If freshwater resources are plentiful and stable, Oncorhynchus mykiss can choose to stay in freshwater as fully speckled rainbow trout; if food is scarce, water is too low or temperatures are too warm, the fish can opt to make an ardous journey to the ocean, transforming into their silvery anadromous forms. Unlike salmon, they return to natal streams in two runs —summer and winter-and can spawn more than once in their lifetime. But increasing temperatures, overfishing and numerous manmade obstacles threaten even the most resilient fish.
Fiona Martin is an award-winning graphic artist and science illustrator at The Seattle Times. She is a 2025 Pulitzer Finalist for Local Reporting for a project describing barriers to salmon migration in urban streams. In 2024 she won an Award of Excellence in the Society for News Design for an illustrated story celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. Fiona specializes in digital and vector illustrations, infographics, data visualization, mapping and layout design, and also enjoys working with traditional media including graphite, pen-and-ink, watercolor, and acrylic.
Prior to the Times, Fiona served as Senior Illustration Editor at the nonprofit scientific review publisher, Annual Reviews (14 years), and freelanced from her studio Visualizing Science (20 years). Clients included government agencies (NOAA Climate Program Office, NPS), Monterey Bay Research Institute, Princeton University Press, and authors of scientific books and research papers.
Fiona was born with a rare genetic hearing loss in both ears, but she hasn't let her deafness hold her back. In public schools and in the workplace, she learned to adapt using a combination of speech reading and technology. Defying expectations, Fiona graduated as valedictorian of her high school class, obtained a B.S. in Marine Biology (summa cum laude) from the University of California in Santa Cruz, and then pursued a Graduate Certificate in Scientific Illustration. Upon graduation she completed dual internships with the Channel Islands National Park in California and Electronic Publishing Company in New York City.
Fiona resides in the Seattle area, Washington, with her husband and two girls, and enjoys swimming, kayaking, yoga, culinary gardening, and traveling as much as possible—whether it's local road trips in the beautiful Pacific Northwest or free diving in the Caribbean.
Portfolio: https://www.visualizingscience.com