New Extension expert aims to raise awareness about Oregon fisheries

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Amanda Gladics, Oregon Sea Grant Extension Agent

7-1-16

By Pat Kight

Oregon Sea Grant's newest Extension fisheries management specialist, Amanda Gladics, is already used to collaborating with fishermen on research projects. In her new job, she is eager to work with more coastal stakeholders on Oregon's north coast.

"I'll be working with anyone with an interest in coastal fisheries or fisheries management," said Gladics, who is based in Astoria. "That includes commercial fishermen and their families, industry suppliers and processors, recreational and charter fishermen, conservation groups, natural resource agencies, fisheries managers – you name it.

"I expect to spend a lot of time learning from these communities on the north coast and the lower Columbia River as I develop outreach and educational programs to increase Oregonians' understanding of coastal fisheries and fisheries management."

Gladics, who began work July 6, joins two other Extension faculty with expertise in fisheries: Kaety Jacobson in Newport and Jamie Doyle in Myrtle Point. The three are part of a 16-person Extension team who connect coastal people and communities with the resources of university research on watersheds, invasive species, coastal hazards, community development and other important topics.

"I've really enjoyed doing collaborative research with the fishermen," Gladics said. "I look forward to expanding on what I've learned from them as I focus on connecting coastal communities with the university. In this new role, I hope to help coastal stakeholders understand one another better and help them work toward creating thriving communities and ecosystems on the Oregon coast."

"We are very excited to have Amanda join the OSG team," said David Hansen, Oregon Sea Grant's leader of outreach and engagement. "She has a strong background in working with coastal stakeholders and an infectious enthusiasm for addressing challenges facing Oregon coastal communities and industries."

Gladics earned her master's degree at Oregon State University in marine resource management. She worked with commercial fishermen as she studied the diets of seabirds and the movements of Dungeness crab in a proposed wave-energy site. In 2009 she received Oregon Sea Grant's Robert E. Malouf Marine Studies Scholarship, which supports graduate students who combine research with education or public engagement.

Most recently she was a faculty research assistant with Rob Suryan at OSU's Seabird Oceanography Lab, working on best practices for preventing seabird bycatch in longline fisheries and tracking seabirds' movements to inform wind and wave-energy development.