May 10, 2020

Copper River Sockeye Salmon Size Predicts Migratory Success

2019 data analyzed for preliminary results of migration study  By Teal Barmore, May 11, 2020 During the summer of 2015, the commercial fishing community in Cordova, […]
May 6, 2020

High Herring Abundance in Prince William Sound

Ideal conditions for a large year class, but don’t get your hopes up…yet. By Lauren Bien, May 6, 2020 PWSSC Research Ecologist, Pete Rand, returned to […]
April 27, 2020

New Research Plan

Science Center’s Focus on Resilience Reflected in New Research Plan By Teal Barmore, April 27, 2020 The theme of resilience emanates from the new research plan […]
April 24, 2020

Science center picks architect for new campus

Undeterred by pandemic, construction project nears funding goal By Zachary Snowdon Smith, April 14, 2019 for The Cordova Times Feature Photo: Prince William Sound Science Center’s harborside […]
March 31, 2020

Copper River Salmon Meetings

Salmon researchers participate in Copper River Basin Symposium and Copper River Salmon Harvesters Roundtable By Teal Barmore, March 30, 2020 In late February, Prince William Sound […]
March 30, 2020

Herring Migration in Prince William Sound

Where are the herring going? By Arissa Pearson, March 30, 2020 Implanting Prince William Sound fish with acoustic tags has opened up a new realm of […]
March 27, 2020

PWSSC COVID-19 Update

Dear Friends, We are thinking of you and your loved ones, as well as everyone impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The ramifications within our communities will, […]
March 23, 2020
Prince William Sound Pacific herring spawn event

Hydroacoustic Spawning Biomass Surveys

Hydroacoustic spawning biomass surveys of Pacific herring By Teal Barmore, March 23, 2020 Every spring, researchers from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the […]
March 16, 2020

Cordova at the 2020 Alaska Tsunami Bowl

Cordova’s Backstreet Buoys have another great showing at Alaska’s Tsunami Bowl By Lauren Bien March 16, 2020 Cordova’s team, The Backstreet Buoys, made another impressive appearance […]
February 27, 2020

Middleton Island Puffins

Discovering ocean habitat use by seabirds during winter thanks to advances in tracking technology By Teal Barmore, February 27, 2020 Researchers at Prince William Sound Science […]
February 10, 2020

In search of the elusive ice worm

PWSSC and U.S. Forest Service Lead Hikers to Sheridan Glacier By Zachary Snowdon Smith, February 2, 2020 for The Cordova Times Photo by Zachary Snowdon Smith For […]
January 30, 2020

Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2020

Where have all the researchers gone? By Arissa Pearson, January 28, 2020 Monday mornings are normally full of researchers running around getting prepared for the week, […]
January 28, 2020

Winter Adventures in Astronomy

SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS USE SNOWSHOES, TRIPODS, AND CAMERAS TO EXPLORE THE NIGHT SKY By Nicole Webster, January 28, 2020 Earlier this month, despite single-digit temperatures and […]
January 17, 2020

Hatchery-Wild Project Extended

Field work for Hatchery-Wild has been extended for another year By Arissa Pearson, January 17, 2020 Feature photo by Pete Rand December 2019 brought news that […]
January 16, 2020

Science center moving to expansive new campus

Current facility plagued by cramped lab space, wobbly dock pilings By Zachary Snowdon Smith, October 27, 2019 for The Cordova Times Feature Photo: Oceanographer Rob Campbell […]
January 16, 2020

Science center eligible for $40,000 in matching donations

Donations from residents will help build new campus By Zachary Snowdon Smith, January 12, 2020 for The Cordova Times Photo by Teal Barmore Prince William Sound Science […]
December 30, 2019

Best of 2019

Top News Features 1) HATCHERY WILD FIELD SEASON 2019 FIELD SEASON MARKED BY LOW FLOW AND HIGH PRE-SPAWN MORTALITY It was a strange summer for the […]
December 27, 2019

Herring Synthesis

Making a case for herring research: 2019 Synthesis presents disease tracking breakthroughs and environmental correlations By Teal Barmore, December 27, 2019 The Prince William Sound Science […]
December 5, 2019

Hydroponics In Our Schools

New Discovery Room theme connects second grade students to their food By Teal Barmore, December 5, 2019 Second grade students at Mt. Eccles Elementary shifted in […]
November 22, 2019

