Oregon Sea Grant

09/04/2026

Happy ! This week, we check back in with Brian Pérez Eisenbarth and his work with longfin squid.

"Hi! I’m Brian, a PhD candidate in Applied Economics at Oregon State University and a Sea Grant Marine Resource Economics Fellow. I’m working with NOAA on a commercial species to learn about how 1. competing ocean uses and 2. natural variation in biology and the environment affect economic decision-making around where to fish.

My research focuses on the longfin squid fishery in the Northeast U.S. and possible economic impacts of existing coastal energy installations on fishing communities. Squid are highly dynamic. They move, grow, and are affected by the environment. My research uses commercial fishing data and spatial models to better understand how these patterns influence where fishermen choose to fish. Ultimately, I hope this work can help distinguish changes driven by natural variation in the fishery from those associated with offshore wind installations, leading to better estimates of the economic impacts on fishermen."

09/04/2026

Thank you for spending your summer with us! After Labor Day weekend, we’ll return to our regular season hours. Come visit us Thursday–Monday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

And don’t miss our octopus feedings every Thursday and Sunday at 1 p.m. 🐙

We’ll see you soon!

09/02/2026

Oregon Sea Grant is now accepting applications for the 2026-2027 State Legislative Fellowship!

This opportunity will take place during the Oregon legislative session for a graduate student or recent graduate based in Oregon with an interest in marine and coastal policy issues. Applications are due Friday, September 18.

As a fellow, you will:
🌊 Provide technical expertise on marine and coastal issues to legislators
📋 Prepare timely reports on current coastal issues
🏛️ Build knowledge of the legislative process
🤝 Develop skills working with government agencies, resource organizations and other partners

Learn more about this opportunity and how to sign up for a Q&A discussion here: https://bit.ly/3KOT6tt

08/29/2026

Remember ? Welcome back to our special series highlighting Oregon Sea Grant fellows—students and recent grads gaining hands-on experience in marine science and policy. Kicking off the comeback is Cady Shaw!

"Hi! I'm a 2026 Oregon Sea Grant (ORSG) Research and Scholars Program Management Fellow. A key part of my fellowship is providing program management and assistance for the Summer Scholars and Oregon Applied Sustainability Internships (OASIS) programs. This includes helping direct the internship hiring cycle, creating outreach and communication materials, mentoring interns, and supporting ORSG research and administration any way that I can.

Prior to my fellowship, I was a 2025 ORSG Summer Scholar based in Newport, Oregon with MidCoast Watersheds Council. There, I conducted beaver resource and activity surveys throughout the central coastal range to help inform future beaver-based restoration efforts in Oregon. In December 2025, I graduated with a BS in environmental science from Western Washington University. As an undergraduate, I participated in research centered around wetlands ecology, oceanographical data science, and marine ecology. These topics nurtured my ongoing interest in coastal wetland restoration, agroecology, and estuarine processes in the context of anthropogenic forcing.

Being a Program Management Fellow for ORSG is providing me with continued experience in science communication, data management, and community building, all of which are essential aspects of my aspiring career in ecological research and community resilience. Besides, I couldn’t be happier to continue working alongside my Oregon Sea Grant family!"

Stay tuned each week to hear from the next generation of coastal leaders in their own words!

08/27/2026

“At the end of the day, you’re creating a better choice for them, for their pocket, and also for everyone’s conscience on marine debris, because it is a problem that is going to keep growing.”

We are so proud of the work our OASIS intern is doing! Read about Peeta Galicia's marine debris project for the City of Yachats in this Lincoln Chronicle article.

The OASIS program is funded by a Pollution Prevention grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and administered through Oregon Sea Grant and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The City of Yachats project is additionally funded by a NOAA Sea Grant Marine Debris Community Action Coalition grant awarded to Oregon Sea Grant.

Summer intern's study of waste at Yachats Commons events brings suggestions to protect environment

08/14/2026

What could you discover inside a single drop of water? Last month in Astoria, students at Consejo Hispano each explored water drops and the microscopic lifeforms living within them.

Using brand new digital compound microscopes available through the Oregon Coast STEM Hub Tillamook Lending Library, each student prepared a slide with a drop of water from Wh***ey Creek Shellfish Hatchery, located in Netarts Bay. Equipped with plankton ID guides, students identified the differences between zooplankton and phytoplankton with guidance from Nat Macias from OSU Extension Service Tillamook County and Rachel Freeman from the Oregon Coast STEM Hub.

After exploring their water drops, students created scientific illustrations of the plankton they saw. Then, using watercolor and salt, they finished their art works!

The Oregon Coast STEM Hub is managed by Oregon Sea Grant, a National Sea Grant College Program, and headquartered at Oregon State University’s OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center.

08/12/2026

Oregon's working waterfronts had a voice on Capitol Hill this summer!

Oregon Sea Grant’s Jessi Kershner was in Washington, D.C. recently with ORSG partner, Chef Maylin Chávez, owner of Nácar and co-founder of Shuck Portland, for Hill visits and a congressional briefing.

They met with staff from the offices of Wyden, Merkley, Hoyle and Bonamici to talk about how Oregon Sea Grant and local chefs work with seafood businesses to strengthen coastal economies and support working waterfront communities. They also brought along Oregon canned tuna, fish skin dog treats and fish bone broth—which were a hit!

Maylin then joined chefs from across the country for a well-attended congressional briefing moderated by Mark Risse, director of Georgia Sea Grant . The discussion focused on the chefs’ businesses, their partnerships with Sea Grant and what Congress should know about the value of seafood businesses to coastal communities.

Thank you, Chef Maylin, for representing Oregon’s seafood community in Washington, D.C.! 🌊🐟

Shuck Portland
Senator Ron Wyden
Senator Jeff Merkley
Val Hoyle
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici
UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant