New staff: WSG welcomes Aina Hori

WSG is excited to welcome Aina Hori as the new WSG Crab Team Outreach Specialist! Aina is returning to WSG Crab Team after working as a student assistant for the program in 2022 and 2023.

Aina will coordinate WSG Crab Team’s long-term monitoring network, working to improve our understanding of native salt marsh and pocket estuary organisms and support early detection of European green crab across Washington state.

Aina was a 2025 Knauss Marine Policy Fellow with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, serving on the Legislative Analysis Team. In this role, she supported congressional communications and examined how NOAA data products are used within the Chesapeake Bay oyster industry. She has also worked for the Seattle Aquarium, where she led field programs focused on local beach and river ecosystems, fostering community engagement and stewardship.

Aina is a Double Dawg, holding a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology and master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington.

Welcome aboard, Aina! We’re excited to have you.