Anne to Antarctica 2019

PWSSC Research Assistant to use her bird research skills in the Southern Hemisphere By Teal Barmore, November 25, 2019 Photos by Anne Schaefer Prince William Sound […]
November 14, 2019

Hatchery Wild field season 2019

Field Season Marked by Low Flow and High Pre-spawn Mortality By Teal Barmore, November 13, 2019 Aerial photo by Brad von Wichman It was a strange […]
October 24, 2019

Marine Heat Wave Update

Marine Temperatures Anomalies Doubled Previous Records By Teal Barmore, October 24, 2019 A mild winter followed by an abnormally calm and sunny summer this year led […]
October 17, 2019

Sockeye Energetics

Copper River Sockeye Salmon Project Motivated by its Potential to Inform Management in the Face of a Changing Climate By Teal Barmore, October 17, 2019 During […]
September 24, 2019

Russian Wild Salmon Exchange

By Kinsey Justa, September 24, 2019 Last week, Prince William Sound Science Center staff hosted visitors from the Russian Far East. This group of six visitors […]
September 12, 2019

Science Literacy: Fostering Resilience for the Future

  By Kinsey Justa, September 12, 2019 It’s back to school for children in Cordova! The Prince William Sound Science Center is committed to building resilience […]
August 21, 2019

Plankton Photomicrography 

By Kinsey Justa, August 21, 2019 Monitoring and understanding the rich diversity of biological resources in Prince William Sound is an important part of the Prince […]
July 22, 2019

Glaucous-winged Gulls and Avian Influenza

By Kinsey Justa, July 22, 2019 During the summer months, Cordova’s seasonal population grows significantly and not just with people. Each year an influx of Glaucous-winged […]
July 5, 2019

Tufted Puffin Update

By Kinsey Justa, July 5, 2019 Prince William Sound Science Center scientists Kristen Gorman and Anne Schaefer recently returned from Middleton Island where they were retrieving […]
June 21, 2019

Hands on with ROVs

By Kinsey Justa, June 21, 2019 Among the many engaging education programs at PWSSC, perhaps one of the more unique is the hands-on ROV program. An […]
May 16, 2019

2019 Lower Copper Sonar

  By Kinsey Justa, May 16, 2019 Earlier this month, Dr. Rob Campbell and his team of seasonal research technicians set the lower Copper River sonars […]
April 16, 2019

Herring Spawn

Herring Return Earlier and more Abundant than Expected By Teal Barmore, April 16, 2019 Researchers in the Herring Research and Monitoring (HRM) program were caught off […]
March 27, 2019

Marine Heat Wave

High-Pressure Systems Lead to Warm Water in the North Pacific By Teal Barmore, March 27, 2019 Abnormally warm sea surface temperatures across the North Pacific have […]
March 12, 2019

Caspian Terns

The Rapid Growth and Decline of the Caspian Tern Colony on the Copper River Delta By Teal Barmore, March 12, 2019 The discovery of a Caspian […]
March 12, 2019

Land Purchase

PWSSC Finalizes Land Purchase for a New Location March 12, 2019 Did you know the Science Center occupies eight rented facilities in Cordova? After nearly 30 […]
March 12, 2019

NOSB

Cordova Team Places First in Project Portion of NOSB   March 12, 2019 The all-female National Ocean Sciences Bowl team, coached by PWSSC Education Director, Lauren […]
February 25, 2019

Stewards present at AFE

The culmination of another successful year for the Copper River Stewardship Program February 25, 2019 Eight students from the 2018 Copper River Stewardship Program presented at the Alaska […]
February 25, 2019

Pacific Cod Migration

Tagging Research Produced Interesting Results By Teal Barmore, February 25, 2019 Deep in the waters of Prince William Sound; large, light gray-brown fish with blotches and […]
February 13, 2019

For the Love of Herring

Maya Groner Shares All There is to Love About her Ichthyophonus Research   By Teal Barmore, February 13, 2019 Icthyophonus is a pathogen that affects the heart and […]
January 25, 2019

Alaska Marine Science Symposium

PWSSC researchers benefit from opportunities to present and network at AMSS By Teal Barmore, January 25, 2019 At the end of January, researchers from the Prince […]
January 14, 2019

