OSU Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences

OSU Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences Empowering future scientists through interdisciplinary education, research, and hands-on experience.

We’re excited to share that Dr. Seth White, associate professor in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, has b...
09/03/2026

We’re excited to share that Dr. Seth White, associate professor in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, has been named interim director of Oregon State University’s John L. Fryer Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL)!

In this two-year appointment, Dr. White will provide leadership for the laboratory’s operations, personnel, research growth and collaborations across OSU and with external partners.

Dr. White’s research focuses on hatchery science, captive rearing, and the health and recovery of imperiled freshwater and anadromous fish populations. His work includes research on Shortnose and Lost River suckers at AAHL, as well as efforts to improve the fitness of hatchery salmon through novel rearing strategies. His broader research explores salmon dispersal, straying and homing, and the impacts of climate change on hatchery and wild fish populations.

A longtime fisheries researcher and mentor, Dr. White brings extensive experience in aquatic animal health, hatchery research and collaboration with tribal governments and co-managers to this new role.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. White on his new leadership role and wishing him success as he helps advance the important work of the Fryer Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory!

Tech Tuesday: How can scientists study whales by listening to the ocean?🌊Sound travels much farther than light underwate...
09/01/2026

Tech Tuesday: How can scientists study whales by listening to the ocean?🌊

Sound travels much farther than light underwater, making sound one of the most powerful tools scientists can use to study marine animals.

Researchers at Marine Mammal Institute - Oregon State University are using ocean gliders equipped with hydrophones and acoustic sensors to “listen in” on the underwater world and better understand where whales are and how they use the ocean.

These slow-moving, quiet, buoyancy-driven drones can travel for months at a time, collecting acoustic data across vast areas of the ocean. A typical glider mission can last about two months and cover roughly 1,200 kilometers, allowing researchers to gather information that would otherwise require costly and time-intensive boat surveys.

By recording whale sounds, researchers can study where cetaceans occur, how their distribution changes over time and space, and estimate population densities. This is especially valuable for studying threatened and endangered whale species. 🐋🔊

Happy International Dog Day! 🐕🐺Meet some of the conservation detection dogs helping FWCS researchers study wolves across...
08/26/2026

Happy International Dog Day! 🐕🐺

Meet some of the conservation detection dogs helping FWCS researchers study wolves across 25 islands in Southeast Alaska!

The Island Wolf Project uses f***l DNA to identify individual wolves and learn more about their diets. To find wolf s**t in dense vegetation, along roadsides and on game trails, researchers work with conservation detection dogs trained by K9 Conservationists.

Dogs like Barley, Niffler and Skipper have an incredible nose for the job. They can locate s**t that would be nearly impossible for humans to find, helping researchers increase their sample sizes and reduce potential sampling bias.

A very good example of dogs putting their noses to work for conservation! 🐾🔬

📸 Kayla Fratt (cofounder K9 Conservationists)

Looking to add a four-legged friend to your family? Consider supporting your local animal shelter and adopting a dog in need!

Here in Corvallis, that could mean checking out the dogs available through Heartland Humane Shelter & Care 🐾❤️

Oregon’s aquaculture industry may be small, but there’s growing momentum to help it develop responsibly! 🦪🌿Oregon Sea Gr...
08/20/2026

Oregon’s aquaculture industry may be small, but there’s growing momentum to help it develop responsibly! 🦪🌿

Oregon Sea Grant Extension is expanding its support for aquaculture and mariculture, helping coastal communities, growers, researchers and managers navigate opportunities and challenges around shellfish and seaweed farming.

FWCS Assistant Professor of Practice and Oregon Sea Grant Marine Extension Specialist Angee Doerr has played a key role in rebuilding this work since 2019, helping identify barriers and opportunities for Oregon’s aquaculture industry.

Now, Coastal Mariculture Extension Specialist Alex Marquardt is building on that foundation, working with growers, researchers and community partners to advance sustainable aquaculture along the Oregon Coast.

From supporting existing growers to exploring restorative mariculture, this work is helping Oregon consider how aquaculture can contribute to coastal economies while supporting healthy marine ecosystems. 🌊

Read the story here: beav.es/Yco

📸 Alex Marquardt

Tech in Conservation: What if scientists could study seabird nests by “smelling” the air inside them?🤔 For this Tech Tue...
08/18/2026

Tech in Conservation: What if scientists could study seabird nests by “smelling” the air inside them?🤔

For this Tech Tuesday, we’re highlighting a new approach to studying one of the ocean’s most secretive seabirds: the Leach’s Storm-Petrel.

🪿OSU doctoral student Jackie Matthews is pioneering the use of an electronic nose, or eNose, to detect chemical signals in the nesting burrows of Leach’s Storm-Petrels. These small seabirds nest underground and come and go at night, making them especially difficult to study.

🪹 Traditional nest inspections can disturb breeding birds and may even cause them to abandon a nest. Jackie’s research is exploring whether chemical compounds in burrow air could help researchers identify active nests and potentially provide information about what’s happening inside--all without having to physically inspect the burrow.

Working with Donald E. Lyons, Director of Conservation Science for Audubon’s Seabird Institute and FWCS Assistant Professor Senior Research, Jackie is exploring how eNose technology could uncover new, non-invasive ways to better understand and conserve these secretive seabirds!

