Marine Scholars
About the Scholarship
Caroline Gibson’s enduring legacy
The Caroline Gibson Scholarship in Marine Studies supports the next generation of marine conservation leaders through scholarships, mentoring and collaboration. It continues Caroline’s passion for building community and capacity for the Salish Sea.Â
Who can receive the scholarship?
We are proud to champion graduate students who share our determination to tackle challenges and find solutions for restoring marine shoreline and habitat.
When is the scholarship open?
Applications typically open in spring and close in early summer.
About Caroline Gibson
Promoting her Passion For The Salish Sea
Caroline Gibson devoted the bulk of her career to the protection and restoration of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. While she worked on numerous projects of importance, one of her greatest contributions was raising attention to kelp (particularly bull kelp) and creating a monitoring network to greatly expand availability of data for its coverage.
Her amazing ability to bring people together, enthusiastically share a vision and increase collaboration among scientists and volunteers was critical to the protection and restoration of the Salish Sea. Caroline created the International Salish Sea Kelp Alliance to encourage the sharing of monitoring techniques and data across borders.
Caroline used her knowledge of the fishing industry and strong personal relationships to assist NOAA in leading an effort to engage commercial fishers on methods to prevent the loss of derelict fishing gear. The candid conversations she fostered and insights she gathered have led to improved fishing practices and reduced net loss.
Caroline held extensive experience in the Northwest Straits Initiative and was a leader in community-based conservation efforts. She served as Salish Sea Alliance Executive Director, Northwest Straits Commission Marine Program Manager and Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee member.
Prior to joining the Northwest Straits Initiative, Caroline spent more than a decade providing management and administrative leadership on U.S. regional and national marine conservation, policy, research, and development projects.
Meet this year’s Marine Scholars
Empowering marine conservation students through Caroline Gibson’s enduring legacy.
Fall 2026
