska Dispatch News story about research into the continuing decline of beluga whales in Cook Inlet. An Associated Press story also mentioned their work.

A UAF news story by PIO Lauren Frisch highlights a paper now online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that includes several co-authors from CFOS—professors Milo Adkison and Anne Beaudreau, and graduate students Jordan Watson and Ben Williams. The paper describes their findings about some of the factors that contribute to income variability among individuals who fish commercially in the waters surrounding Alaska. Fishermen who participate in multiple fisheries have more reliable incomes, but there are regulatory and financial barriers to adopting this strategy. Lauren’s release was based on a news story from the University of Washington.

CFOS Ph.D. student Sonia Ibarra was featured in an article in Juneau’s Capital City Weekly about youth workforce development programs in Southeast Alaska.

Seafoodnews.com published a story on Alaska Sea Grant’s smoked seafood school and Alaska Seafood Leadership Institute. SeafoodSource also ran a story about the Institute.

A press release written by Paula Dobbyn on new seaweed research being led by Mike Stekoll was featured in UAF Cornerstone earlier this week. The goal of the research is to improve methods of growing, harvesting and transporting farmed sugar kelp, a common edible seaweed.

Message from the Dean

It is a great pleasure to inform you that CFOS has solicited the input of a Visiting Expert Committee (VEC) to provide an assessment of the health and needs of the College. The Committee members are: Dr. John Farrell, U.S. Arctic Research Commission; Dr. Roberta Marinelli , Oregon State University; Dr. Larry Mayer, University of New Hampshire, and Dr. Steve Murawski, University of South Florida. The VEC will tour our College during the week of September 25, beginning with a visit to the Lena Point campus on September 26, followed by stops in Anchorage and Seward on September 26-27, and ending with a full day in Fairbanks on September 28. A detailed agenda of the visit will be distributed separately.

The charge to the VEC is to provide a critical assessment of the College’s academic, research and public service activities, philanthropy, and major infrastructure (i.e., Centers, Institutes, Laboratories, R/V Sikuliaq). The Committee will provide a written report of findings and recommendations regarding our research, teaching and public engagement activities. This report will be transmitted to UAF Chancellor Dan White and members of his Cabinet. This is an important effort because the findings and recommendations of the VEC will help provide guidance on the future path of the College. We are fortunate to have such an esteemed group of scientists and science policy experts review our College.

Next week will be a busy week for CFOS. The North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) will hold its annual fall meeting to review the Science and Advisory Panel reports, budgets and priorities for future programs. The fall meeting is important preparation for NPRB’s annual spring meeting when decisions are made with regard to funding science proposals. Later in the week, Anchorage will host the international OCEANS ’17 Conference at the Dena’ina Convention Center. Representatives from CFOS will present a number of individual talks on ocean science and technology as well as participate in two special session panels, one entitled Building Alaska’s Blue Economy, co-hosted by the Alaska Ocean Cluster Initiative and CFOS, and another as part of the Interagency Working Group on Facilities and Infrastructure (IWG-FI) inaugural forum, which will discuss the future of the federal oceanographic fleet. This is the first time Alaska has hosted an OCEANS conference and it is very good to see CFOS play a prominent role with individual presentations and special panels.

The possibility of a federal government shutdown at the end of this month has now been avoided with the agreement between President Trump and congressional leaders to maintain funding for the federal government through December 8 with a Continuing Resolution (CR). The CR will fund federal agencies and ongoing programs and activities, including those that impact UAF/CFOS research and education, at the same rate as in fiscal year 2017, less a 0.7% across the board cut.

Last, it is a pleasure to welcome Carol Kaynor as communications assistant in the CFOS Dean’s Office. Carol will be familiar to many from her work at Alaska Sea Grant. And, we wish Magali Philip the very best following her departure from CFOS.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently underway in the Beaufort Sea conducting operations in support of the last few days of Dr. Carin Ashjian’s (WHOI) Shelf Break Ecology cruise investigating physical and biological oceanography along the shelf break of the Beaufort Sea.

