Virginia Sea Grant NEWS
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.
From Weeks to Minutes: Machine-learning model predicts storm surge quickly
A new model can accurately predict the peak storm surge — the high water from a hurricane — for the Chesapeake Bay region in a matter of minutes. Jun-Whan Lee developed this model during his Graduate Research Fellowship.
Acing your application: Tips for prospective fellows
It’s that time of the year again! No, I’m not talking about fall — although sweater weather, hot apple cider, the changing leaves, and Halloween make this my favorite season — but the semester where Virginia Sea Grant is seeking applicants for their fellowship.
Piecing together the panorama of shark surveys: Fellow contributes to shark assessments
Since shark migration and limited surveys make data conflicts unavoidable, Peterson tested a new method to reconcile these conflicts as part of her NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowship and Ph.D. research at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
2021 Commonwealth Fellow to work at Department of Wildlife Resources
2021 Commonwealth Fellow to work at Department of Wildlife Resources Clay Ferguson, a Ph.D. candidate at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has been selected as a 2021 Commonwealth Fellow. Ferguson will work with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources during his fellowship to help the agency incorporate climate change into its policies
Fellow monitors water quality for brook trout swimming upstream
Gustafson created a continuous monitoring program for 37 streams throughout Virginia as part of her fellowship with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Many of these streams are considered too hot, or “temperature impaired,” by DEQ standards.
Herding ‘cats’
New fishing gear offers potential solution for the Bay’s blue catfish surge
Two Virginia students awarded NMFS-Sea Grant fellowships
NMFS and Sea Grant have announced the 2021 cohort of their Fellowship in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics.
