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VVVVViririririrginia Institute of Marine Scienceginia Institute of Marine Scienceginia Institute of Marine Scienceginia Institute of Marine Scienceginia Institute of Marine ScienceSchool of Marine ScienceSchool of Marine ScienceSchool of Marine ScienceSchool of Marine ScienceSchool of Marine ScienceCollege of William and MaryCollege of William and MaryCollege of William and MaryCollege of William and MaryCollege of William and MaryPPPPP.O. Box 1346.O. Box 1346.O. Box 1346.O. Box 1346.O. Box 1346Gloucester Point, Gloucester Point, Gloucester Point, Gloucester Point, Gloucester Point, VVVVViririririrginia 23062ginia 23062ginia 23062ginia 23062ginia 23062

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

The

Non Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage Paid

Glou. Point, VA 23062Permit Number 6

CBNERRVA Receives CoastalAmerica Partnership Award

Continued on page 14

William Reay and Eric Wooden ofCBNERRVA were recently recog-nized by Coastal America for theirwork in a 10-acre tidal wetlandrestoration monitoring project at theFt. McHenry National Monument inBaltimore, Maryland. The Ft.McHenry Wetland Restoration Teamreceived Coastal America’s 2000Partnership Award. The team includedparticipants from the NationalAquarium in Baltimore, federal agen-cies, state and local governments,universities, and various communityorganizations working to restore andmaintain critical wetland habitat withinBaltimore Harbor. The project, initiatedin 1997, focused on a wetlands mitiga-tion site that was created for theconstruction of the Ft. McHenrytunnel. This wetlands site is importantbecause it is located at the head of atidal tributary that receives water fromthree mostly urban watersheds andbecause it is located at a highly visiblepublic access site, Ft. McHenryNational Park, that receives approxi-mately 600,000 visitors annually.

The restoration effort of thewetlands at Ft. McHenry NationalPark was noted in the 1999 CoastalAmerica Progress Report. At that

Continued on page 14

CrestVVVVVolume 3, No. 1olume 3, No. 1olume 3, No. 1olume 3, No. 1olume 3, No. 1

Summer 2001Summer 2001Summer 2001Summer 2001Summer 2001wwwwwwwwwwwwwww.vims.edu.vims.edu.vims.edu.vims.edu.vims.edu

&W MILLIAM ARY

V I M SIRGINIA NSTITUTE OF ARINE CIENCE

S M SCHOOL OF ARINE CIENCE

Current Issues in Coastal Ocean and Estuarine Science

The 46-year Trawl Survey will provide basic information to underpin the ecosystemmanagement study, which will begin in July.

For years, fisheries within Chesa-peake Bay have been managed on aspecies by species basis, with manage-ment plans that do not take intoaccount factors such as the abundanceof competitors, predators, and foragespecies. With a funding commitment of$629,000 from the Virginia Environ-mental Endowment (VEE), scientistsat VIMS will soon launch an innova-

tive three-year project that will focuson developing a model for multi-speciesmanagement of sustainable fisherieswithin the Chesapeake Bay. This is anew approach that will consider theentire ecosystem and be based on thedevelopment of a food web model forthe lower Chesapeake Bay. Scientistsnow know that population levels of

VIMS to Begin New Ecosystem Management Study

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The CrestVVVVVol. 3 No. 1 Summer 2001ol. 3 No. 1 Summer 2001ol. 3 No. 1 Summer 2001ol. 3 No. 1 Summer 2001ol. 3 No. 1 Summer 2001