The last issue of C-Notes mentioned Sikuliaq’s successful recovery of a UAF glider that was in danger of drifting west of the International Date Line and into Russian waters. A video of that recovery can now be viewed online.

Sikuliaq is scheduled to dock in Nome on Monday, September 18, and will host about 60 students from Nome’s Anvil City Science Academy for a tour of the ship and brief talks about the science missions that she conducts.

Sikuliaq then transits to Newport, Oregon to stage for Dr. Ed Dever’s (Oregon State University) Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI) Endurance Array maintenance cruise off the coast of Oregon and Washington.

UAF social media coordinator Andrew Cassel will join the crew on the transit to Newport to document what it’s like to live and work on a research vessel. Through social media, Andrew will introduce the crew that keeps the ship in top working order and provide a look at day-to-day life at sea. Follow along by selecting that you are “going” to this Facebook event. Please share this Facebook event with friends and family who may be interested in learning more about daily life on a ship. Regular updates from the cruise will also be posted on CFOS and Sikuliaq social media accounts.

CFOS: Facebook Twitter Instagram

Sikuliaq: Facebook Twitter Instagram Socooliaq

Activities and Accomplishments

CFOS faculty member Amanda Kelley gave a keynote presentation on “Ocean Acidification in Alaska: What You Need to Know” at Petersburg’s annual Rainforest Festival. Petersburg MAP agent Sunny Rice also participated in the festival, whose mission is to bring “people closer the natural world through education, exploration and the arts” and is a collaboration among Alaska Sea Grant, the Petersburg Public Library, the US Forest Service and many smaller local businesses and organizations.

Three Alaska Sea Grant interns at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center wrapped up their projects and gave public presentations, organized by ASG’s Julie Matweyou and Quentin Fong. Read more about the presentations by Camron Christoffersen, Phil Ganz and Alina Fairbanks in the Alaska Sea Grant blog.

Ph.D. student Channing Bolt was one of 60 international students who attended the first international GEOTRACES Summer School in Brest, France, participating in a weeklong series of lectures, practical workshops, and poster presentations on topics in ocean trace metal chemistry. She is grateful to the Byrd family for the support provided by their travel award.

Alaska Sea Grant’s marine education specialist Marilyn Sigman presented and coordinated several events at the Engaging Youth in STEM and Community Resilience workshop in Fairbanks and the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators conference in Homer.

Dawn Montano is featured in the latest Staff Snapshot profile on the CFOS homepage, part of a series by Barb Hameister that highlights CFOS staff, students and faculty on a rotating basis.

Publications

Weingartner, T.J., S.L. Danielson, R.A. Potter, J.H. Trefry, A. Mahoney, M. Savoie, C. Irvine and L. Sousa. In press. Circulation and water properties in the landfast ice zone of the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. Continental Shelf Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2017.09.001

Weingartner, T., Y.-C. Fang, P. Winsor, E. Dobbins, R. Potter, H. Statscewich, T. Mudge, B. Irving, L. Sousa and K. Borg. In press. The summer hydrographic structure of the Hanna Shoal region on the northeastern Chukchi Sea shelf: 2011–2013. Deep-Sea Research Part II. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.08.006

CFOS in the News

Building the Alaska ‘Blue Economy’, co-authored by Dean Moran and Joel Cladouhos of the Alaska Ocean Cluster Initiative, was published in The Alaska Journal of Commerce.

The current Sikuliaq cruise was featured in a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner story. The story, as picked up by The Delta Discovery, was noted in the USARC’s Arctic Daily Update email.

ASG’s Paula Dobbyn profiled MAP agent and CFOS professor Terry Johnson for a UAF news story.

A UAF news story by CFOS PIO Lauren Frisch describes professor Mat Wooller and master’s student Mark Nelson’s involvement in a collaborative research project that will investigate the continuing decline of beluga whales in Cook Inlet.

Another aspect of Mat Wooller’s research was highlighted in a recent Alaska Science Forum column.

A Juneau Empire story reported on Anne Beaudreau’s research on how melting glaciers may affect near-shore fisheries. The project is funded by Alaska Sea Grant.

Russ Hopcroft was quoted in an Alaska Dispatch News story about the lack of ice in the Chukchi Sea this summer.

