Alaska Sea Grant

07/28/2026

MEET KYLE !! 🧑‍💻📽️

Kyle Kolda is an Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow working with Alaska Sea Grant’s communications team. Kyle helps share the work behind Alaska’s marine science by creating videos, writing research stories and highlighting the people and communities working to better understand and steward Alaska’s coastal ecosystems. 🌊

Learn more about the Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship program via the 🔗 link in our bio.

07/21/2026

A Seward sojourn for new fellows 🩵

Alaska Sea Grant’s 2026 cohort of Community-Engaged Fellows kicked off their summer fellowships in memorable fashion with a three-day retreat in Seward. 🌲

Four of the six fellows attended the June retreat, which began with a videoconference presentation to the national network of Sea Grant community fellows. The fellows enjoyed a tour of the Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute (Chugach Regional Resources Commission) hosted by former Alaska Sea Grant State Fellow Jake Cohen, followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of the Alaska SeaLife Center. 🌊

The group held a barbecue where they discussed project ideas and heard career presentations from community partners in Seward. They wrapped up the retreat with a six-mile kayak paddle and natural history tour of Resurrection Bay, including a hike to Bridal Veil Waterfall. 💦

The event marked the start of the ten-week CEF program, which will see the fellows work on local research and education projects in towns from Nome to Petersburg, each mentored by one or more Alaska Sea Grant faculty members. 👩‍🏫

More information about Alaska Sea Grant’s Community-Engaged Fellowship program is available on our website 🔗 linked below.

🔗: https://alaskaseagrant.org/2026/07/a-seward-sojourn-for-new-fellows/

07/20/2026

From fungi to foam 🍄‍🟫

An innovative alternative to Styrofoam might be growing in your backyard. 👀

A team led by UAA: University of Alaska Anchorage researcher Philippe Amstislavski is exploring how mycelium, the root structure of fungi, can be grown into biodegradable materials that hold similar properties to Styrofoam. The innovation has the potential to replace the ubiquitous polystyrene foam, which can create significant plastic waste. 💪

"Our lab was created to address a public health problem through practical, applied science," Amstislavski said. "I've seen plastic debris and pollution in communities across Alaska. We depend heavily on plastic foams because we need insulation, but once the useful life of those products is over, they just stay." 👎

Styrofoam is an essential part of life in Alaska, used to insulate homes, ship seafood to market and deliver medicine. But it’s difficult to recycle, especially in Alaska. It can easily break apart, contributing to marine debris and plastic pollution. Its production and transportation also carry a substantial carbon footprint. 👣

Read the full story on our website 🔗 linked below. alaskaseagrant.org > News

🔗: https://alaskaseagrant.org/2026/07/from-fungi-to-foam/

07/16/2026

HEY PETERSBURG !! 👋

In honor of European Green Crab Awareness Day, join members
of the Petersburg community to look for shells from invasive European
green crabs on Mitkof Island. 🦀

Come to the Petersburg Indian Association (PIA) parking lot on TOMORROW Friday 7/17 at 10 am if you want to be involved! 🗓️

Information on how to identify these crabs and transportation to beach locations will be provided. 🔬

See you out there! 🤩

07/13/2026

Alaska Sea Grant shines at D.C. fish fry 🐟

Alaskan cod and rockfish don’t generally stray out of the state’s waters, but a select few of them recently made it all the way to Washington D.C. 🏛️

The two Alaskan delicacies topped the menu as Alaska Sea Grant representatives Chris Sannito and Rachel French manned the organization’s booth at the 2026 NOAA Great American Fish Festival. The event was held June 3 at the U.S. Department of Commerce near the National Mall. 🇺🇸

“The event really showcases how awesome our fish are up here,” said Sannito, a seafood technology specialist based in Kodiak. “You could see the Alaska booths were very popular, and I think it does a great job of getting the message out about our world-class fisheries." 💪

Read the full story on our website 🔗 linked below. alaskaseagrant.org > News

🔗: https://alaskaseagrant.org/2026/07/alaska-sea-grant-shines-at-d-c-fish-fry/

07/09/2026

07/06/2026