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Natural resource management agencies commonly conduct outreach and engagement with the public, with the goals of raising awareness, educating constituents, encouraging compliance with rules, and supporting future participation in management processes. In Washington, USA, significant effort was invested over more than a decade to inform and engage recreational anglers and divers, and the broader public, in recovery efforts related to rockfish species ( Sebastes spp.) listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We developed a novel evaluative framework using mixed methods to assess outreach and engagement efforts related to ESA-listed rockfishes from 2010 to 2022. We triangulated qualitative and quantitative data from interviews and surveys to: summarize the scope, content, goals, and intended audiences for rockfish-related outreach and engagement; examine practitioner perspectives regarding the effectiveness and challenges of rockfish-related outreach and engagement; assess anglers’ current understanding about rockfish management status and fishing regulations, drawing comparisons to the time of the ESA listings where possible; and synthesize strengths and weaknesses of past outreach and engagement to guide future efforts. We found that a portfolio of outreach and engagement approaches will likely be most effective for reaching a diverse audience and meeting multiple social goals. Additionally, community-engaged collaborations allow for a deeper discourse that builds trust, knowledge, and shared stewardship. Finally, strategic partnerships and capacity-building will continue to be important for meeting outreach and engagement goals. These results will help guide future efforts that are tailored to best meet the evolving needs of rockfish recovery.

This is the first in-situ study of feeding behaviors exhibited by bluntnose sixgill sharks. Bait was placed beneath the Seattle Aquarium pier situated on the waterfront in Elliott Bay, Puget Sound, Washington at 20m of water depth. Cameras and lights were placed around the bait box to record sixgill shark presence and behavior while feeding. Analysis of feeding behavior revealed that sixgills utilize a bite comparable to many other elasmobranchs and aquatic vertebrates, have the ability to protrude their upper jaw, change their feeding behavior based on the situation, and employ sawing and lateral tearing during manipulation. The versatility of their feeding mechanism and the ability of sixgills to change their capture and food manipulation behaviors may have contributed to the species' worldwide distribution and evolutionary success.

The bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) is a deep-water, globally distributed, but data-limited species due to its habitat use and cryptic nature. Its slow growth, long lifespan, and uncertain population status have prompted concern about its vulnerability and resulted in an IUCN Red List status of “Near Threatened.” A lack of information about critical habitat use throughout the species’ life cycle, such as breeding grounds, complicates direct management of the species. This study investigates the genetic diversity, population structure, relatedness, and reproductive behaviors of sixgill sharks in the Salish Sea, an inland fjord encompassing Washington State, USA and British Columbia Canada, one of the few known pupping and rearing grounds of the species globally. Using genomic sequencing of 274 tissue samples opportunistically collected over a 16-year timespan, we found no evidence of spatial or temporal genetic population structure within the Salish Sea and moderate levels of neutral genetic diversity. Multiple paternity in two litters confirmed polyandrous mating, a strategy that may enhance genetic diversity. Relatedness analyses revealed philopatry, with close relatives identified across disparate years, demonstrating that mature females or their relatives return to this nursery ground over time for pupping. These findings provide new insights into the life history of the sixgill shark and emphasize the critical role of nursery habitats, such as the Salish Sea, in their reproductive success, underscoring the need for targeted conservation efforts to protect these sharks and their known critical habitats.

The discernment of populations as management units is a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable exploitation of species. A lack of clear stock boundaries complicates not only the identification of spatial management units, but also the assessment of mixed fisheries by population assignment and mixed stock analysis. Many marine species, such as Pacific cod, are characterized by isolation by distance, showing significant differentiation but no clear stock boundaries. Here, we used restriction‐site‐associated DNA (RAD) sequencing to investigate population structure and assess power to genetically assign Pacific cod to putative populations of origin. Samples were collected across the species range in the eastern Pacific Ocean, from the Salish Sea to the Aleutian Islands. A total of 6,425 putative biallelic single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified from 276 individuals. We found a strong isolation‐by‐distance signal along coastlines that mirrored previous microsatellite results and pronounced genetic differentiation between coastal samples and those from the inland waters of the Salish Sea, with no evidence for hybridization between these two populations. Individual assignment success based on two methods was high overall (≥84%) but decreased from south to north. Assignment to geographic location of origin also was successful, with average distance between capture and assignment location of 220 km. Outlier analyses identified more loci potentially under selection along the coast than between Salish Sea and coastal samples, suggesting more diverse adaptation to latitudinal environmental factors than inshore vs. offshore environments. Our results confirm previous observations of sharp genetic differentiation of the Salish Sea population and isolation by distance along the coast, but also highlight the feasibility of using modern genomic techniques to inform stock boundaries and fisheries management in a low FST marine species.

The broadnose sevengill shark ( Notorynchus cepedianus ) is a large, apex predator found in temperate waters around the world. Yet data on their distribution are limited, with reports of species occurrence typically restricted to specific bays or estuaries where they have been historically observed in high seasonal abundances. The Puget Sound is located in the southern portion of the Salish Sea, a large estuary spanning the border between northwestern Washington state, USA and southwestern British Columbia, Canada, and serves as an economic, cultural, and ecological hub. Until recently, there was only one verified record of broadnose sevengill sharks in the Salish Sea and none in the Puget Sound. However, our recent multi-agency collaborative effort revealed the presence of adult and sub-adult broadnose sevengill sharks in South Puget Sound, extending their previously known range hundreds of kilometers and into a new ecosystem. This work represents the first evidence of a significant presence of these apex sharks within the Salish Sea.