The Cordova Times ran a story about Alaska Sea Grant’s upcoming training for seafood processors. The sixth Alaska Seafood Processing Institute will begin in November. The Times also covered Mike Litzow’s appointment as an assistant research professor, an article that stemmed from an Alaska Sea Grant blog post.

The Alaska Dispatch News published a story about Gay Sheffield’s new guide about salvaging marine mammal body parts. Another story about the new guide was published by SitNews.

Grant Awards for August 2017

New awards (with official start dates in parentheses):

• Grant G-11581 “Assessment of the distribution, timing, and reproductive biology of spawning capelin in Norton Sound, Alaska” - Trent Sutton - NPRB - $55,819.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11616 “LTER: Beaufort Sea Lagoons: An Arctic Coastal Ecosystem in Transition” - Katrin Iken - University of Texas at Austin - CFOS portion $18,366.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11625 “Modeling of Near Surface Stratification Processes in the Bay of Bengal: A proposal to the MISO-DRI” - Harper Simmons - Office of the Chief of Naval Research (ONR) - $73,283.00 (August 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11630 “Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Survey (EIS) Phase II” - Franz Mueter - BOEM - $262,389.00 (July 31, 2017)
• Grant G-11641 “Functional Diversity of Epibenthic Communities on the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Shelves” - Lauren Sutton (advisor: Katrin Iken) - BOEM- $23,548.00 (July 1, 2017)
• Grant G-11653 “Coastal hydrographic physical dynamics and oceanography assessments” - Seth Danielson - $33,500.00 (August 2, 2017)
• Grant G-11662 “Scientific and Technical Service to the Arctic Yukon Kuskokwim Sustainable Salmon Initiative” - Milo Adkison - Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association - $13,783.00 (March 1, 2016)

The following projects received incremental funding:

• Grant G-9215 “Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2014-2018” - Paula Cullenberg - NOAA - Mods 20, 21 and 22 - total new funding $329,027.00
• Grant G-7920 “Characterization of the Circulation on the Continental Shelf areas of the Northeast Chukchi and Western Beaufort Seas” - Tom Weingartner - BOEM - Mod 8 $200,000.00
• Grant G-10444 “Assessing the Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Plankton Populations in Glacier Bay” - Russell Hopcroft - NPS - Mod 2 $73,996.00

Message from the Dean

As we usher in the fall semester, I want to extend my congratulations to our summer graduates and a warm welcome to our new undergraduate and graduate scholars. You have made a wise decision in choosing to further your education and training at CFOS. Your work is of great importance and value to Alaska, the nation, and the international community.

Last week we were informed that the proposal submitted to the European Union entitled Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium for Europe (ARICE) has been recommended for funding at the requested level of $7.1M. What does this mean for CFOS and UAF? As noted previously in C-Notes, ARICE brings together 14 partners from Europe, Canada and the United States, including international ice breaker ship operators (Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States) and major research institutions in support of multi-national collaboration, planning and implementation of Arctic research cruises. Our role as a key partner in ARICE raises the international visibility of Sikuliaq and brings new resources to support Sikuliaq operations, including support for ship days plus personnel travel and salary ($535K to CFOS). A priority of this program is to enhance international scientific collaboration in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas, and in that regard we look forward to increased demand for use of Sikuliaq by the broader research community. This is an important accomplishment for CFOS as operator of Sikuliaq.

The University of Alaska recently submitted a major statewide research infrastructure proposal to the National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR) entitled “Fire and Ice: Navigating Variability in Boreal Wildfire Regimes and Subarctic Coastal Ecosystems.” If funded, this proposal would bring $20M over five years to the University of Alaska system. In addition to providing support for core research and education activities at CFOS, this proposal would fund two new faculty positions in our College. A big thank you to CFOS faculty Anne Beaudreau, Katrin Iken, Mark Johnson, Amanda Kelley, Brenda Konar, Franz Mueter, Alexei Pinchuk and Trent Sutton for their collective hard work on this proposal. We expect to receive proposal reviews sometime in October.

