The Coastal Fisheries & Communities Lab at SMEA published a new paper in the journal Aquaculture, which is available to read and download at this link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044848626006447?via%3Dihub. The paper documents the Gulf of Alaska mariculture industry at a pivotal moment in its development, as told through the perspectives of people whose knowledge, advocacy, and deep commitment have built new opportunities for their communities from the ground up. 

We are excited to welcome Dr. Shana Hirsch as the newest faculty member at SMEA. As a qualitative social scientist with a background in natural resource politics, policy, and management, Shana’s work explores how emerging technologies shape sustainability, environmental management, and climate resilience. Her research spans offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy, and the environmental monitoring and restoration

technologies, with a strong focus on how these innovations impact communities, policy, and equity.  

Tanya Pelach is a citizen of the Quinault Indian Nation and serves as Deputy Director of the Quinault Indian Nation’s Division of Natural Resources. In this role, she helps lead efforts to steward and protect Tribal lands, waters, and treaty-reserved resources, supporting the Nation’s long-term environmental and cultural priorities.
Before joining the Quinault Indian Nation, Tanya served as the Natural Resource Program Manager for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), where she worked on fisheries, forestry, and environmental policy issues affecting Tribal communities throughout the region. 

SMEA Associate Professor Dr. Sunny Jardine is a co-author of a newly published article in PLOS ONE, contributing to research that advances our understanding of environmental sustainability and resource management.
The publication highlights the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing complex environmental challenges and reflects SMEA’s commitment to producing impactful research that informs policy, management, and decision-making.
We congratulate Dr. Jardine and her co-authors on this accomplishment and are proud to celebrate the continued contributions of SMEA faculty to environmental scholarship. 

Three School of Marine and Environmental Affairs faculty members recently participated in the University of Washington College of the Environment’s inaugural Community-Engaged Research Symposium. The event brought together researchers, students, and community partners from across the College to showcase community-engaged research and foster new collaborations.
Representing SMEA were Professor Patrick Christie, Associate Professor Anne Beaudreau, and Professor of Practice Phil Levin. 

Congratulations to our soon-to-be grads for completing their Thesis and Capstone projects!
Check out their work below!

Thesis:

Anna Lewis
Beyond Supply Chains: A just mining index for assessing critical mineral sources (10 a.m.) Link

Justin Hirsch
Assessing the Prevalence of Forced Labor Indicators in the US North Pacific Albacore Tuna Fishery (10:30 a.m.) Link

Isaac Olson
Comparing ocean acidification communication strategies and effectiveness in marine education centers (2:30 p.m.) Link

Emma Klessig
How Countries Frame Their Climate Commitments: Explaining Cross-National Variation in NDC Policy Implementation Specificity (3 p.m.) Link

Hannah Brown
Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus Magister) molt data utility in life-stage linkages and abundance estimates in Puget Sound (10:30 a.m.) Link

Emily Bews
Predictive habitat suitability modeling of Nereocystis Luetkeana in San Juan County, WA (2 p.m.) Link

Meredith Dirkman
Economic Valuation of the Ecosystem Services Provided by Nereocystis Luetkeana in the Puget Sound (2:30 p.m.) Link

Marisa Campbell
A probabilistic framework for evaluating ship strike hazard and the effectiveness of vessel speed reduction policies (3 p.m.) Link

Maddie Gard
Blooming Concerns: Alexandrium Catenella in Puget Sound (3:30 p.m.) Link

Capstones:

Maya Ades, Sawyer Jenkins, and Dietrich Trumen
Assessing the Prevalence of Forced Labor Indicators in the US North Pacific Albacore Tuna Fishery (11 a.m.) Link

Rebecca Ballantyne, Margaret Jelsma, and Jane Wybenga
Tribal Perspectives on Offshore Wind Development & Tribal Benefit Agreements (11:50 a.m.) Link

Eitan Gerstle, Erica Mackenzie, and Elise Wilson-Leedy
Addressing Data Gaps and Coordination Challenges in Fish Barrier Removal in the South Whidbey Basin (1:45 p.m.) Link

Josh Hymes, Marrissa Scott, and Miriam Stearns
Communicating Subsistence Management to Broaden Pathways for Public Engagement in Southeast Alaska (11 a.m.) Link

Will Burnham and Zoe DeGrande
Taking Root: Reflections on Collaborative Food Forest Creation with Chief Leschi Schools (11:30 a.m.) Link 

This spring, Eitan Gerstle, 2nd year SMEA student, spent time in the Stillaguamish River estuary contributing to ongoing research on estuary restoration and its benefits for salmon and their prey.
Working as a research assistant with Dr. Anne Beaudreau, Eitan joined collaborators from The Nature Conservancy, Skagit River System Cooperative, and the Stillaguamish Tribe to help monitor ecological changes in restored estuarine habitats. 

SMEA alum Max Perkins has published his first lead-author paper in Ecosystem Services, titled “Exploring the disaster risk reduction and energy resilience benefits of coastal ecosystems and protected areas in Puerto Rico.” The paper was co-authored with SMEA Affiliate Faculty member Katir Arkema and colleagues.
In this research, Max applies a spatial model to identify where coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses help mitigate coastal hazard risks to nearshore energy infrastructure. 

A recent article in Nature, written by Aisling Irwin, highlights emerging advances in environmental DNA (eDNA), including research led by Ryan Kelly, professor at the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA).
Kelly’s work is helping to expand the frontiers of how scientists monitor and understand ecosystems. While eDNA has traditionally been collected from water or soil, his research demonstrates that DNA can also be captured from the air. 

SMEA affiliate faculty member Katie Arkema and SMEA graduate Max Perkins, alongside SMEA alumni Mikaela Freeman and Debbie Rose, have co-authored a new paper, Reimagining community-centered engagement to guide offshore wind planning and development.
Current approaches to community engagement in energy development often prioritize meeting minimum regulatory requirements, treating engagement as a procedural step rather than a meaningful process. This paper argues that more durable and effective energy solutions require shared power, transparency, and sustained relationships with communities.