UW’s First Environmental Law Symposium takes on ocean acidification

The UW School of Law will bring together many of the world’s leading experts on ocean acidification in its first-annual Environmental Law Symposium Nov. 6. The day-long event will be held in the William H. Gates Hall on the UW campus and will include panels detailing the latest findings from scientists, current ocean acidification lawsuits and legislation, and updates on cooperative partnerships tackling this issue. 

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Gear, not geoducks, impacts ecosystem if farming increases

A geoduck farm in Puget Sound’s Case Inlet.

The equipment used to farm geoducks, including PVC pipes and nets, might have a greater impact on the Puget Sound food web than the addition of the clams themselves. That’s one of the findings of the first major scientific study to examine the broad, long-term ecosystem effects of geoduck aquaculture in Puget Sound, published last week in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s Journal of Marine Science. 

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New knowledge and technology help scientists track harmful algae

Grunbaum and Coyle

Though the waters of Puget Sound are full of beneficial algae, which provide oxygen, food, and shelter for other creatures, it’s the nasty ones that usually make the news, when they "bloom" into toxic pools, harming fish and humans. Now, researchers working with Washington Sea Grant have started to narrow in on harmful algae’s behaviors, and are developing some slick techniques that they hope will lead to much more effective detection and monitoring.

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Washington Sea Grant explores relative sea-level rise to prepare Pacific Coast communities

Washington Sea Grant, a unit in the College of the Environment, works to restore and protect marine environments through addressing important issues, providing better tools for marine management, and supporting strategic partnerships within the marine community. Coastal hazards specialist and resident geologist Ian Miller embodies this approach, and is studying changes in local sea level over time in order to help coastal communities plan for rising seas along their shores. 

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Magnuson-Stevens Act the topic of symposium at UW

Bevan Series on Sustainable Fisheries

The Magnuson-Stevens Act governing fisheries conservation and management is currently up for re-authorization in Congress, and was the topic of discussion at the UW on April 24 and 25. The Act has changed over the years since its inception, and multiple industry representatives, policy-makers, scientists, and others convened to share their perspectives on what are some key issues surrounding fisheries management. 

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