The proposed recruiting plan and budget for the President’s Professorship in Quantitative Fisheries awarded to CFOS has been submitted to President Johnsen and Chancellor White. Once approved, the next step will be to refine the position description and launch a national search for an outstanding new faculty member to help continue the legacy of excellence in fisheries research and education at CFOS. Gordon Kruse has graciously agreed to serve as chair of the search committee, which will be comprised of Milo Adkison, Anne Beaudreau, Franz Mueter and Peter Westley.

I hope everyone takes time to enjoy the Labor Day weekend and the wonderful early September days.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently underway in the Beaufort Sea conducting operations in support of the Shelf Break Ecology cruise with Chief Scientist Dr. Carin Ashjian of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Dr. Ashjian’s team is investigating physical and biological oceanography along the shelf break of the Beaufort Sea during periods of upwelling and relaxation in summer/early fall.

On August 27 Sikuliaq successfully recovered a UAF glider that was close to drifting west of the International Date Line and entering Russian waters. In heavy seas, Sikuliaq was able to maneuver and pick the glider out of the Chukchi Sea, without having to deploy a small boat to herd the glider close to the ship.

Follow the current cruise on Facebook, Instagram (@ArcticWFFF), Twitter (@arctic_wfff; #ArcticWFFF), and Snapchat (arcticwfff). A teacher on board is posting items for schools and educators.

Activities and Accomplishments

The presentation on Sikuliaq given by Dean Moran at the 7th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic Naval and Maritime Operations is now available online, along with video clips and PowerPoint presentations from the other presenters.

Alaska Sea Grant (ASG) Coastal Community Resilience Specialist Davin Holen participated on a panel during a workshop on research needs to protect health and well-being of communities during oil spill response at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. Davin is co-chair of the Science Advisory Committee for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Committee, and is assisting in updating their Coping with Technological Disasters Guidebook developed after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

Davin Holen presented on the Adapt Alaska project in Homer at a FEMA Risk MAP workshop. The Risk MAP program, led by FEMA and the State of Alaska, works collaboratively with communities to identify vulnerabilities and provides tools and data for resilience planning.

Anne Beaudreau’s doctoral student Cheryl Barnes, who works on walleye pollock, spent three weeks aboard the F/V Ocean Explorer in the Gulf of Alaska as a volunteer for the NOAA Fisheries groundfish survey. She wrote about her experience on the Beaudreau lab’s blog.

Gay Sheffield, ASG’s Nome-based Marine Advisory agent, collected biological data as well as tissue samples from subsistence-harvested bowhead whales in Kaktovik. Sheffield worked alongside the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and the data will be used among local, regional, national, and international whaling organizations.

On August 31 the Ocean Acidification Research Center hosted administrators from the NOAA Cooperative Institutes meeting being held at UAF. The group consisted of 25 members from offices around the country. The tour of OARC highlighted CFOS and OARC’s role in monitoring OA around the state.

ASG has awarded an Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship to Duke University graduate Sara Cleaver, who will work in Anchorage at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. This makes a total of five ASG fellows for 2017–2018.

Publications

Turner, J.S., J.L. Pretty and A.M.P. McDonnell. 2017. Marine particles in the Gulf of Alaska shelf system: Spatial patterns and size distributions from in situ optics. Continental Shelf Research, 145:13–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2017.07.002

Tribuzio, C.A., M.E. Matta, C. Gburski, C. Blood, W. Bubley and G.H. Kruse. 2017. Are Pacific spiny dogfish lying about their age? A comparison of aging structures for Squalus suckleyi. Marine and Freshwater Research, 68. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF16329

Echave, J.D., C.V. Manhard, W.W. Smoker, M.D. Adkison and A.J. Gharrett. 2017. Out crosses between seasonally different segments of a Pacific salmon population reveal local adaptation. Environmental Biology of Fishes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-017-0657-3

Alaska Sea Grant’s Gay Sheffield has compiled a two-page guide for Alaska residents, agencies and visitors detailing who can and can’t collect dead marine mammal parts, as well as when and where. Collecting Dead Marine Mammal Parts While Beachcombing is a free download on the Alaska Sea Grant online bookstore.

