


Oyster Aquaculture Research Bridges Science and Industry
Graduate Fellow Julia Green wants to use aquaculture research to bridge science and industry to help farmers improve operations.
Study Highlights Oyster Restoration Success
A Virginia Sea Grant Graduate Fellow led study highlights the success of oyster restoration efforts in Virginia.
2025 Knauss Fellows
Five Virginia students started the prestigious 2025 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program this week.
Virginia Sea Grant NEWS

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

New research gives the dish on blue catfish eating habits
Researchers have answered many questions about blue catfish, but one remained unanswered until now: How much do blue catfish eat in a given day?

Behind every good leader, there’s a…Knauss Fellow?
Within a week, Pamela Braff went from a risk management meeting and snorkeling on a coastal reserve in Hawai’i to working from home in her D.C. apartment, all in support of senior leadership at NOAA’s National Ocean Service as a Knauss Coastal & Marine Policy Fellow.

Virginia Environmental Endowment continues support of Commonwealth Fellowship
This $30,000 grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment will help support the Commonwealth Fellowship in 2021 and 2022.

Knauss Fellow’s on-the-ground experience in Alaska guides marine policy
As a Knauss Fellow on focused on ocean issues within the senator’s office, DelBene tracked legislation related to coastal Alaska priorities like fisheries.