Status of PWS Herring

Aerial herring surveys show record low biomass By Teal Barmore, January 14, 2019 The white color of herring milt allows researchers to use its prevalence as […]
December 12, 2018

Locations of PWS acoustic arrays

***The point of contact for these moorings is Mary Anne Bishop (907) 424-5800 x 228 or Ben Gray (907) 424-5800 x 234 *** To download the […]
November 26, 2018

Oil Spill Recovery Institute

OSRI Celebrates 20 years of Funding Research By Teal Barmore, November 26, 2018 If you have been to our location on Breakwater Avenue in Cordova, you […]
November 5, 2018

Phytoplankton Monitoring

New Funding adds Phytoplankton Monitoring to Prince William Sound Oceanographic Monitoring Program By Teal Barmore, November 5th, 2018 With new funding from the North Pacific Research […]
October 25, 2018

Discovery Room 2018/19

Discovery Room introduces more Cordova students than ever this year to their sense of place. By Teal Barmore For 26 years, Prince William Sound Science Center’s education […]
October 10, 2018

2018 Tufted Puffin Field Work Photo Highlights

Prince William Sound Science Center researchers Dr. Kristen Gorman and Anne Schaefer spent two weeks at the end of July and beginning of August on Middleton […]
October 10, 2018

Overwinter Ecology Study of Tufted Puffins

By Teal Barmore, October 10, 2019 Seventy miles offshore in the middle of the Gulf of Alaska, at the edge of the continental shelf, sits Middleton […]
September 13, 2018

Pacific Herring Response to Predators

Dr. Pete Rand publishes work on Prince William Sound Pacific herring’s response to predators. By Teal Barmore The spring spawning event of Pacific herring in Prince […]
August 23, 2018

Anchorage Reception

[one_third_last] When? Friday, October 5 5:30 to 7:30 PM [/one_third_last]   [one_third_last] Where? Simon & Seafort’s Room 49 420 L Street Anchorage, AK 99501 [/one_third_last]   […]
August 16, 2018

Summer Education Wrap-up

By Lindsay Phillips Lauren Bien, education coordinator for the Science Center is wrapping up another eventful summer full of programs for children of all ages, including: […]
August 15, 2018

Alaska Hatchery Research Project

By Lindsay Phillips and Pete Rand The Prince William Sound Science Center has recently started field sampling for the 2018 season of the Alaska Hatchery Research Project […]
May 28, 2018

Studies of Reproductive Maturity among Age Cohorts of Pacific Herring

By Dr. Kristen Gorman  Photos by Teal Barmore  As part of the Herring Research and Monitoring (HRM) Program, a collaborative group of scientists from Prince William Sound Science […]
May 21, 2018

Shorebird Sampling for Avian Influenza

Photo Highlights by Teal Barmore For the third year in a row, researchers from the Prince William Sound Science Center and Tufts University captured, sampled, and […]
May 21, 2018

Lower Copper River Sonar Station Installation

Photo Highlights by Dr. Rob Campbell Dr. Rob Campbell and his two technicians, April Richards and Kevin Absil, installed the lower Copper River sonar station in mid-May, a project […]
May 1, 2018

Jig a Jig Jig –  Tagging Herring in Spring  

By Dr. Mary Anne Bishop   Photos by Ben Gray unless otherwise noted. Pacific herring, a small forage fish, has long been considered sensitive to handling.  As a result, there […]
April 17, 2018
PWS Acoustic Biomass Surveys

Photo Highlights by David Janka of Auklet Charters

David Janka has been doing acoustic biomass surveys with the Prince William Sound Science Center since 2007. This spring during the spawning biomass surveys he covered 713 nautical […]
April 15, 2018
Naked Island Weather Buoy

Weather Buoy Photo Highlights by Dr. Rob Campbell 

Last weekend, Dr. Rob Campbell deployed a new weather buoy in western PWS, about five miles due east of Naked Island. The buoy was deployed as […]
March 20, 2018
Ice Sheets to Oceans: Linkages between Changing Watersheds and the Northern Gulf of Alaska

PWSSC Staff present at the Copper River Delta Science Symposium

From March 27 to 29, researchers and educators from the Prince William Sound Science Center will be presenting their work to other researchers, decision makers, and […]
March 1, 2018

Cordova Sea Squirts upcoming program

Join us for some hands-on adventuring that is sure to get your preschooler thinking like a scientist! Who: Kids ages 3-5 (Caregivers must attend) Where: Education Room […]
February 27, 2018