CFOS in the News

KUCB (Unalaska) ran a story featuring work by doctoral student and staff member Jared Weems. Weems’ research is part of a larger project looking at blue king crab in the Pribilof Islands. The story was picked up by Alaska News Nightly, KTOO Juneau, and noted in the US Arctic Research Commission’s daily email newsletter.

A UAF news release highlighted Steve Okkonen’s role in the current Sikuliaq cruise.

An Associated Press story about the current Sikuliaq cruise appeared in the Seattle Times, Alaska News Source and Washington Post, among others.

Torie Baker was a recent guest on Cordova’s public radio station to discuss marine safety checklists for the commercial fishing fleets in Prince William Sound.

Professor Ginny Eckert was interviewed for a KTOO (Juneau) radio news story about testing for paralytic shellfish poisoning, and causes, in Alaska shellfish.

In an Alaska Dispatch News article about the escape of Atlantic salmon from pens in Washington, Gary Freitag, ASG agent in Ketchikan, commented on the potential for the escaped salmon to compete with Alaska’s wild Pacific salmon for food and rearing habitat.

Summer graduates

Congratulations to our brand-new master’s and doctoral degree recipients!

Matthew R. Catterson, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Megan McPhee
Chelsea M. Clawson, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Jeffrey Falke
Philip D. Ganz, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Terry Quinn
Sarah M. Laske, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisors: Amanda E. Rosenberger and Mark Wipfli
Katie G. Shink, M.S. Fisheries. Advisors: Andres Lopez and Trent Sutton
Sarah B. Traiger, Ph.D. Marine Biology. Advisor: Brenda Konar

New students

We extend a warm welcome to our new graduate students!

Matt Callahan, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Anne Beaudreau
Jeanette Gann, Ph.D. Marine Biology. Advisor: Sarah Hardy
Christopher Guo, M.S. Marine Biology. Advisor: Brenda Konar
Eric Henderson, M.S. Oceanography. Advisor: Eric Collins
Thilo Klenz, Ph.D. Oceanography. Advisor: Harper Simmons
Nicole Laroche, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Heidi Pearson
Forrest McCarthy, Ph.D. Oceanography. Advisor: Peter Winsor
Julia McMahon, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Peter Westley
Stephanie O’Daly, M.S. Oceanography. Advisor: Andrew McDonnell
Veronica Padula, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisors: Anne Beaudreau and Douglas Causey
Alexandra Poje, M.S. Oceanography. Advisor: Russ Hopcroft
Kirsten Ressel, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Trent Sutton
David Reynolds, M.S. Fisheries. Advisor: Trent Sutton
Christopher Sergeant, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Jeff Falke
Jennifer Shriver, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Keith Criddle
Morgan Siebka, M.S. Marine Biology. Advisor: Mat Wooller
Danielle Siegert, M.S. Marine Biology. Advisor: Katrin Iken
Hank Statscewich, Ph.D. Oceanography. Advisor: Peter Winsor
Wesley Strasburger, Ph.D. Fisheries. Advisor: Franz Mueter
Marina Washburn, M.S. Marine Biology. Advisor: Amanda Kelley

Message from the Dean

Partnerships are an essential component of CFOS because they strengthen relations with our many stakeholders and provide much needed resources to our College. This week, the board of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center (PCCRC), a long-standing partner and major supporter of CFOS, met in Juneau to review current funded projects and establish priorities for the next proposal solicitation for research related to fisheries ecosystems and management. Stefanie Moreland, Director of Government Relations and Seafood Sustainability for Trident Seafoods (and UAF alum), also joined part of the meeting to learn more about current PCCRC activities and CFOS, and to share her perspective on state and national policy related to fisheries. PCCRC Director and Professor Keith Criddle expertly guided the meeting, and the productive side discussions reinforced the importance of our collaborative relationships with these stakeholders. A special thank you to Administrative Manager Gabby Hazelton for facilitating the meeting logistics.

