COMES in the News

OSU research finds skin from a certain Pacific fish could help keep us looking young - KGW-8
"The Pacific whiting, also called the North Pacific hake, is local to waters off the coast of Oregon. And it could soon be part of your skincare regimen.

 We all have heard the benefits of having seafood in our diets, but now a certain type of Pacific Northwest fish might help keep us looking younger. New research from Oregon State University (OSU) is showing how the Pacific whiting, also called the North Pacific hake, could be beneficial for our skin

'We are aiming to see if there were any potential benefit to the Pacific whiting skin, particularly the gelatin,' said OSU researcher Jung Kwon." (watch the story here)

Tillamook Bay Habitat Restoration Yields Unexpected Outcomes

Graham Shaw (M.S., Marine Resource Management 2021) and his advisor, Dr. Steven J. Dundas, had the opportunity to collaborate with NOAA and the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership to look at the economic impacts of an ecological restoration project in Tillamook Bay, Oregon.  Although the Southern Flow Corridor Restoration Project was originally intended to increase salmon habitat and decrease flooding, the ancillary economic and ecological benefits were both surprising and exciting to everyone involved.  Mr. Shaw and Dr. Dundas recently discussed the project with The Jefferson Exchange, a program on Jefferson Public Radio (a service of Southern Oregon University) in a segment titled "The ecological restoration project that exceeded expectations.”

The full NOAA report is also available – Socio-Economic Impacts of the Southern Flow Corridor Restoration Project - Tillamook Bay, Oregon.

 

Oregon State University scientists find tiny tire particles can harm aquatic life - Oregon Public Broadcasting

"Most of the rubber found in a car’s tire today is synthetic, made from plastic. And when tire tread wears down from driving, tiny plastic particles are shed into the environment. They present a growing source of pollution in waterways. So scientists at Oregon State University wanted to see if tiny bits of tire plastic, which are too small to even be seen by the naked eye, affect the health of animals like fish and shrimp that are found in coastal and freshwater ecosystems. We’re joined by Stacey Harper, a professor of environmental and molecular toxicology and environmental engineering, and Susanne Brander, an assistant professor in the fisheries, wildlife and conservation sciences department." (Listen here)

We Need Seaweed - Eating Oregon's Dulse Can Save the World - 1859 - Oregon's Magazine

"True, you might not be interested in eating a clump of seaweed. When you’re hankering for a hefty meal, a red alga poking about in the tide might not be what you had in mind. It’s often called a weed, after all, and who wants to eat weeds? But there are particular strains of seaweed called dulse that you might want to consider. Patented in the labs of Oregon State University, under the guidance of professor Chris Langdon, who has specialized in aquaculture for decades, and promoted by Chuck Toombs, an entrepreneur who is part of OSU’s School of Business, dulse is something you should really get excited about." (read more)

Reprinted with permission from Statehood Media

 

Fresh Frozen Fish Explained - Positively Groundfish

COMES' Dr. Christina DeWitt and Andrew Bornstein (Bornstein Seafoods and the COMES Advisory Board) made this short video with Positively Groundfish to explain why today's fresh frozen seafood is very different than you might think.

 

Invasive Species are Riding Plastics Across Oceans - VICE News

"When debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan started washing up in North America, scientists knew they had a mystery—and a potential environmental disaster—on their hands. In this episode of Weathered, we explore a “mass rafting event” that carried colonies of invasive species across the Pacific, revealing ominous new changes in how our oceans function."

Sharp decline in basking shark sightings in California - Science Daily

"About the size of a small school bus, the basking shark is the second largest fish in the ocean and is found in temperate and tropical waters across the globe. In the mid-1900s, basking sharks were observed by the thousands each year off California's coast. Now they are rarely seen at all in this region, called the California Current Ecosystem, or CCE.

A study from the University of California, Davis, and NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Fisheries Science Center confirms a striking decrease in basking shark sightings in the CCE after the 1970s and 1980s and examines what is driving their presence and distribution. The work is published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science." (read more)

Salmon Magnetic Sense Could Involve Magnetite Crystals In Specialized Receptor Cells in Their Noses, Research Says - The Science Times

"It is a widely known fact that several animals like butterflies, birds, and salmon have a unique, innate magnetic sense that allows them to accurately navigate to breeding and feeding grounds by using the Earth's magnetic field. However, up until today, scientists have always struggled to determine the exact mechanisms at play for magnetic perception to work...." (read more)

No poaching occurring within most Channel Islands marine protected areas, new analysis shows - Science Blog

"Fish are thriving and poachers are staying out of marine protected areas around California’s Channel Islands, a new population analysis by an Oregon State University researcher shows." (read more)

Genetic markers show Pacific albacore intermingle across equator but remain separate stocks - OSU Newsroom

"Analyzing thousands of genetic markers in albacore tuna from the Pacific Ocean, researchers at Oregon State University have learned that just seven dozen of those markers are needed to determine which side of the equator a fish comes from...." (read more)

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