Fisheries & seafood

Flaxen Conway has spent much of her career dealing with the issues facing natural resource industries and the communities and people that depend on them - first in the timber industry, and since joining Oregon Sea Grant, with communities, businesses and families the length of the Oregon coast. She specializes in family and community issues, coalition building, conflict management and the issues surrounding change.

Projects and areas of interest include: coping with change and transition, personal and group leadership education, cooperative learning and research.

Sea Grant publications: An Investment in Trust: Communication in the Commercial Fishing and Fisheries Management Communities. Working Together series for fishing groups and communities [purchase] [download]. Fishing Family Expense Tracking System [download .pdf | HTML]

Jeff Feldner, a longtime commercial fisherman who also has fisheries management experience, is Sea Grant Extension's Seafood Technology and Fisheries educator in Newport. A past member of the Oregon Salmon Commission and Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, he has also been involved in direct retail and wholesale seafood sales and marketing, and as a collaborator in a number of fisheries research projects.

Projects and areas of interest include: designing, coordinating, delivering, and evaluating education programs that promote resource sustainability, strengthen the long-term health and viability of the commercial and sport fishing industries, and improve the utilization and value of harvested species; Project CROOS (Collaborative Research on Oregon Ocean Salmon).

Dr. Guillermo Giannico, a fisheries specialist focusing on salmonid ecology and watershed management, degrees in biology, resource management and environmental studies. His primary responsibilities include providing information, educational material and professional assistance to Extension agents, government agency personnel, watershed councils, and the public in salmonid ecology and behavior, fish habitat, aquatic ecology, and watershed management-related issues in support of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds.

Projects and areas of interest include: Development and presentation of seminars, conferences and training materials on fish habitat, stream assessment, and stream restoration including a 2006 Regional Symposium on In-stream Gravel Extraction and its Effects on Fish Habitats (proceedings now available on CD).

Sea Grant publications include: Tide Gates in the Pacific: Operation, Types, and Environmental Effects. [download pdf] The Effects of Tide Gates on Estuarine Habitats and Migratory Fish [download .pdf | HTML]

Susan Hanna is professor of marine economics with a long history of research and publications in fishery economics, fishery management, the history of fishery policy and property rights. She has served as a scientific advisor to the Pacific Fishery Management Council, Northwest Power Planning Council, National Marine Fisheries Service, Minerals Management Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as president of the International Association for the Study of Common Property and as a member of the Executive Committee of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade.

Projects and areas of interest include:change and resilience in fishing communities and regions, the economic history of US fisheries, the impact of access limitations.

Sea Grant publications: Change and Resilience in Fishing [purchase]

Kaety Hildenbrand works with the fishing industry, fishing families and the larger coastal community to address issues ranging from at-sea safety to the changing coastal economy.

Projects and areas of interest include: the Scientist and Fishermen Exchange (SAFE), the Port Liaison Project, family and community issues, the Fishermen Extending Salmon Recovery Information program, vessel safety training and education.

With background that includes service as a marine educator for the New England Aquarium and Florida's Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and - early in his career - as a self-employed commercial fisherman, Steve Theberge now specializes in ocean and river fisheries.

Projects and areas of interest include: collaborative research projects between fishermen and scientists, improving the utilization and value of harvested species, and improving release methods to increase survival of fish that are caught and returned to the sea.

Sea Grant publications: Getting to Know Oregon's Commercial Fisheries (fact sheets on fishing vessels and gear); Release Methods for Rockfish ([.pdf] [HTML]). Current projects: Improving Participation in Fisheries Management: Stock Assessment Training for Stakeholders, fishing gear retrieval

Working jointly with the Oregon and California Sea Grant programs, Jim Waldvogel conducts the marine advisory program in the Curry County and its across-the-border neighbor, California's Del Norte County. These counties include nationally renowned salmon and steelhead rivers such as the Klamath, Smith, Chetco, Rogue, and Elk, and are deeply affected by salmon fishery issues. Waldvogel has worked on long-term studies of salmon spawning and habitat, on river and ocean sport fishing, and works closely with watershed groups in both counties.

Mark Whitham
Seafood product development
Contact information

Mark Whitham is the newest member of Sea Grant Extension's team in Astoria. With more than 20 years' experience with companies as General Mills, Chef Francisco and RainSweet, Whitham is focusing his efforts on helping Oregon seafood businesses identify and develop new and value-added products and markets for locally harvested fish and shellfish.

Projects and areas of interest include: Seafood product development and marketing