Marine Biology at the University of Washington

☀️🔬Summer at UW Friday Harbor Labs is alive with energy, and that's because they invest in undergraduate research.

Check out the new story by FHL featuring
University of Washington 👇
https://fhl.uw.edu/about/news-and-events/2025/09/25/tide-bite-october-2025/

🎣📈Trawling through fishery data during 2025 Hollings Scholarship internship.

Running for six decades is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s (NEFSC) bottom trawl survey, one of the longest running of its kind in the world. The data collected from the trawl when it operated in the Gulf of Maine and Massachusetts Bay is what Hannah Tucker, a Marine Biology student at the University of Washington, immersed herself in this summer, as part of her NOAA internship.

Trawling through fishery data during 2025 Hollings Scholarship internship Running for six decades is the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s (NEFSC) bottom trawl survey, one of the longest running of its kind in the world. The data collected from the trawl when it operated in the Gulf of Maine and Massachusetts Bay is what Hannah Tucker immersed herself in this su...

🐋"I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one that’s all alone, completely alone, for that long,” says Deborah Giles, a killer whale scientist at the SeaDoc Society and resident scientist at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Labs.

Story in the Smithsonian Magazine ⤵️

The Curious Case of 'Old Thom,' an Orca Traveling Alone in the North Atlantic Sightings of the marine mammal captivate the public and baffle scientists

👋 We're pleased to welcome Andrea Burton to Marine Biology and the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, our newest faculty member.

🌎 Joining us this month as an Assistant Teaching Professor, Andrea brings expertise in climate change biology, where she uses molecular and ecological approaches to examine adaptive response to changing conditions.

🔬Andrea has an impressive record in teaching and pedagogical research, with a certificate in University teaching, instruction at UCLA, plus a research program focused on inclusive teaching practices.

👉 Read more about Andrea

Welcoming Andrea Burton, new Assistant Teaching Professor in Marine Biology and SAFS We welcome Andrea Burton to Marine Biology and the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS), our newest faculty member. Andrea starts this month as an Assistant Teaching Professor. As a specialist in climate change biology, using molecular and ecological approaches to examine adaptive response....

🦷 When it comes to teeth, vertebrates have a lot in common. No matter the shape, size or sharpness, teeth share genetic origins, physical characteristics and, of course, a home in the jaw. New findings call into question one of these core assumptions.

🐟 Spotted ratfish, a shark-like species native to the northeastern Pacific Ocean, have rows of teeth on top of their heads, lining a cartilaginous appendage called the tenaculum that loosely resembles Squidward’s nose.

🆕 New University of Washington research published last week on this topic was led by Friday Harbor Labs postdoctoral researcher Karly Cohen. “This insane, absolutely spectacular feature flips the long-standing assumption in evolutionary biology that teeth are strictly oral structures,” Karly said. “The tenaculum is a developmental relic, not a bizarre one-off, and the first clear example of a toothed structure outside the jaw.”

👉 Sink your teeth into the full story below https://www.washington.edu/news/2025/09/04/common-fish-has-forehead-teeth-for-mating/

🇭🇷 Next stop, Croatia.

✈️ About to embark on a study abroad adventure is Ellie Thomas, a Marine Biology undergraduate heading into her third year of study at the University of Washington. Next week, Ellie will be flying (and driving and boating) more than 5,000 miles away to Veli Lošinj, a small town on one of the western islands of Croatia, nestled in the Adriatic Sea.

🐢 She will be joining the The School for Field Studies Croatia program which focuses on cetacean ecology and sea turtle restoration, providing students with hands-on experience and guidance on how to conduct research.

🐬 Fun fact, Ellie's mom did field work with the SFS back when she was in college, which is how Ellie knew about the program!

👉 Check out the full story at

Next stop, Croatia. A study abroad to research the Adriatic’s marine mammals and sea turtles About to embark on a study abroad adventure is Ellie Thomas, a Marine Biology undergraduate heading into her third year of study at the University of Washington. On 1 September, Ellie will be flying (and driving and boating) more than 5,000 miles away to Veli Lošinj, a small town on one of the west...

👏 Amazing to see the IBIS program featured on the University of Washington homepage! This fantastic mentoring program helps students see themselves as scientists.

