AMSFCC August Newsletter

The Alaska Marine Science & Fisheries Coalition has a bunch of exciting things to share from this summer! Check out our August newsletter to see what our VISTA did this summer, how the AMSFCC funded internships went, and find out who joined the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

AMSFCC's intern in Sitka

Taylor White was an intern at the Sitka Sound Science Center in Sitka. Learn more about her summer adventures and future plans in the interview below.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in beautiful Sitka, Alaska. I am lucky enough to have grow up in tide pools and salty waves.

What is your educational background?

Hailing from a small island community, I didn’t have many options in accordance to schooling. I attended the local school system, including the public high school Sitka High. I graduated in 2009 and am now working on my undergraduate degree in Biology-Environmental Studies at Whitman College.

What got you interested in the marine sciences/fisheries?

The intertidal biodiversity and beauty here in Sitka is what initially had me interested in marine science. Growing up I wanted to know the names of all the animals and who ate who. Going to the beach never got old for me and my enthusiasm for such simple creatures as a ochre star is what motivated me to research more on the topic.

Interests:

I enjoy adventuring or basically any activity involving the discovery of the outdoors including hiking, snorkeling, diving, kayaking and swimming. I’m particularly interested in marine invertebrates in the Pacific Northwest and like learning more about them via these modes of exploration.

Career Goals:

At the moment I hope to finish my Biology - Environmental Studies undergraduate degree at Whitman College then travel to see the vast shores of other oceans. Eventually I hope to focus on some mode of marine science and go to graduate school and obtain a career in the field of my marine science. I could image myself working on intertidal surveys, but I also might branch out to drug designs based on invertebrate compounds or conservation biology and related research.

What are your primary responsibilities at your internship?

The duties of my internship here involve/ have involved being an instructor at the Sitka Sound Science Center’s Marine Science Summer Camp, basic maintenance of the aquarium, tour giving (which requires some expertise as to what the small tanks and touch tanks contain), collecting for the aquarium (this includes snorkeling and kayaking to collect), helping update the Sitka Sound Science Center’s Facebook page, maintaining an internship blog for Seagrant, helping with a killer whale bone articulation project, and assisting with any other projects the Science Center takes on.

Favorite memory or what you like most about your internship

Snorkeling to collect is both one of my favorite activities as well as the cause for one of my favorite memories here. I was snorkeling a beach on the road system on a dismally rainy day. It was 7 am and I wasn’t sure I wanted to jump into our frigid waters, but as soon as I did the clouds broke and the sun shone through the water revealing all sorts of colorful rockfish nearly blending with the pink coralline encrusted rocks. It was the perfect day for collecting and I didn’t even know it. Moments like these remind me of why I wake up at 6 in the morning and why I love this cold salty coast and all its critters.

How has living on the coast and/or being an Alaska Native influenced your occupational choice?

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve grown up with my head in tide pools and have always found myself interested in all things marine from intertidal critters to SCUBA diving. The particular coast I live on has evolved throughout my life so that I have been able to see, first hand, the human impacts on the intertidal environment. First a dock was put in near my home, then a fueling station, and finally a cruise ship dock. All the while I collected odd ends of trash that clearly floated on many currents only to wash up on my doorstep. The obvious and avoidable destruction of places that were once pristine is another reason I am so driven to know all there is to know about this environment and how to preserve the intertidal ecosystem.

What helped you get to where you are today and/or what roadblocks did you have to over come?

My desire to be involved in the intertidal meant that I signed up for a volunteer position at the local aquarium (the Molly Algren Aquarium which was later absorbed by the SSSC). I volunteered for two years here with other jobs on the side, but then I was able to join the staff as an intern. Now I’m involved in a lot of the research and projects the Sitka Sound Science Center is covering. Going to school, away from an ocean, where many of the students come from large cities and private schools, was difficult at first for me. However, I soon realized that so long as I invest time both in the intertidal (during breaks) and in school (studying basic biology) I still am working toward a career in marine science.

Any advice for young coastal Alaskan's who are interested in the marine sciences and fisheries?

Definitely - You are living in an place that is at the forefront of changes to the environment due to ocean acidification, rising temperatures, overfishing, etc. Therefore you have the first hand knowledge of what needs to be preserved and are lucky enough to be surrounded by marine labs and scientists. Talk to these people. Share your concerns and get involved. If you have a passion for your environment then there’s no stopping you. Who else would know how to better protect it?

AMSFCC's intern in Kodiak

Paige Papineau worked on marine mammal research with UAF researchers, Kate Wynne and Bree Witteveen, in Kodiak. Check out the interview below to learn more!

Where did you grow up?

I was a coasty kid but didn’t move around a whole lot. I was born in Port Huron, MI then moved to Hawaii until the age of three and then up to Kodiak, AK. I consider myself a Kodiak Kid because I feel living here has shaped me the way I am.

What is your educational background?

Graduated from Kodiak High School in 2010 and I am currently pursuing my bachelors in Marine Biology at Hawaii Pacific University.

What got you interested in the marine sciences/fisheries?

Living along the coast near the ocean got me hooked on marine science. I was and still am fascinated with the creatures and how they adapt and respond to their environment.

Interests:

I am interested in traveling and culture. I love to travel and experience new culture and the way they view the world compared to us.

Career Goals:

I hope to obtain my bachelors’ degree and come back to Alaska to work in the fishing and marine field while later on obtaining my Masters and further down the line my PH.D.

What are your primary responsibilities at your internship?

The primary responsibilities of my internship at Fish Tech were photo identification, preparing lab samples, entering data into excel spread sheets, and helping other facility along with photoing flukes and dorsals when out on the boat.

Favorite memory or what you like most about your internship

My favorite memory of my internship was when we were out on the water and just before we got to Chiniak we saw a breacher followed be peck slaps and while we were circling them trying to take photos a female humpback started gulp feeding. It was amazing to watch such magnificent creatures in their own habitat and see just how enormous they are.

How has living on the coast and/or being an Alaska Native influenced your occupational choice?

Living along the coast in Alaska has molded my career choices dramatically, it’s very rare that people in landlocked states want to study marine biology and my friends down at HPU who are trying have a very hard time connecting to the ocean and it’s ways because saltwater isn’t in their veins and the ocean isn’t a big deal back home. For me I want to stay in Alaska and fisheries runs our state mainly so living where the ocean means so much is such a blessing.

What helped you get to where you are today and/or what roadblocks did you have to over come?

My family has helped me get to where I am today. They have and still support my decision to go to college. Without them I wouldn’t be as strong willed as I am now to finish my degree.

Any advice for young coastal Alaskan's who are interested in the marine sciences and fisheries?

Make sure this is the career you want before diving head first in school. Many of my friends at HPU that this was for them but after a year or two they are just now figuring out it isn’t for them. Take on summer jobs in the field and just enjoy yourself. And remember marine science isn’t always fun and games, you have to get down and dirty outside as well as in the office.