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Dr. Lubchenco and Senator Begich meet with fisheries constituents at AOOS
In late August, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco and Senator Mark Begich used the AOOS conference room in Anchorage for several constituent meetings with commercial fishermen and aviation interests. These meetings were part of a larger tour of Alaska by Dr. Lubchenco which included a visit to the Kasitsna Bay Lab in Kachemak Bay and collection of oceanographic measurements to support coastal climate change and ocean acidification studies partially funded by AOOS.
Following her visit, Dr. Lubchenco remarked, “I enjoyed touring the AOOS facility in Anchorage. The work that you are doing, from fisheries to ecosystems, coastal hazards to marine operations, is first-rate. Data collection efforts by AOOS and others are critical to helping Alaska understand and adapt to a rapidly changing climate. The interpretive posters and beautiful photographs on display in the AOOS facility provide visually stunning reminders of all that is at stake.”
While in Anchorage, Dr. Lubchenco also signed a Memorandum of Agreement between NOAA, Shell, ConocoPhillips and Statoil to collaborate on Arctic research and data sharing. AOOS has been part of those discussions.