Dr. L. Donelson WrightDean and Director

Virginia Institute of Marine Science/School of Marine Science

Editorial BoardDr. Eugene Burreson

Director of Research andAdvisory Services

Dr. William DuPaulAssociate Director for

Advisory Services

Dr. Maurice LynchManager, CBNERRVA

Page HayhurstDirector for Development

Science WriterDr. David Malmquist

Managing EditorWanda W. Cohen

Contributing WritersApril Bahen

CBNERRVA

Harrison BreseeSusan Haynes

Sally MillsTom Murray

Mike OesterlingVirginia Sea Grant

Tom BarnardKaren Duhring

Center for Coastal ResourcesManagement

Art DirectorSusan Stein

Chesapeake BayNational EstuarineResearch Reservein Virginia

Waterfront NewsVol. 8, No. 1

This work is the result of research supportedin part by NOAA Office of Sea Grant, U.S.Department of Commerce, under grantNo. NA56RG-0141 to the Virginia GraduateMarine Science Consortium and theVirginia Sea Grant College Program.

a fair Bay SpringVol. 11, No. 1

VIMS Shoreline Permit Application Reports NowAvailable Online

Tom Barnard & Karen Duhring

The Wetlands Advisory program ofthe Center for Coastal ResourcesManagement at VIMS has introducedan updated, online format for its Shore-line Permit Application Reports. Overthe past thirty years, the VIMS reporthas been the primary source of envi-ronmental input to the tidal wetlandsdecision-making process implementedby local Wetlands Boards, VMRC,DEQ, and other permitting agencies.The types of projects reviewed byVIMS wetland scientists in this pro-gram include riprap revetments,bulkheads, breakwaters, marinas, boatramps, compensatory mitigation anddredging. Reports prepared for eachpermit application are now posted tothe Center’s web page for onlineviewing and downloading.

Innovations that are now standardin the new VIMS Shoreline PermitApplication Report include a colorphotograph, location maps, eachproject’s advisory comments andrecommendations. Hand-held GPSunits are used to collect site-specificcoordinates, a necessary link missing intraditional shoreline assessments. Eachproject’s GPS location can be relatedto resource and shoreline inventoriescontained in a geographic informationsystems (GIS) database maintained bythe Center’s Comprehensive CoastalInventory program. Useful coveragescontained in the GIS database includeinventories of watersheds, tidal andnon-tidal wetlands, submerged aquaticvegetation, erosion control structuresand previously permitted projects.

The process of generating thereports was streamlined using acomputer program that automaticallyinserts the various report componentsinto a standard template. The TidalWetlands Database has been updatedto process the growing number ofrecords used to track cumulativeimpacts to tidal wetlands in Virginia.Projects involving beaches and duneswere added to this database. Evenelectronic signatures are used to signifythe report is official.

Tidal wetland information is alsopresented on a watershed level.Location maps included in each reportillustrate how watersheds extendacross city and county boundaries.This format should encourage consid-eration of the watershed perspective inthe tidal wetlands permitting process.

The reports are posted to theCenter for Coastal Resources Man-agement web site as soon as they areavailable. Staff at each locality and theVMRC representative are notified bye-mail when reports for their jurisdic-tion are available online. Electronicdistribution to local, state and federalpermitting agencies will reduce paper-work, administration costs and timedelays. Each applicant and authorizedagent will continue to receive a copy ofthe report in the mail to ensure theyreceive a copy. Anyone else interestedin the VIMS assessment of proposedshoreline projects may download andview the reports.

The Center’s web page alsocontains other useful information aboutwetlands, including the WetlandsManagement Handbook, numeroustechnical reports, self-guided educationunits, newsletters, and other features

on subjects dealing with all aspects ofshoreline and wetlands management.Log onto the Center for CoastalResources Management web site at:www.vims.edu/ccrm. A link to theonline Shoreline Permit ApplicationReports is located just below theWetlands Program icon. Severalsearch choices are available includingapplication number, locality, name ofapplicant and watershed.

The technical innovations includedin this format change represent thelatest step in the Wetland Program’slong term efforts to provide decision-makers with the best scientific adviceavailable. The integration of our GISand permit activity databases withInternet technology enhances thiseffort via improved access, timesavings and the utilization of expandeddata sets.

Example of the first page of a VIMS Shoreline Permit Application.