Ocean Tracking Network Research Cruise

For the last 10 years, the Prince William Sound Science Center has maintained underwater acoustic arrays, a technology to tag and track marine animals, in Prince […]
February 27, 2018

Cordova teams win big at Alaska’s Tsunami Bowl

Imagine this:      You’re sitting at a table with three teammates; the opposing team sits at the table next to yours. Both teams sit quietly, […]
January 31, 2018

COASST Training Session

Join the conversation on the future of bird tagging on the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) blog. Representatives from COASST will be in Cordova […]
January 19, 2018

PWSSC Staff represent their work at AMSS

On Monday January 22, Prince William Sound Science Center staff will join over 700 scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and members of the public for Alaska’s […]
December 5, 2017

Citizen Science Opportunity in Cordova

Do you like to visit shorelines around Cordova? Are you interested in seabirds and helping collect data that can support scientists’ ability to evaluate changes in […]
October 16, 2017

Cordova Sea Squirts

Our education team is excited to announce a new, monthly series: CORDOVA SEA SQUIRTS! Join us for some hands-on adventuring that is sure to get your […]
October 11, 2017

“The Blob” with Dr. Rob

This new film explores “The Blob,” a warm water anomaly that started in the Gulf of Alaska and later spread up and down the coast of […]
September 22, 2017

Copper River Stewardship Lessons in Haiku

By Robin Mayo, for The Cordova Times As the school year begins, Copper River Stewardship Program participants are completing their final projects inspired by their summer […]
June 21, 2017

Copper River Salmon & Climate Change

Prince William Sound Science Center researchers work on the front lines of climate change to address the most pressing salmon issues of our time.   Related […]
June 7, 2017

2016 ANNUAL REPORT: RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, RESILIENT PLANET

OIL SPILLS. EARTHQUAKES. CLIMATE CHANGE. MELTING GLACIERS. FIRES. ECONOMIC DOWNTURNS. VANISHED FISHERIES. We’ve been through a lot here amongst the world’s richest waters. Yet, through generations, […]
June 6, 2017

Discovering Cordova

  Discover Cordova-Connecting kids to their natural environment with exploration, science, and fun. Discover Cordova, a Prince William Sound Science Center educational program, is designed to […]
April 18, 2017

Lingering Oil Intertidal Zone download

Earth Day is on April 22, 2017, which coincides with the Science Center’s 28th anniversary. We wanted to highlight and share this drawing that research assistant, […]
March 10, 2017

Seeking adventurous youth for the 2017 Copper River Stewardship Program

By Lauren Bien, for The Cordova Times The Copper River Watershed: one of the last remaining intact watersheds in North America, 26,500 square miles of diverse […]
February 6, 2017

The Next Generation, A Changing World

We’re grateful. In these uncertain times, so many of you have showed up recently to support our work in the world’s richest waters. Thank you. Generating […]
October 31, 2016

Forage Fish Surveys

The Herring Research and Monitoring program is conducting aerial surveys during June and July for forage fish in Prince William Sound.  The focus of the June […]
October 11, 2016

New Education Coordinator Arrives in Cordova

We are please to announce that Lauren Bien joined our staff in August 2015. She has a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from Wittenberg University in […]
August 25, 2016

Alaska Bird Conference in Cordova

Registration in now open for the Alaska Bird Conference! The first Alaska Bird Conference was held in 1985, in Anchorage. It grew from the often-expressed need […]
August 22, 2016

Russian Biologist ‘On Exchange’ In Prince William Sound

Originally published in the 9/5/16 edition of The Cordova Times. When asked about the similarities between Cordova and her home in Russia, she laughed as she […]
August 9, 2016

Seabirds Bring Scientists Together

In explaining the importance of this project, Schaefer says that “monitoring seabirds tells something about what’s happening in the ocean.” Scientists often use indicator species as […]
August 1, 2016

Our 2016 Photo Contest Is Here

We’re excited to announce that today kickstarts our 2016 Photo Contest, which will run from August 1st-31st! The Prince William Sound Science Center is committed to […]
July 21, 2016

NYC Photography Students Learn from Science Center Researchers

From the sky scrapers of New York City to the mountain-scraping glaciers of Alaska, a visiting class of budding photographers recently joined Science Center researchers on […]
July 19, 2016

