HMSC featured on Travel Oregon show

This week’s episode of “Grant’s Getaways,” a Travel Oregon video blog by Oregon broadcast journalist Grant McOmie, features OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center in Newport, where Sea Grant Extension educator Bill Hanshumaker talks about how the center connects fun with learning:

View the video at Travel Oregon’s Vimeo site).

New Oregon Sea Grant publication explores offshore aquaculture

Offshore Aquaculture book cover

Offshore aquaculture — the cultivation of fish and shellfish in the open ocean — has been practiced successfully for years in coastal waters around the world. However, offshore aquaculture is sparse in the United States and nonexistent in the Pacific Northwest, and the resulting seafood trade deficit is costing us billions of dollars per year.

So says a new publication from Oregon Sea Grant, Offshore Aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest, edited by Oregon State University fisheries professor Chris Langdon.

“The United States is far from sufficient in meeting its demands for seafood,” Langdon says. “Forty-five percent of our wild fish stocks are overfished, and we import about 80 percent of our seafood from other countries, at an annual cost of $13 billion. Clearly there is a need to develop additional sources of seafood.”

Offshore aquaculture may eventually prove to be one of those sources.

With support from NOAA and other federal and state agencies, Langdon says, offshore aquaculture projects have been established in a few regions of the United States. However, no such projects have been established in the Pacific Northwest.

Thus, last fall Langdon invited representatives of state and federal agencies, the media, research institutions, and coastal and fishing communities to Newport, Oregon, to evaluate the potential of offshore aquaculture in this region. Offshore Aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest presents the results of that forum, including recommendations for next steps in the discussion.

Copies of the 24-page publication may be downloaded at no charge from http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/onlinepubs.html#w08001, or purchased for $3.50 each plus shipping from Sea Grant Communications, 541-737-4849.

In addition, individual papers and presentations from Langdon’s offshore aquaculture forum are available as PDF documents and streaming video at http://oregonstate.edu/conferences/aquaculture2008.

Oregon Sea Grant’s Julie Howard publishes article about hypoxia

“In 2006, Oregon and Washington experienced the worst hypoxic event on record as near-shore oxygen levels dropped in some places to zero…”

So writes Julie Howard, Oregon Sea Grant program assistant, in the March/April 2009 edition of Oregon Coast magazine. Her article, “An Ocean without Oxygen,” goes on to describe some of the possible causes of hypoxia, the devastating effects, and how researchers and fishermen are collaborating to address the issue.

For more information about the hypoxia phenomenon, visit the Web site of the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO).

New publication examines the costs associated with invasive species

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

HMSC bookstore launches on-line marketplace

NEWPORT, Ore.  – Looking for the perfect holiday gift for your favorite beachcomber, birder or budding marine biologist? The Visitor Center Bookstore at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center may have just what you’re looking for in its new e-commerce store.

Part of the OSU Marketplace, the new outlet offers convenient, secure, on-line ordering for a selection of the bookstore’s most popular titles, including children’s books, field guides to ocean plants and animals, and marine science curriculum resources for teachers and home schoolers.

Bookstore manager Lynne Wright is adding additional product lines, from DVDs and posters to apparel, as time permits. “We see this as an additional way to serve our visitors and other long-time customers, as well as a means of reaching out to those who may not yet have had a chance to visit the Oregon coast,” Wright said.

The on-line store accepts orders from anywhere within the continental United States. Customers from Alaska or Hawaii, and those who wish to make bulk orders, should call the bookstore at (541) 867-0126 to arrange for the best shipping rates.

Proceeds from the bookstore help support public and k-12 marine education programs conducted at the HMSC Visitor Center by Oregon Sea Grant.

New Guide Can Answer Question: “Is That a Trawler or a Troller?”

Boats of the Oregon Coast

Visitors to the Oregon coast may find a new publication from Oregon Sea Grant useful when strolling the docks or watching commercial fishers at work.

Boats of the Oregon Coast, a pocket-size field guide, depicts and describes 18 different fishing and service vessels seen along the Oregon coast. The booklet’s drawings, concise descriptions and size make it ideal for port and marina tours from Astoria to Brookings.

Also included in the 52-page booklet is a short history of Oregon fisheries, illustrated with historic photos and accompanied by a timeline of important dates in the development of Oregon’s commercial fishing industry.

Copies may be purchased for $4.95 each plus $1 shipping and handling from Sea Grant Communications, 541-737-4849, or from our e-commerce store on the Web. It is also available in several bookstores and gift shops along the coast.

Boats of the Oregon Coast was illustrated by Stefania Padalino and written by Oregon State University Sea Grant Extension faculty Pat Corcoran, Ginny Goblirsch, Paul Heikkila, Kaety Hildenbrand, Steve Theberge, Michael Thompson and Jim Waldvogel.

New publications available from Oregon Sea Grant

The following publications are available from
http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/newpubs.html

Barriers and Opportunities for Low Impact Development: Case Studies from Three Oregon Communities

GardenSmart Oregon: a guide to non-invasive plants

On the Lookout for Aquatic Invaders: Identification Guide for the Pacific Northwest

Oregon Coastal Access Guide: A Mile-by-Mile Guide to Scenic and Recreational Attractions (2nd edition)

Proceedings of the West Coast Symposium on the Effects of Tide Gates on Estuarine Habitats and Fishes

New Oregon Sea Grant publication explores low impact development

Many Oregon communities are facing rapid population growth and increases in housing and industrial construction, without a matching increase in the resources necessary to manage such growth and make wise land use decisions. One result may be added stress from increased stormwater runoff on already overtaxed water management systems.

To help communities address such issues, Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University (OSU) has published Barriers and Opportunities for Low Impact Development: Case Studies from Three Oregon Communities.

More information: http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/communications/releases.html#lowimpact