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Catholic High School Wins Virginia Blue Crab Bowl andPlaces Sixth in National Competition

Battling claw-to-claw in the finalmoments of a cliffhanger race, Catho-lic High School of Virginia Beachovercame last year’s champions,Grafton High School, in the regionalBlue Crab Bowl (BCB) held Feb. 3 atthe College of William and Mary.

The Blue Crab Bowl, a round-robin, double-elimination academictournament, is the regional competitionfor the National Ocean Science Bowl.This year’s event drew nearly 100 ofVirginia’s best high school sciencestudents. All questions are about theworld’s oceans. The purpose of theBowl is to provide a forum in whichstudents who excel in math andscience receive national recognition fortheir diligence and talent while broad-ening their awareness and understand-ing of the oceans.

This event is a cooperative effortbetween the Sea Grant Marine Advi-sory Program, Virginia Institute ofMarine Science, College of William andMary; and the Department of Ocean,Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences andthe Center for Coastal PhysicalOceanography, Old Dominion Univer-sity. More than 40 faculty, staff andgraduate students from both collegesdonate many hours of their time toensure the success of this excitingevent.

The team from Catholic High,which was runner-up to Grafton Highlast year, captured an all-expense-paidtrip to Miami, FL, where they repre-sented Virginia in the National OceanSciences Bowl competition in April.

Catholic High School, shown here, placed sixth nationally in their first appearance at theNational Ocean Science Bowl Finals.

Lexington High School, Lexington,MA, captured the National OceanSciences Bowl for the fourth year in arow.

After intense competition, the finalstandings were Catholic in first place,with Grafton in second place. Tied forthird place were Rustburg High Schooland Broadwater Academy fromExmore.

The Catholic High School teamwas captained by senior DuncanMcConaugha and coached by Dr. JohnMcConaugha. Team members areDenise Harmeyer (grade 12), AllisonMathews (grade 11), Kyle Chavers(grade 10) and Nicholas McConaugha(grade 10).

Contrary to many competitions,students didn’t need to be on thewinning team to have a positiveexperience at the Bowl. Says ThomasJefferson High School team coachJohn Fornshell, the event “enhancedthe students’ interest in the marinesciences and gave them a sense ofachievement. It’s a contest in whichintellectual development was moreimportant than winning. This is a rareachievement and one that has mademy students say, ‘Let’s do this againnext year’ both times I’ve brought ateam. Even though they were notfinalists, they felt good about theirexperience.”

And it wasn’t necessary to haveprevious experience nor upper-classstatus to advance to the finals. In fact,Broadwater Academy’s third-place-tied team consisted entirely of sopho-mores, all of whom were competing forthe first – and only – time. TheBroadwater team will have all newmembers each year, explains coachJohn Chubb. Because the team isfielded from his sophomore scienceclass, a new group of students willhave their chance for every annualcompetition.

The National Ocean SciencesBowl is a collaborative effort betweenthe Consortium for OceanographicResearch and Education (CORE) andthe National Marine Educators Asso-ciation (NMEA). Financial sponsor-ship is provided by federal marineagencies and other sponsors.

Local sponsors of the regional BlueCrab Bowl include Virginia Sea Grant,ODU’s Center for Coastal PhysicalOceanography, the Mid AtlanticMarine Education Association, The Old

Kevin Ford, a senior at GraftonHigh School, and captain of Grafton’s2000 BCB team (which placed first inthe state competition), has beenworking in the Fisheries GeneticsProgram at VIMS since September.Kevin is being mentored by Dr.Pindaro Diaz, a postdoctoral re-searcher from Mexico, and Dr. JohnGraves, Chair, VIMS Dept. of Fisher-ies Science. Since last fall, Ford haslearned a series of sophisticatedmolecular genetic techniques includingthe isolation of genomic DNA. Utilizingexisting techniques, he developed arelatively rapid means of identifyingtuna species. His procedures allowspecific identification of fillets as wellas early life history stages (eggs andlarvae) that are often difficult todiscriminate. Identification is used toverify species and to enforce regula-tions on the sale of certain species.