International Friendship Day (July 30) may have come and gone, but it’s never too late to celebrate! A new review co-led...
08/12/2026

International Friendship Day (July 30) may have come and gone, but it’s never too late to celebrate!

A new review co-led by Marine Mammal Institute - Oregon State University highlights how cooperation and communication can cross even species boundaries.

Published in Animal Behavior, the study examined interspecies cooperation ranging from cleaner fish removing parasites, to ants protecting butterfly larvae, to humans working with honeyguide birds to locate bee nests.

Across these interactions, researchers found that communication through cues and signals is key to helping animals coordinate and cooperate in real time.

“Communication through cues and signals plays an important role in this relatively rare interaction; this helps animals work together in the moment,” said Kyra Bankhead, a doctoral student at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute and co-author of the study.

From sounds and movements to other behavioral signals, animals exchange information that helps them work together for mutual benefit, whether finding food, avoiding predators, or removing parasites.

🐬 Even human–dolphin cooperative fishing reflects this dynamic, with dolphins signaling when fish are present so nets can be cast at just the right moment (as seen in this photo).

A reminder that “friendship” in nature often looks like cooperation built on communication, sometimes across very different species. 🤝

Read the story here: beav.es/Yi8

Tech in Conservation: How can scientists study wildlife without ever having to handle the animals? 🐬 Continuing our seri...
08/11/2026

Tech in Conservation: How can scientists study wildlife without ever having to handle the animals? 🐬

Continuing our series with a groundbreaking study from Marine Mammal Institute - Oregon State University examining how environmental DNA (eDNA) collected from seawater can be used to monitor dolphin populations.

By analyzing DNA naturally shed into the ocean, researchers were able to assess genetic diversity in multiple dolphin species off Southern California without handling the animals.

The approach offers a non-invasive way to study population health and could help improve how scientists monitor marine mammals and understand responses to environmental change.

Read the story here: beav.es/YiR

We’re continuing to celebrate Shark Week with more research from Oregon State University’s Big Fish Lab. 🦈 Featured on O...
07/30/2026

We’re continuing to celebrate Shark Week with more research from Oregon State University’s Big Fish Lab. 🦈

Featured on Oregon Field Guide, this story explores what happens when researchers go looking for sharks in Oregon’s coastal waters.

Researchers studying broadnose sevengill sharks in Willapa Bay are discovering just how important these predators are to the ecosystem.

By combining tagging, ultrasound and nonlethal sampling methods, the team is learning where these sharks go, what they eat and how they fit into the Pacific Northwest food web.

From ancient predators to ecosystem indicators, sevengill sharks are helping researchers better understand what makes a healthy ocean.

👉 Watch the full story: beav.es/YZW

Shark Week is here! We’re celebrating by highlighting the tools and technologies helping researchers uncover the hidden ...
07/28/2026

Shark Week is here! We’re celebrating by highlighting the tools and technologies helping researchers uncover the hidden lives of sharks.

Tech Tuesday: How do you perform an ultrasound on a shark in the wild? 🦈🩺

For this week’s Tech Tuesday, we’re diving into how emerging technologies are helping researchers better understand shark reproduction and conservation.

Researchers from the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES), Big Fish Lab and the Cayman Islands Department of Environment are using portable veterinary ultrasound and satellite tagging technology to better understand shark reproduction.

OSU PhD candidate Kirsty Ballard recently helped confirm a pregnancy in a Caribbean reef shark using ultrasound, allowing researchers to identify three near full-term pups before safely deploying a specialized Birth-Alert Tag (BAT)--the first deployment of its kind in the project.

The BAT remains with the developing pups until birth, when it is naturally expelled and floats to the surface, transmitting the exact time and location of the birth via satellite. Researchers also attached a pop-up satellite archival tag (PSAT) to track the mother's movements before and after giving birth.

Together, these technologies are providing an unprecedented look at where Caribbean reef sharks give birth and how they use coastal habitats during pregnancy, helping scientists identify critical nursery areas and inform shark conservation.

👉 Read more: https://beav.es/Yzn

🦈 Shark Week starts tomorrow, but today we’re spotlighting one of sharks’ closest relatives: rays!New research from FWCS...
07/25/2026

🦈 Shark Week starts tomorrow, but today we’re spotlighting one of sharks’ closest relatives: rays!

New research from FWCS reveals that frightened bat rays can warn others of danger using chemical cues in the water--a behavior never documented before in cartilaginous fish.

The research was led by Joshua Bowman, who conducted the study as part of his master's degree in OSU's Big Fish Lab and now serves as a faculty research assistant at Hatfield Marine Science Center.

By studying bat rays, Bowman and his collaborators discovered the first evidence of chemical disturbance cues in cartilaginous fish--a group that includes rays, sharks and skates. The findings could help researchers better understand how sharks and other marine species communicate and respond to predators in the wild.

Published in the Journal of Experimental Zoology, the study highlights the innovative marine research taking place at Oregon State's Big Fish Lab, based at Hatfield Marine Science Center.

👉 Read the story here: beav.es/ftp

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