Mar 1, 2016

College of the Environment researchers explore the human side of large-scale marine protected areas

Earlier this month in Honolulu at an event co-organized by the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs’ Patrick Christie and Nathan Bennett, more than 100 participants met for the first-ever major discussion of challenges associated with how people interact with large marine protected areas. University of Washington, Big Ocean, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and other academic and policy institutions hosted the Think Tank on Human Dimensions of Large-Scale MPAs (LSMPAs) from Feb.

Dangerous fishing may be endangered, new study finds

Fishermen place Sablefish pots off the coast of Half Moon Bay, California.

Catch shares, a form of “rights-based” fisheries management adopted for several fisheries in the Pacific Northwest, may put an end to the kind of daring exploits chronicled in the “Deadliest Catch.” A new study of fishing practices found that the “risky” behavior that makes fishing one of the most dangerous lines of work dropped sharply following the adoption of catch shares management in the West Coast fixed gear sablefish fishery.

Jeffrey Cordell honored by the Seattle Aquarium

Every year, the Seattle Aquarium recognizes outstanding individuals who work and make a difference in the marine environment. This year, UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences research scientist Jeffrey Cordell was honored for his innovative work on restoring marine habitat along Seattle’s Elliott Bay seawall. Jeff led the long-term research, funded by the City of Seattle and Washington Sea Grant, to design, install, and monitor large-scale test panels at three locations along the Seattle waterfront as part of the Elliott Bay Seawall Project.

What’s the name of that tree? New interactive plant map for arboretum

First-time visitors and regulars to Washington Park Arboretum can now learn the names and origins of plants as well as save favorites while strolling through the grounds. A new interactive map for smartphones and tablets shows every plant and tree that’s part of the arboretum’s collection, now numbering more than 15,000. Visitors can pull up the map on their phones, locate themselves, then zoom in to see which plants are nearby.

Scientists solve long-standing ecological riddle

The fundamental mechanisms underlying global productivity-diversity patterns have been debated by ecologists for decades. Methodological advances are now permitting a glimpse at the processes that lie behind surface patterns.

Researchers have found clear evidence that communities rich in species are substantially healthier and more productive than those depleted of species, once complicating factors are removed. An international group of scientists, including University of Washington ecologist Jonathan Bakker in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences has solved this long-standing ecological riddle using new scientific techniques for analyzing complex data to answer the question: How do we know that conserving biodiversity is actually important in the real world?