Captain of Virginia�s WinningBCB Team 2000 ContinuesMaking Strides

He was recently accepted as anundergraduate at University of Califor-nia San Diego and plans to pursue agraduate degree in marine science.VIMS congratulates Kevin!

Point National Bank, and Domino’sPizza.

For further information, pleasecontact Susan Haynes via phone at(804) 684-7735 or e-mail atshaynes@vims.edu or check the

Blue Crab Bowl web site at http://www.vims.edu/bcb. For information onother competitions around the countryand the National Ocean Science Bowlvisit http://core.cast.msstate.edu/nosb.html

SeafoodSeminarsPostponeduntil Fall

The VIMS Sea Grant MarineAdvisory Seafood EducationSeminar program will not be heldduring Spring 2001 due to kitchenrepairs. Check the seafood educa-tion website at http://www.vims.edu/adv/seafood/seminar2.html for updates, or call(804) 684-7169 for additionalinformation.

Dr. Pindaro Diaz and Kevin Ford in theFisheries Genetics Lab at VIMS.

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The Virginia Marina Techni-cal Advisory Program at VIMS,in partnership with the Depart-ment of Environmental Quality’sCoastal Program and theDepartment of Conser-vation and Recreation,launched its VirginiaClean Marine Programin January. Setting agoal of reducingnonpoint sourcepollution in Virginia’scoastal waters byoffering technicaladvice to marinas andrecreational boaters,the program recognizesmarinas that incorpo-rate “best managementpractices” that exceedminimum laws andregulations. To date,eight marinas – GinnyPoint Marina, LockliesMarina, Port KinsaleMarina, TidewaterYacht Agency, Inc.Washington SailingMarina, WormleyCreek Marina, YorkRiver Yacht Haven,and Coan River Marina– have pledged to worktoward clean marina

Marina Program Launched

Eight new members of the VIMSCouncil begin their terms in the springof 2001 Council President, ThomasBlackburn, recently announced. “ Weare indeed fortunate to have theseextremely outstanding members on ourCouncil. We all look forward toworking with them in support of themission of VIMS.”

Larry Thomas PriceLarry Thomas PriceLarry Thomas PriceLarry Thomas PriceLarry Thomas Price, GeneralManager Smurfit-Stone ContainerCorporation, Mill Division – West PointMill. Price received his MBA from theCollege of William and Mary and hisBS, Electrical Engineering from WestVirginia Institute of Technology. He isa 17-year veteran of the pulp andpaper industry. He was with Chesa-peake Paper Products Company from1983 until 1997. Prior to assuming hispresent post, he was Vice-President ofOperations for St. LaurentPaperboard’s mill in West Point.

Cynthia Cynthia Cynthia Cynthia Cynthia VVVVV. Bailey. Bailey. Bailey. Bailey. Bailey, Vice Presi-dent, Associate General Counsel-Regulatory Fort James Corporation.Bailey received a BS from the Collegeof William and Mary, her MS from theMedical College of Virginia, VirginiaCommonwealth University and JDfrom the University of RichmondSchool of Law. She served as theAssistant Attorney General, Common-wealth of Virginia, Director of theDepartment of Waste Management,Commonwealth of Virginia prior tojoining Fort James in 1991. She hasalso served as a member of theVirginia Council on the Environment,Virginia Emergency Response Counciland the Virginia Safety & HealthCodes Board.

WWWWWilliam illiam illiam illiam illiam TTTTTayloe Murphyayloe Murphyayloe Murphyayloe Murphyayloe Murphy, Jr, Jr, Jr, Jr, Jr.....,Smith, Murphy & Taliaferro law firm.Murphy received a BA fromHampden-Sydney College and anLL.B. from the University of Virginia.