Last week CFOS hosted a site visit by Dr. Moses Lee, Program Director of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to discuss a proposal submitted by Research Associate Professor Seth Danielson and his team to develop a new ocean observing platform in the northern Gulf of Alaska, dubbed the Gulf Ecosystem Observatory (GEO). This is a rare opportunity to have real-time ocean data collection capability in ocean waters off Alaska that would be conducted by an Alaska institution. Matching funds for this effort have been generously pledged by long-time CFOS partner the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) as well as by the UAF Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and CFOS. This project would add to the growing network of ocean observatories off Alaska and provide new discoveries and opportunities only afforded by real-time observations. This project is also envisioned as part of a possible National Data Buoy Center to be co-located at the Seward Marine Center, which we are actively working towards in partnership with AOOS.

And finally, Development Officer Teresa Thompson is working to leverage the new President’s Professorship in Quantitative Fisheries and potential NOAA/NMFS QUEST funding that will help bolster the legacy of CFOS expertise in quantitative fisheries. We are hopeful that these new investments provide a compelling opportunity for philanthropic giving to CFOS in an area of vital importance to Alaska’s ocean economy.

We are very fortunate to be working with so many partners for our mutual benefit.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is currently underway in the Chukchi Sea conducting operations in support of Dr. Laurie Juranek (Oregon State University) and Dr. Rachel Sipler’s (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) Arctic Productivity and Arctic Nitrogen Fixation cruise to measure hydrography, nutrient concentrations, rates of nitrogen and carbon uptake and fixation, molecular characterization, and other dissolved and particulate constituents. Learn more about this cruise on their blog.

Sikuliaq is scheduled to arrive in Nome on Tuesday, August 22 and then depart on Friday, August 25 in support of Dr. Carin Ashjian’s (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Shelf Break Ecology cruise investigating physical and biological oceanography along the shelf break of the Beaufort Sea during periods of upwelling and relaxation in summer/early fall.

Activities and Accomplishments

Recent Ph.D. graduate Suzie Teerlink won best oral presentation at the International Congress on Coastal Marine Tourism in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Professor Katrin Iken gave a public presentation in Nome before departing on a research cruise for AMBON. The talk on Arctic marine biodiversity was part of the “Strait Science Series” co-sponsored by UAF’s Northwest Campus and Alaska Sea Grant. (See also “CFOS in the News,” below.)

Marilyn Sigman helped coordinate a 3-day NOAA-sponsored workshop in Fairbanks on engaging youth in STEM. Thirty-five educators toured science labs and took part in indoor and outdoor science activities. Marilyn and Davin Holen were among those giving presentations and tours.

CFOS students Alina Fairbanks and Phil Ganz, along with BYU grad Camron Christoffersen, are Alaska Sea Grant–Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute interns at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center this summer. (See also “CFOS in the News,” below.)

Publications

Donkersloot, R. and C. Carothers. 2017. Beyond privatization: rethinking fisheries stewardship and conservation in the North Pacific. Chapter 12 in Levin, P.S. and M.R. Poe (eds), Conservation for the Anthropocene Ocean: Interdisciplinary Science in Support of Nature and People. Elsevier Academic Press.

Chambers, C., G. Helgadóttir and C. Carothers. 2017. “Little kings”: Community, change and conflict in Icelandic fisheries. MAST. In press.

CFOS in the News

Katrin Iken’s presentation in Nome was the topic of a story by KNOM. That story was highlighted in the USARC’s daily email newsletter. Another story appeared in the Nome Nugget.

A KBBI (Kenai Peninsula) story on sea star wasting disease in Kachemak Bay featured quotes from Professor Brenda Konar and Ph.D. student Ben Weitzman. The story was picked up by Alaska Public Media.

Shannon Atkinson was interviewed by KCAW radio (Sitka) about a workshop and lecture she presented at the Sitka Arts and Science Festival. The Daily Sitka Sentinel also ran a story.

A story about Chris Sannito and the pet treats from pollock skin project was published on the National Sea Grant website and Undercurrent News.

The Alaska Dispatch News and Homer Tribune published a story on the Alaska Sea Grant graying of the fleet project, mentioning CFOS staff Danielle Ringer.

Gary Freitag was interviewed by KRBD about a planned humpback whale necropsy near Ketchikan.

Sunny Rice’s work at a weeklong science camp in Petersburg was mentioned in a KFSK story.

