Monthly Archives: January 2009

Salmon resilience featured in online journal

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Corvallis, Ore – Is there anything really new to be said about the prospects for salmon in the Pacific Northwest? Yes, says a group of experts, including several from Oregon State University (OSU); their new perspectives are collected in a special feature issue of the online journal Ecology and Society .

The special feature issue is titled “Pathways to Resilient Salmon Ecosystems”; access to the journal is free and open to the public.

Scientists, politicians, pundits and the public have been discussing the future of salmon since at least the 1870s, said Dan Bottom, an editor of the special issue and both a research fisheries biologist for NOAA Fisheries and courtesy faculty in the OSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

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Sea Grant Veterinarian Helps Control Virus in Koi Ponds

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Koi in a pondCORVALLIS, Ore. – Call him the koi doctor. An ichthyologist a la koi. The koi keeper’s confidant.

His patients are living works of art – brilliantly painted Picassos that swim in elaborate ponds and fetch up to $70,000 a piece. When disease strikes, the fallout can be disastrous, costing koi keepers in Oregon and around the world hundreds of thousands of dollars.

One half of a two-man SWAT team called in to render medical support for ornamental fish, Oregon State University’s Tim Miller-Morgan is a Sea Grant Extension veterinarian for aquatic pets, based at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Ore.

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OPB-OSG invasives program wins major broadcast award

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CORVALLIS – Columbia University has awarded Oregon Public Broadcasting a 2009 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for its Oregon Field Guide special, “The Silent Invasion.”

The documentary illustrates how invasive species are changing the environment in Oregon. It was produced by OPB in partnership with Oregon Sea Grant, which is based at Oregon State University, and by other organizations.

The award is considered the broadcast journalism equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize.

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Surveys about adapting to changing climate reveal coastal concerns

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Coastal officials and owners of coastal property in East and West coast states don’t need to be persuaded that climate change is happening. They believe that both government and individuals should begin taking action now to adapt to expected effects. These are among several insights from surveys conducted in Oregon and Maine by the Sea Grant programs in those states. The surveys, launched in parallel in early 2008, are believed to be the largest studies to date to focus on United States’ coastal populations and the challenge of adapting to the expected effects of coastal climate change, such as a rise in sea level.

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New publication examines the costs associated with invasive species

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Economics of Invasive SpeciesA new publication from Oregon Sea Grant, The Economics of Invasive Species, examines the costs associated with invasive species and shows how economics can help us understand the invasive species problem and the costs and benefits of different control measures. This publication is intended for members of the public, government agencies, industry, and nongovernmental organizations who are interested in enhancing their education about or increasing their involvement in preventing, eradicating, and controlling invasive species.

For more information about invasive species in general and this publication in particular, visit http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/themes/invasives/index.html