VIMS Council Welcomes New MembersHe served in the U.S. Navy aboard theU.S.S. Newport News and on theStaff of the Supreme Allied Com-mander, Atlantic (NATO) Norfolk,Virginia. He has practiced law inVirginia since 1960. Murphy served inthe House of Delegates for 18 yearsand sat on numerous committeesincluding the Appropriations Commit-tee, Conservation and Natural Re-sources, Chesapeake and its Tributar-ies, and as a member of the Chesa-peake Bay Commission.

Former Secretary of StateFormer Secretary of StateFormer Secretary of StateFormer Secretary of StateFormer Secretary of StateLawrence EagleburLawrence EagleburLawrence EagleburLawrence EagleburLawrence Eagleburgergergergerger, SeniorForeign Policy Advisor, Baker,Donelson, Bearman and Caldwell, LawFirm. Eagleburger received a BS andMS from the University of Wisconsin.He joined the U.S. Foreign Service in1957. Eagleburger has served invarious positions under PresidentsNixon, Carter, Reagan and GeorgeBush. He also served on the AmericanRed Cross Board of Governors andcurrently serves as chairman of theInternational Commission on HolocaustEra Insurance Claims.

GGGGG. . . . . WWWWWaddy Garrettaddy Garrettaddy Garrettaddy Garrettaddy Garrett, SeniorConsultant, Royster-Clark Company.Garrett graduated from the UnitedStates Naval Academy and the U.S.Naval Nuclear Power School. Heearned an MBA from Harvard Busi-ness School. He was Chairman andCEO of Alliance Agronomics, Inc. afamily owned business until January of2000.

Governor Linwood HoltonGovernor Linwood HoltonGovernor Linwood HoltonGovernor Linwood HoltonGovernor Linwood Holton,Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia,1970 - 1974. Governor Holton receivedhis BA from Washington & Lee andhis LL.B. From Harvard Law School.He is currently with McCandlish Kainein Richmond and has served as Presi-dent of the Center for InnovativeTechnology and Chair of the Metropoli-

tan Washington Airport Authority,Assistant Secretary of State forCongressional Relations and Chair,Republican Governor’s Association.

Joseph Joseph Joseph Joseph Joseph VVVVV. Gartlan, Jr. Gartlan, Jr. Gartlan, Jr. Gartlan, Jr. Gartlan, Jr....., VirginiaState Senator 1972-2000. SenatorGartlan received a BS and JD fromGeorgetown University and served inthe U.S. Navy from 1943-1946. Duringhis seven terms in the Virginia Senate,Gartlan served on numerous commit-tees including, Chairman of the SenateCommittee for Courts of Justice,Senate Finance, Privileges and Elec-tions, Chairman of Finance Subcommit-tee on Health and Human Resourcesamong others. He was also a memberof the Chesapeake Bay Commissionfor many years and served as itsChairman in 1981, 1982, and 1985. Heis currently a member of the Board ofDirectors for the Alliance for theChesapeake Bay.

R. Bruce BradleyR. Bruce BradleyR. Bruce BradleyR. Bruce BradleyR. Bruce Bradley, PresidentLandmark Communications. Bradley

Commonwealth of VirginiaVirginia Clean Marina Program

The Virginia CleanMarina Guidebook

designation. A best managementpractices guidebook was developed forthis program and is available online atwww.vims.edu/adv/vamarina.

Marine Advisory Program educa-tors Lisa Ayers Lawrence and FrancesLee Larkin were recently awarded$44,128 from the Chesapeake BayProgram to create Chessie, a web-based education hub. Chessie willprovide educators watershed-wide withone-stop shopping for accurate anduseful information on Bay issues and

Web Based Education HubDeveloped by VIMS/Sea GrantEducators

topics, teaching materials, and researchdata suitable for classroom use and willprovide researchers with a contactpoint for educational outreach. Thefirst phase of the Chessie website willdebut online this fall. For more infor-mation, contact Lisa Ayers Lawrenceat ayers@vims.edu.

graduated from Villanova Universitywith a BS in Business Administrationand received an MBA from OldDominion University. Prior to becomingPresident of Landmark in January1999, he was President and Publisherof the Virginian Pilot, Director ofMarketing for the Greensboro News &Record, and the Roanoke Times andWorld News.