CFOS undergraduate student Alina Fairbanks’ project on fish oil supplements was highlighted in a KMXT (Kodiak) news story.

Message from the Dean

As Alaska endeavors to diversify its economy, Chancellor White has indicated his interest in supporting entrepreneurial activity at UAF. In this regard, as outlined in our Decadal Plan we strive to support entrepreneurialism and economic diversification within the state. For example, Research Assistant Professor Chris Sannito is actively working on commercializing new pet treats made from pollock skins, Blue Evolution is leasing space at our Kodiak facility to help grow Alaska’s mariculture industry, and for the past several years CFOS has been working with Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery (APSH) to study ocean acidification risks to Alaskan shellfish.

CFOS is also working with the new Alaska Ocean Cluster Initiative (AOCI) led by the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association, which has the goal of helping Alaska transition from a resource extraction economy to a more sustainable ocean ‘blue’ economy. Last Friday, AOCI convened a meeting with AOOS, APSH, ASLC, AVTEC, Major Marine Tours, the City of Seward Mayor’s Office and CFOS faculty and staff in Seward focused on ocean technology and innovation that builds on existing capacity and strengths in ocean observing located at the Seward Marine Center. A specific outcome of these discussions is to develop white papers in support of establishing a National Buoy Center based in Seward and the need for increased infrastructure to strengthen Alaska’s ports and national/Arctic maritime security needs. Importantly, strengthening collaborations with our UAF partners and with external public and private entities is a path forward to develop new opportunities and potentially garner new resources.

Chancellor White has also indicated that he will soon visit with UAF Deans and Directors, as well as with individual unit faculty and staff, to discuss future goals and needs for success. These meetings will provide an opportunity to directly inform the Chancellor not only of our deep expertise in research, teaching and outreach but our active efforts and future goals to help diversify Alaska’s economy. Details of the meeting with the Chancellor will be forthcoming.

An important area of interest for CFOS is the mutually beneficial interaction with Alaska Native communities in our mission of research, teaching and service for the benefit of the State of Alaska. In this regard, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) recently met in Fairbanks and CFOS was well represented by PIO Lauren Frisch, Interim Marine Superintendent Doug Baird, Research Associate Professor Seth Danielson and MAP agent Gay Sheffield. In addition to presentations by Seth and Gay, a notable moment was the recognition by AEWC of CFOS’s search and rescue effort conducted by Sikuliaq to try to locate two boaters lost at sea near the village of Wales. While sadly the search and rescue mission was unsuccessful, we are proud that Sikuliaq was able to assist in the process.

Finally, please join me in welcoming to CFOS our newest research faculty, Dr. Mike Litzow. Mike’s expertise is in marine ecology, fisheries oceanography and statistical modeling, and was most recently Principal Scientist at the Farallon Institute. Mike is also an avid sailor, has published a book about his adventures on the high seas, and most recently sailed with his family from Hawaii to Kodiak, where he will have his primary work location at KSMSC.

R/V Sikuliaq

Sikuliaq is transiting to Nome to embark Laurie Juranek (Oregon State University) and Rachel Sipler’s (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) science party for the Arctic Productivity and Arctic Nitrogen Fixation cruise in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The vessel is scheduled to arrive in Nome on Saturday, August 5 and depart on Monday, August 7.

And, former Marine Superintendent Dan Oliver has agreed to help Sikuliaq as a temporary Port Engineer for a couple of months while Seward Marine Center searches for a permanent replacement for that position.

Activities and Accomplishments

Seth Danielson has been recognized for providing outstanding service in 2016 as a reviewer for the AGU journal Eos.

Dan Olsen, who graduated with a master’s degree in Fisheries this spring, was featured on the first episode of the three-part PBS show Wild Alaska Live in a segment about orcas. Associate Professor Heidi Pearson appeared in the third episode, explaining bubble net feeding by humpback whales.

A video has been released that captures extreme erosion in Port Heiden, Alaska, and how the community is responding, based on research funded by Alaska Sea Grant.