Read the recent feature by the UW College of the Environment at https://environment.uw.edu/news/2025/06/evidence-based-program-helps-students-see-themselves-as-scientists/

🐟 A summer working at a remote salmon hatchery on 📍 Esther Island, Alaska. For Nick Nordloh, this is his first time in Alaska and he was looking for a hands-on, outdoor job that would give him a unique perspective on the fishing industry and salmon hatchery operations.

💬 "I'm excited to live and work in such a remote, beautiful area, and to get a close-up look at the scale and intensity of hatchery operations during peak season. It's definitely a new kind of challenge, both physically and mentally," Nick shared.

📸 The photos show the variety of work that takes place in a hatchery. From indoor raceways that house the fry and fish pens that are used when fish get larger and to help them acclimate to salt water. There are also ponds and fish ladders which are used to easily transport the fish inside the hatchery.

🍳 Inside the hatchery is where all the harvesting and incubating of salmon eggs happens. Workers sort through hens and bucks, with eggs taken to be fertilized. Each incubator is filled with chum salmon eggs - each stack of incubators is 12ft tall and has 7 incubators in each. The tubes pump fresh water from a local lake to keep water moving. When these incubators are full, they'll hold around 153 million eggs.

🐠 Hatcheries are one of the tools to help support wild populations of fish and provide fish for harvest.

↪️ Find out other ways our Marine Biology undergrads are putting their studies to practice by visiting marinebiology.uw.edu

🔬🎨 Bridging the disciplinary divide: Six reasons why we should integrate science and art.

In his famous words, Oscar Wilde proposed that life imitates art, meaning that art can shape our understanding of life and inspire us to act in certain ways. So why not science too? Marjorie Wonham, Associate Teaching Professor in University of Washington Marine Biology and UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at Friday Harbor Labs, has published a new study in BioScience outlining the six reasons why integrating arts and sciences in higher education is an effort worth undertaking.

👇Check out our story about Marjorie's new paper, plus insights from a recent Marine Sciences, Ocean Arts integrative workshop held this summer at FHL, where the concept of combining arts and sciences was brought to life.

https://marinebiology.uw.edu/2025/08/14/bridging-the-disciplinary-divide-six-reasons-why-we-should-integrate-science-and-art/

UW College of the Environment

Bridging the disciplinary divide: Six reasons why we should integrate science and art In his famous words, Oscar Wilde proposed that life imitates art, meaning that art can shape our understanding of life and inspire us to act in certain ways. So why not science too? Marjorie Wonham, Associate Teaching Professor in UW Marine Biology and SAFS, at Friday Harbor Labs, has published a ne...

🛡️Armor for defense or mobility? Bryan Lemus, a recent Marine Biology graduate from the University of Washington, worked with a team at Friday Harbor Labs (FHL) studying armored fishes. The team studies poacher fishes (Agonidae), which are small, bottom-dwelling, cold-water marine fishes covered in dense armor from head to tail.

🐟There are 47 different species of poachers, each with unique armor shape, size, and surface texture. Bryan has been working with UW Biology graduate student, Megan Vandenberg, to measure specific features of this armor, including overlap, spine height, and scale row count. The goal of this research is to understand the extent of the variation, and eventually to determine if shape influences the tradeoff between swimming performance and protection from predators.

Armor for defense or mobility? Recent graduate investigates poacher fish armor at FHL Bryan Lemus, a recent Marine Biology graduate from the University of Washington, worked with a team at Friday Harbor Labs (FHL) studying armored fishes. They study poacher fishes, which are small, bottom-dwelling, cold-water marine fishes covered in dense armor from head to tail.

🛶 🌊 Kayaking for kelp! We spent yesterday shadowing University of Washington Marine Biology alum, Aidan Cox, while he worked on a kelp monitoring project in West Seattle. Aidan is a scientist with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

🦀 During 3-4 hours on the water, we saw seals, herons, sea stars, salmon, kelp crabs, jellyfish and other seabirds. No doubt, a lot more was swimming unseen beneath us!

Check out our other alumni video profiles by visiting marinebiology.uw.edu/alumni

🐙 In our latest student takeover, we were joined by Charly Cooper who is interning at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

🐠 Find out more about her summer internship which involves tank maintenance, life support tasks, fun feeds, & intern events.

🪸 https://marinebiology.uw.edu/2025/08/06/interning-at-the-new-england-aquarium/