Becca Cates

Becca Cates works on advancing microalgae cultivation methods to enhance oyster hatchery capacity in Alaska, supporting research and development on Pacific oyster strain selection, optimizing hatchery protocols, and other research in support of the Mariculture Lab at AFSC.

Becca earned a M.S. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks focusing on the effects of habitat structure and sea otter predation on nearshore crab communities. She then spent a year as an Alaska Sea Grant Fellow based at the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center where she focused on research that promoted the growth of the mariculture industry in the state of Alaska. She received a B.A. from Western Washington University. In between degrees, Becca taught marine science in the Florida Keys.