Texas Sea Grant Welcomes New Research Associate, Sarah Samantha Yasko

College Station, Texas — Sarah Samantha Yasko joins Texas Sea Grant as the Research Associate.

Yasko will be responsible for collecting samples and measurement data from experiments on shrimp trawl research trips. Sam, as Sarah goes by, is set to engage with shrimpers to inform them of various research projects and conduct outreach efforts to recruit industry participants in research activities. She will coordinate research trips with all participating partners and industry groups and complete reporting following research project activities. She will work alongside the sustainable fisheries and aquaculture team to support the overall mission of Texas Sea Grant.

Prior to joining Texas Sea Grant, Yasko has been involved in multiple data collection roles with the National Marine Fisheries Service, bolstering her experience with various marine species and data analysis. As the Protected Species Fisheries Observer with the Pacific Islands Region Observer Program, Yasko provided data collection on tuna and swordfish commercial fishing vessels of commercially harvested specie, including marine mammals, sharks, sea birds and sea turtles in Oahu, Hawaii. In addition to this, she also worked as a fisheries observer with the Southeast Shrimp and Reef Fish Program in Galveston, Texas. Here, Yasko provided data collection on commercial shrimping vessels on harvest and bycatch population analysis, gear assessments for regulation purposes.

Attending Mississippi State University, Yasko earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture degree. In addition to her degree, she holds a certification of Protected Species Observer, Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training with Compressed Air-Emergency Breathing System and Pacific Island Region Protected Species Workshop.

Suffice to say, Sam loves the water. She has over 400 days at sea working on various vessels from North Carolina and Texas to the eastern Pacific Ocean and in this position will gain even more time on the water. When asked about her choosing to apply with Texas Sea Grant, Yasko had this to say, “I believe working with Texas Sea Grant opens some amazing networking opportunities with communities that depend on the ocean to live and help create a better understanding of research/science that can help these communities that rely on ocean fisheries to survive.”

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About Texas Sea Grant

Texas Sea Grant is a unique partnership that unites the resources of the federal government, the State of Texas and universities across the state to create knowledge, tools, products and services that benefit the economy, the environment and the citizens of Texas. It is administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is one of 34 university-based Sea Grant Programs around the country. Texas Sea Grant is a non-academic research center at Texas A&M University. The program’s mission is to improve the understanding, wise use and stewardship of Texas coastal and marine resources.