Students Become Stewards of Copper River Watershed

An epic journey ended on the banks of the Copper River earlier this month. Thirteen high school students and ten adults completed a ten-day adventure from […]
July 14, 2016

Rasmuson Foundation Returns to Cordova

At the end of June, staff and board members of the Rasmuson Foundation visited the Prince William Sound Science Center to try their hands at research […]
July 1, 2016

Photos and Sounds from Our Underwater Robot

In the darkest hour of the night, it uses a 3mm-wide lifeline to climb about 200 feet toward the surface of Prince William Sound. After it […]
May 27, 2016

Oil Spills: A Cautionary Tale

The Prince William Sound Science Center has been running Discovery Room programs in the elementary school for more than 20 years. Currently, we work with grades 4th […]
May 5, 2016

2017 Lower Copper River Sonar Station Fish Passage Counts

Fish passage summaries: Daily Counts of Salmon Passage Hourly Counts of Salmon Passage *Note: Some browsers display a cached version of the file that is not up […]
April 12, 2016

Anniversary Open House

Join us for an OPEN HOUSE, celebrating our 27th anniversary! Friday, April 22, 2016 4:00-6:00 PM At the Science Center, 300 Breakwater Avenue Meet our board of directors […]
August 12, 2015

PWSSC to expand nutrient analysis capabilities

With partial support from the Rasmuson Foundation, the PWS Science Center will be purchasing a Seal Analytical AutoAnalyzer3 (AA3) in autumn 2015. The AA3 is an […]
July 31, 2015

Gull Study

Biologists from the PWSSC and Tufts University are working to better understand how the distribution of gulls changes in response to salmon processing. Gulls are captured near […]
July 24, 2015

New faces at the Science Center

Julia McMahon joined the PWSSC as a full-time research technician in February 2015 and is currently working on two research projects focused on over-wintering energetics of […]
July 20, 2015

Semipalmated Plover Study

In early June, researchers from the Prince William Sound Science Center, in collaboration with Trent University, returned to Egg Island for the sixth time since 2006 […]
May 27, 2015

Hatchery-Wild Ocean Salmon Project is underway!

Click the headline above to access links to project info and up to date catch data. The project description is here: Hatchery Wild Salmon Interaction Study Photos […]
May 22, 2015

PWSSC to test imaging sonars in the Copper River

In-season management of the Copper River salmon fishery is difficult: the Copper River Delta is very braided near the ocean, and the first choke point where […]
May 15, 2015

PWSSC Researcher receives NPRB grant

The North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) has awarded over $415,000 to Dr. Rob Campbell and PWSSC for his project “High frequency observations of the secondary (zooplankton) […]
February 17, 2015

Ocean temperatures set new records

The warm winter Cordova is experiencing is also reflected in the surrounding ocean temperatures. Throughout the Gulf of Alaska water temperatures are setting new records.  The […]
September 24, 2014

Outreach with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s advisory panel

Tom Barrett, President of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company knows that to do something well, you have to care about it. With that concept in mind, […]
September 16, 2014

OSRI Research Plan

The Oil Spill Recovery Institute will begin reviewing the mission and goals of OSRI and revising the five-year research plan at the OSRI Advisory Board meeting […]
September 1, 2014

Hatchery-Wild Ocean Test Fishery

The Hatchery-Wild Ocean Test Fishery for 2014 has come to a close. Sampling began May 15th, and finished August 31st. Click the link below to access […]
July 28, 2014

Hatchery and Wild Salmon Interactions Study in full swing

In Prince William Sound, both wild and hatchery runs of pink and chum salmon are vital to the economy, with pink salmon being the largest of […]
July 22, 2014

Hatchery-Wild Ocean Test Fishery Catch by Day

Ocean Fishery Catch by Day Graphs The Hatchery-Wild Ocean Test Fishery began May 15, and continues on for the 2014 sampling season. To look at catch data, […]
June 25, 2014

Lab gets new calorimeter

In Prince William Sound and throughout the Gulf of Alaska, Pacific herring are a major prey species supporting larger fish, birds, and marine mammals. Herring build […]
June 25, 2014

Forage Fish Surveys

The Herring Research and Monitoring program is conducting aerial surveys during June and July for forage fish in Prince William Sound.  The focus of the June […]