Pacific Region

• Getting lost in the wilds of Alaska is not uncommon, but it can be fatal.
• Alaska Sea Grant has developed educational publications and videos focused on helping kids and adults learn how to stay alive while they await rescue.
• Outdoor safety materials include: Surviving on the Foods and Water from Alaska's Southern Shores, an illustrated booklet describing how to make outdoor water sources safe to drink, and how to find plants and seaweeds for eating; the Outdoor Survival Series for New Readers, including books on hypothermia and frostbite; and an Outdoor Survival Training Curriculum geared to grades 5–7.
• These and other outdoor and marine safety materials are described on the Alaska Sea Grant web site: http://seagrant.uaf.edu/news/07news/03-27-07outdoor-survival.html

• Rockfishes released back into the water at depth show few impacts of barotrauma.
• This is vital and useful information for the development of sustainable recreational catch-and-release fisheries targeting rockfish in California.
• Fishes released properly at depths similar to those where they were captured show high survival rates.
• For popular recreational fisheries targeting declining rockfish populations, this study will be vital as California State Department of Fish and Game managers develop new management plans under the California Marine Life Protection Act.

• Contradicting the long-held belief that rivers carry sand to beaches, and hence that dams starve beaches of sediment, Sea Grant researchers have shown that coastal bluff erosion potentially supplies more than half of all beach sand in parts of Southern California.
• A media event on the finding, coordinated with the Jacobs School of Engineering and Scripps Research Institute at UC San Diego, led to more than 30 stories in newspapers and on TV and radio stations, including the Los Angeles Times, CNN and MSNBC.
• This Sea Grant research has the potential to rewrite one of the canons of beach dynamics, namely that rivers are the main source of beach sediment.
• It may also change the mitigation fee structure levied by the California Coastal Commission for permits to build sea walls, jetties or other hard structures which may slow bluff erosion and hence deprive beaches of new sand.

• Growing island populations and the rapid depletion of natural resources are having a profound impact on coastal communities throughout the Pacific.
• To address these challenges, Hawai'i Sea Grant is facilitating three regional forums in an effort to streamline the management of marine and coastal areas.
• The first forum was held in Micronesia beginning on April 20th in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands. The Sea Grant team will also visit Kosrae, Pohnpei and Guam, with representation from other islands invited to these meetings. 
• The other two forums will be held in Hawai'i and American Samoa.
• The public is encouraged to attend and identify priorities for research related to current environmental conditions, both land and sea-based, facing the area. This information will then be integrated into a single regional research coordination and planning report for the region. 
• This is the first time this level of coordination has occurred, and it is expected to result in broad recognition of critical environmental management problems and associated research needs in the region. Similar efforts are being undertaken by Sea Grant programs throughout the U.S. 

• Oregon Sea Grant researchers are working to help more aquarium fish survive the often hazardous journey from where they're collected to their arrival in pet shops and home aquaria.
• This may result in healthier fish and happier pet owners, while also yielding significant environmental and economic benefits. 
• The collaboration allows the researchers to examine causes of mortality at all stages of the supply chain, from capture on tropical coral reefs to purchase by hobbyists.
• The marine fish aquarium hobby is growing by approximately 1 percent a year— faster than any other pet ownership sector. Nearly 99 percent of the fish are caught in the wild, not raised in captivity.
• Typical mortality rates range from about five to 12 percent, according to studies.  Preliminary observations suggest that water quality and handling, rather than parasitic or bacterial infections, are the biggest problems faced by marine fish shipped to the U.S. for the pet trade.

• Over 100 species of marine birds spend time in the Puget Sound Basin. Some are permanent residents, while others are seasonal visitors.
• Recent studies by Washington Sea Grant have indicated that these populations are far from stable. Scientists have noted a 47 percent decline in overall marine bird numbers, with declines as high as 95 percent for some species.
• Habitat loss, dwindling forage fish populations, air and water pollution, oil spills and entanglement in fishing gear are all contributing factors in the reduced seabird numbers.
• To address this issue, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center (PTMSC) hosted a series of workshops for educators, naturalists and other professionals.
• The Sea Grant-funded workshops gave attendees a chance to hear recent updates on the status of marine birds from leading researchers and to explore strategies for reducing human impacts to vulnerable marine bird species.
• At the conclusion of the series, PTMSC produced “Sharing Puget Sound with Marine Birds,” an article highlighting topics covered in these sessions, as well as a list of recommendations generated by workshop presenters and participants. To view the article, visit: http://www.ptmsc.org/images/science/marinebirds/MarineBirdarticle.pdf