Four Alaska Sea Grant State Fellows are starting their yearlong jobs in Alaska. CFOS graduate students Genevieve Johnson and Chelsea Clawson will join the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, respectively. Scripps graduate Danielle Meeker is working at the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and University of Maine graduate student Kim Ovitz will work at the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Protected Resources.

Publications

Schollmeier, T., A.C.M. Oliveira, M.J. Wooller and K. Iken. 2017. Tracing sea ice algae into various benthic feeding types on the Chukchi Sea shelf. Polar Biology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2182-4

Blanchard, A.L., H.M. Feder, M.K. Hoberg and A.L. Knowlton. 2017. Abiotic/biological interactions in coastal marine communities: Insights from an Alaskan fjord. Estuaries and Coasts, 40(5):1398–1417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0230-5

Lesage, V., K. Gavrilchuk, R.D. Andrews and R. Sears. 2017. Foraging areas, migratory movements and winter destinations of blue whales from the western North Atlantic. Endangered Species Research, 34:27–43. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00838

Chen, J.Q., M.C. Haws, Q.S.W. Fong and P.S. Leung. 2017. Locally grown oysters in Hawai’i: Chef preference and local premium? Journal of the World Aquaculture Society https://doi.org/10.1111/jwas.12430

CFOS in the News

A story inspired by the recent UAF press release about the June Sikuliaq cruise made the front page of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ’s Sunday edition on July 23, and was highlighted on the paper’s Editorial Page the following day. The news story was picked up by U.S. News online. Alaska Press News and The Republic, and was noted in the USARC’s daily Arctic Update email. The editorial mention was picked up by the Peninsula Clarion and Petersburg Pilot. The original press release ran as a story in The Alaska Business Magazine.

The recent paper “ Humpback whales feed on hatchery-released juvenile salmon ” led by doctoral student Ellen Chenoweth has received more press coverage, including an interview on The Weather Channel.

Doctoral student Thomas Farrugia was interviewed for a story in Undercurrent News on the possibilities of a U.S. skate market.

A UAF news story by Alaska Sea Grant’s Paula Dobbyn highlights doctoral student Maggie Chan’s upcoming Knauss Fellowship.

Lauren Frisch’s profile of professor Mark Johnson was picked up by The Alaska Business Magazine.

The Seward City News posted a nice writeup about Sikuliaq.

Grant Awards for July 2017

New awards (with official start date in parentheses):

• G-11546“Management Decisions and Permit Prices in the Bristol Bay Salmon Drift Gillnet Fishery” - Keith Criddle - NPRB - $99,355.00 (July 1, 2017)
• G-11545 “CY2017 Navy-funded cruises on R/V Sikuliaq” - Murray Stein - Office of Naval Research - $10,000.00 (July 1, 2017)
• G-11580 “Genetic analysis of mating dynamics of snow and Tanner crabs in the eastern Bering Sea” - Gordon Kruse - NPRB - $23,964.00 (July 1, 2017)
• G-11583 “State of Alaska Salmon and People: Well-Being and AK Salmon Systems” - Courtney Carothers - AK Marine Conservation Council - $60,750.00 (April 1, 2017)
• G-11584 “A review of data in salmon stock-recruitment analysis: types of data, information content, and methods to incorporate it” - Milo Adkison - NPRB - $96,041.00 (July 1, 2017)
• G-11615 “Meeker 2017 Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship” - Paula Cullenberg - Office of the Governor - $24,125.00 (July 24, 2017)

The following award was set up on assumption:

• G-11585 “Further examination of the movement, behavior and predation of Chinook salmon in the Bering Sea” - Andy Seitz - UA Foundation PCCRC - $167,180 (when awarded - July 1, 2017)

The following awards received incremental funding:

• G-9215 “Alaska Sea Grant Omnibus 2014-2018” - Paula Cullenberg - NOAA - Mod 19 for $740,000.00
• G-10831 “ASGARD: Arctic Shelf Growth, Advection, Respiration, and Deposition Rate Experiments” - Seth Danielson - NPRB - Mod 2 for $805,026.00
• G-10969 “Water mass transformation processes and quantification in the South China Sea” - Harper Simmons - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - Mod 2 for $6,716.00