The Prince William Sound Science Center: providing long-term sustainability through the use of research and education.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: ENVIRONMENTAL

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When the Exxon Valdez spilled more than 10 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in 1989, the lives and livelihoods of Alaskans living in and around the area were dramatically changed. And while the long-term negative effects of this environmental disaster are still being weighed, it did spur one positive event--the creation of the Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC).

Founded in 1989, PWSSC was established to conduct research and education programs that would increase Alaskans' understanding of the ecosystems in Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta. "After the Exxon Valdez spill, the community of Cordova recognized a need to develop a more thorough knowledge base for better fisheries management," explained Director of Development Ken Gibson. "Though the center was started as a research institution, it has grown over the past 19 years to encompass much more."

Through eco-based research, PWSSC hopes to focus on the long-term health and sustainability of resources vital to the Sound's community. Current research programs focus on oceanographic observations and current models for Prince William Sound; herring and plankton population assessments; salmon habitat investigations; Stellar sea lion interactions with herring, seabirds and other marine mammals; and investigations of the intertidal, shorebird and fish ecology of the Copper River Delta.

"One of the reasons that we wanted to establish a Science Center in Cordova was because the information that used to be gathered here would disappear when scientists from universities around the country would return home," explained Gibson. "We wanted to establish a local repository of research that our scientists would be able to access to benefit the community."

One of the biggest research projects at the center, for example, focuses on what has happened to the Prince William Sound herring fishery since the Exxon Valdez spill.

"The fact that we have been able to maintain a 16-year record of herring population assessments has made a major contribution to the scientific knowledge base," explained PWSSC President Nancy Bird, who also serves as the executive director of the Oil Spill Recovery Institute. "These numbers have not been maintained by other agencies because, as their budgets are cut from year-to-year, it has not remained their main priority. But through our research, we know that herring is still not at a level where it can be commercially...