Virginia Sea Grant NEWS
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
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.
Recirculating Aquaculture
Recirculating systems take the guesswork out of water quality and can also save hatcheries the costs of special filtration needed for water from the Bay.
2022 Knauss Fellowship Finalists Announced
Four Virginia students have been chosen as finalists for Sea Grant’s prestigious 2022 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program.
VASG fellow aims to ‘elevate the skate’
Nelson combined two different approaches to look for differences between clearnose skates in different regions: examining their body structure and examining their genetic differences.
Will clams and blue crabs feel the pinch of ocean acidification?
If clams have weaker shells, and crabs have weaker claws, will that change how much crabs will eat hard clams?
2021 Graduate Research Fellows announced
Virginia Sea Grant is pleased to announce a cohort of eight graduate research fellows. These graduate students are addressing coastal resource issues, in collaboration with their academic and professional mentors, through research that can be applied for the benefit of Virginia’s coastal stakeholders.
Will Bay fish feel the bite from ocean acidification?
Ocean waters are becoming more acidic — but how does that affect the Chesapeake Bay? And what does it mean for fish and the people fishing for them?
Virginia’s historic clam industry gains new genetic insights
Virginia’s historic clam industry gains new genetic insights Virginia’s hard clams were worth nearly $39 million dollars when they went