The broadnose sevengill shark, Notorynchus cepedianus, a common coastal species in the eastern North Pacific, was sampled during routine capture and tagging operations conducted from 2005-2012. One hundred and thirty three biopsy samples were taken during these research operations in Willapa Bay, Washington and in San Francisco Bay, California. Genotypic data from seven polymorphic microsatellites (derived from the related sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus) were used to describe N. cepedianus genetic diversity, population structure and relatedness. Diversity within N. cepedianus was found to be low to moderate with an average observed heterozygosity of 0.41, expected heterozygosity of 0.53, and an average of 5.1 alleles per microsatellite locus. There was no evidence of a recent population bottleneck based on genetic data. Analyses of genetic differences between the two sampled estuaries suggest two distinct populations with some genetic mixing of sharks sampled during 2005-2006. Relatedness within sampled populations was high, with percent relatedness among sharks caught in the same area indicating 42.30% first-order relative relationships (full or half siblings). Estuary-specific familial relationships suggest that management of N. cepedianus on the U.S. West Coast should incorporate stock-specific management goals to conserve this ecologically important predator.

Citizen Science approaches are now frequently applied to research questions requiring extensive sampling efforts that produce large data sets. The possible benefits of this strategy often lead researchers to overlook the critical early development period. This case study follows the startup of a citizen science project using volunteer cold-water SCUBA divers to track recruitment dynamics of endangered rockfishes. We track the early growth phase of this project using the number of outreach events, and resulting dive effort over the first seven years of the program. Though group members possessed diverse backgrounds and skills, all five participating groups exhibited several year lags in which outreach resulted in little survey effort. After several years, participation dramatically increased. Groups that joined later increased participation more rapidly, suggesting an interaction among divers in disparate groups, improvement in project messaging, and/or attraction to a successful project. Expectations for a slower starting phase, consistent messaging, direct teamwork alongside citizen science divers during data collection, and involvement in some elements of project design were helpful in building participation. Having realistic expectations and  understanding the relationship between outreach effort and participant engagement level allows scientists starting citizen-science data efforts to better estimate resource requirements.

Rockfish, Sebastes spp., are bottomfish that come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors with 28 species recognized in the Salish Sea. Based on increasing concern over the long-term stability of rockfish populations in Washington by state and federal agencies, the Seattle Aquarium formalized a benthic monitoring program starting in 2005 on rocky reefs west and east of Neah Bay, Washington. Diver-operated video (DOV) surveys were conducted annually to quantify patterns in bottomfish (rockfish and other species associated with rocky reefs) abundance and stability over time. Divers performed 100-meter video transects devised to be both non-invasive and repeatable, for assessing both relatively sessile bottomfish and for schooling, transitory rockfish species. Strip transects were conducted annually in August from 2005 through 2023 at five permanently marked index sites. Species-specific relative abundance data for bottomfish were later extracted by biologists from archived video. Notably, over the 19-year study period, bottomfish abundance was stable or increased at all sites, driven by significant increases in eight rockfish species: Black/Deacon, Canary, China, Copper, Quillback, Tiger, and Yellowtail. Relatively few Puget Sound, Vermillion, Widow, and Yelloweye Rockfish individuals were documented, and their abundance did not increase throughout the study. Boccaccio where never encountered during the 19 year monitoring period. All sites displayed relative stability in fish community structure over time. We documented low levels of young-of-the-year (YOY) rockfish recruitment over the years with one major recruitment event in 2016. Despite an increase in abundance across eight rockfish species, recruitment events remained infrequent. Furthermore, Boccaccio and Yelloweye rockfish, both protected species, were either never or rarely encountered, respectively, underscoring the need for sustained conservation efforts and expanded long-term monitoring for species with long generation times such as rockfish.

Like many forage fish species, Pacific sand lance ( Ammodytes personatus ) play a key role in nearshore marine ecosystems as an important prey source for a diverse array of predators in the northeastern Pacific. However, the primary threats to Pacific sand lance and their habitat are poorly defined due to a lack of systematic data. Crucial information needed to assess their population status is also lacking including basic knowledge of their local and regional abundance and distribution. Sand lance are currently listed as ‘not evaluated’ under the IUCN red list and they have not been assessed by US and Canadian agencies. This hampers management and policy efforts focused on their conservation. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a three-part, structured expert elicitation to assess the vulnerability of Salish Sea sand lance populations. Experts were asked to list and rank key threats to Salish Sea sand lance and/or their habitat, to further quantify the vulnerability of sand lance to identified threats using a vulnerability matrix, and to predict the population trajectory in 25 years from today. Impacts associated with climate change (e.g. sea level rise, sea temperature rise, ocean acidification, and extreme weather) consistently ranked high as threats of concern in the ranking exercise and quantified vulnerability scores. Nearly every expert predicted the population will have declined from current levels in 25 years. These results suggest sand lance face numerous threats and may be in decline under current conditions. This research provides vital information about which threats pose the greatest risk to the long-term health of sand lance populations and their habitat. Managers can use this information to prioritize which threats to address. Future research to reliably quantify population size, better understand the roles of natural and anthropogenic impacts, and to identify the most cost-effective actions to mitigate multiple threats, is recommended.