ANACORTES - Western Washington University's Shannon Point Marine Center received a $162,300 grant from the National Science Foundation to obtain a new vessel for its instructional and research programs.

The vessel will serve as a platform for measuring water quality and the interactions among organisms that form the base of the food web, and for studies of algal blooms and ocean acidification, said Stephen Sulkin, center director.

Since 1995, the foundation has provided grants that have supported the purchase of the three other vessels that make up the Anacortes center's fleet. Details: wwu.edu/spmc.

Reach DEAN KAHN at dean.kahn@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2291.