Congratulations to José Guzman, Mikelle Nuwer, and Aina Hori who were recognized by the UW College of the Environment for Exceptional Mentoring of Undergraduates, Outstanding Teaching Faculty, and Undergraduate Dean’s Medalist, respectively

Parasites play an outsize role in balancing ecosystems, and some species may be in danger. Read the article from Scientific American featuring SAFS’ Chelsea Wood who teaches Parasite Ecology (FISH 406) and Fisheries Ecology (FISH 312)

Scientists at the University of Washington, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, are raising sunflower sea stars in captivity, with the goal of learning more about this species and exploring eventual reintroduction to the wild, if determined to be advisable.

Thanks to 20 years of observations from thousands of citizen scientists, University of Washington researchers have discovered distinct patterns in the mass strandings of by-the-wind sailor jellies. Specifically, large strandings happened simultaneously from the northwest tip of Washington south to the Mendocino coast in California, and in years when winters were warmer than usual.

When it comes to things that give us the heebie-jeebies, parasites reign supreme. However, they are a necessary part of our ecosystems. SAFS assistant professor Chelsea Wood joins Bill Nye on his “Science Rules!” podcast to explain what makes parasites so creepy, how to prevent them from killing us, and why she keeps digging around in decades-old cans of salmon.

Situated in the heart of the San Juan Islands, roughly 100 miles from Seattle, FHL is a unique satellite campus that offers students an unparalleled opportunity to immerse themselves in the Pacific Northwest’s marine environment. Much like the NBA’s “bubble,” where teams were isolated to ensure player health during the pandemic, the 2020 class of MARBIO 488 became its own bubble.

Coral bleaching is a significant problem for the world’s ocean ecosystems: When coral becomes bleached, it loses the algae that live inside it, turning it white. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but while they are bleached they are at higher risk for disease and death. Now an international consortium of scientists, including Marine Biology instructor Jacqueline Padilla-Gamiño, has created the first-ever common framework for increasing comparability of research findings on coral bleaching.

A new University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries study found that sea lions have the largest negative effect on early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River. The results of this study will publish Oct. 18 in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

The small subpopulation of polar bears in Kane Basin were doing better, on average, in recent years than in the 1990s. The bears are experiencing short-term benefits from thinning and shrinking multiyear sea ice that allows more sunlight to reach the ocean surface, which makes the system more ecologically productive.

An international group of scientists has laid out an ambitious global conservation plan for parasites. A related paper led by the University of Washington found that responses of parasites to environmental change are likely to be complex, and that a changing world probably will see both outbreaks of some parasites and a total loss of other parasite species.