


2024 Knauss Finalist Announced
Five Virginia students and a Washington, D.C. student were named finalists for Sea Grant’s prestigious 2024 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.
VASG to Lead Research Into Contaminated Stormwater
Virginia Sea Grant Receives $458K to study stormwater contaminants in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.
Team Science Connects Disciplines To Tackle Big Problems
Team Science training gives researchers the skills for interdisciplinary work to tackle big problems across academic disciplines.
Virginia Sea Grant NEWS

Alaskan rockfish regrouping would better support management needs, research finds
The 33 types of rockfish in the Gulf of Alaska are caught as bycatch in several different types of trawl gear. Instead of monitoring and managing each species individually, researchers group some of them into complexes.

Community science shows ‘intricate pattern’ of carryover effects for oysters
To see how stress from an oyster’s early life affected oyster health later on, Graduate Research Fellow Annie Schatz collaborated with local oyster gardeners.

The human side of technology: Knauss Fellow coordinates outreach for ocean energy
The human side of technology: Knauss fellow coordinates outreach for ocean renewable energy Behind ribbon cuttings and million-dollar funding announcements for ocean energy, there are years of planning — a process that Knauss Marine Policy Fellow Shaelyn Patzer likens to planning for the Olympic Games. “The majority of what I did during my fellowship year

Knauss fellow spends ‘whirlwind’ year on the Hill crafting tornado policy
Long Rubin was in college when a tornado touched down on the Eastern Shore in 2014. Just a few years later, she was writing the TORNADO Act as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow.

Working group channels regional whelk knowledge
Working group channels regional whelk knowledge Channeled whelk can be found from Massachusetts all the way to Florida, but Virginia supports one of the largest channeled whelk fishing industries of the East Coast. In Virginia, they are typically caught in pots along the Eastern Shore of Virginia and off the coast of Virginia Beach. But

VASG announces $1 million collaborative research challenge
VASG announces $1 million collaborative research challenge Virginia Sea Grant (VASG) announces the availability of $1M for collaborative research on water adaptation and resilience-enhancing innovations. Leveraging funding from GO Virginia and VASG’s federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we anticipate making approximately five awards. Statements of Interest & Qualifications are due

Knauss Fellow uncovers the social side of coastal science
Communicating flood risk, calculating the benefits of a living shoreline, and understanding why consumers choose to buy different types of seafood — each of these require social sciences.

Blue Crab Bowl celebrates 25 years of bringing ocean science to high-schoolers
From the first competition in 1998 to now, nearly 2,000 students from 61 schools across Virginia have participated in the Blue Crab Bowl. This year’s competition, which runs Feb. 11-12, will include 70 high-schoolers from 13 schools.

Elevation data brings oyster restoration to new heights
What accounts for the success of certain oyster reefs in Virginia’s seaside bays?

Fish Forensics: High-tech tracking helps herring return to historic grounds
Fish passages can take many forms — anything from small metal tubes, to square or round cement passages, or even wider areas underneath a bridge.

Offshore wind offers possibilities for aquaculture, recreation, research
The survey is the first to evaluate public preference about combining offshore wind and aquaculture in Virginia.

Connecting science and community with repeat photography
Armed only with a phone, visitors can use our tool to document coastal changes with repeat photography.

Trends, technology shared at Virginia Aquaculture Conference
The conference, held Jan. 7-8 in Newport News, featured resources, updates, and networking opportunities for about 140 attendees.

What will a warmer, acidic ocean mean for American lobsters?
Sea Grant-funded research explores how the American lobster will respond to a changing climate.

Fellow preps ‘playbook’ for Virginia’s coastal resilience
When Ben Nettleton watched Governor Ralph Northam sign an executive order in 2018 to increase Virginia’s resilience to storms and flooding, he had no idea he’d later be working on Virginia’s first comprehensive coastal resilience master plan.

Researchers add secret ingredient to improve plant growth through aquaponics
Developing the right blend of microbes that is most helpful for plants can take a lot of time and effort. Now, the team is adding a new, natural source of beneficial bacteria: the microbiome from fish aquaculture.

Sea Grant fellows assist with first Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan
Throughout Virginia, many coastal cities and counties have started projects already to boost local resilience, from zoning to erosion control. But completing an inventory of statewide coastal resilience — and organizing regional needs and priorities — was a tall task.

Oysters at your doorstep: How the pandemic changed aquaculture sales
For many oyster farmers, wholesale distributors are an essential link between individual companies who harvest seafood and the public, who consume the majority of their seafood in restaurants. In March and April of 2020, aquaculture growers reported that the vast majority of their sales to processors, restaurants, and distributors were drastically reduced.

Cedar Island marsh could mean more bird habitat, less erosion for Eastern Shore
A new design proposed for Cedar Island would stabilize the southern 2 miles of the 10-mile island by creating about 200 acres of marsh behind the barrier island.

Coastal Adaptation and Protection Fellow to assist with “roadmap” for resilience in Virginia
Lydia Bienlien, the 2021 Coastal Adaptation and Protection Fellow, will help with the master plan during her yearlong fellowship.