Case Whittemore (l) welcomes newmember Waddy Garrett.

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Virginia’s coastal residents wellknow how a hurricane’s poundingwaves and powerful currents canerode an entire beach or deposit a newsandbar. VIMS researchers are nowworking both at home and abroad toexplore how the shape of the seafloorinfluences the storm-driven erosion andaccumulation of marine sediment.Their findings will help improve thecomputer models used to help managecoastal resources and erosion.

The most recent phase in VIMS’on-going seafloor research began inFebruary, when graduate student ArtTrembanis traveled to New Zealand’sNorth Island with technicians BobGammisch and Todd Nelson to deploytwo instrumented tripods. DuringMarch, the trio returned to the islandwith VIMS Director Don Wright toretrieve the tripods and download thecollected data.

The research, funded by the U.S.National Science Foundation, repre-sents a major collaboration betweenVIMS and the National Institute ofWater and Atmospheric Research(NIWA), its overseas partner in NewZealand. VIMS and NIWA formalizeda General Cooperation Intention in1998 to foster cooperation in educationand research.

NIWA researchers Terry Humeand Mal Green deployed their ownseafloor tripod during the most recentfield season, bringing the total numberof tripods in the study to three.

The New Zealand research buildson earlier studies along the U.S. EastCoast, in which VIMS researchers

partnered with colleagues at MIT,Woods Hole, and Scripps to study howcurrents erode, transport, and depositmarine sediments on the inner conti-nental shelf. Research proposed byVIMS geologist Stephen Kuehl andcolleagues would continue the work,tying it into the international collabora-tive effort of the MARGINS program(see article on page 6).

Results of these field studies arebeing used to help improve the com-puter models that scientists use tounderstand and predict erosion andaccumulation of coastal sediments. Theultimate goal of the research, saysWright, is “to better model coastalerosion and the movement of sediment,pollutants, and other materials acrossthe inner continental shelf.”

Present-day computer models treatthe seafloor as if it were consistentlysmooth or rippled or rocky. Theserelatively simple models have helpedresearchers better understand themajor processes that control sedimentmotion and distribution, but they fail torealistically simulate the full complexityof the interplay between seafloor“roughness,” bottom currents, andsediment transport.

“Models usually assume homoge-neity of roughness,” says Wright, “butalong a coastline like we have inVirginia, homogeneity is the exceptionrather than the rule.”

The roughness of Virginia’s coastalseafloor is a product of the continuingrise in sea level since the end of thelast Ice Age. As Virginia’s coastlinepushes slowly landward, it leaves

behind a bumpy trail of relict oysterreefs, deep tidal channels, and marshyhummocks of peat.

The team’s study site in NewZealand’s Tairua–Pauanui embaymentprovides a comparable environment,but on a smaller scale particularlyconducive to fieldwork. Previoussurveys using side-scan sonar showedthat the floor of the 10-km-long baycomprises a discrete patchwork ofsmall, sandy ripples; larger, gravellyripples; and rocky outcrops.

In mid-February, a helicopterferried the team’s three tripods from alocal rugby field to the bay, where theresearchers anchored them in about 20meters of water. Once switched on,the tripods’ sensors began storinghourly readings in onboard solid-statememory.

The team scheduled their studyduring the Southern Hemispheresummer and early autumn to maximizethe likelihood that a tropical cyclonemight impact the site. “Storms arewhen everything happens on the shelf,”says Wright. “Most sediment getsmoved during storms, not fairweather.”

And sure enough, nature complied.Tropical Cyclone Paula blew past NewZealand in early March, providing aunique opportunity for the team’stripods to record feedbacks betweensediment behavior and seafloor rough-ness during the height of a storm.

In late March, the researchersretrieved the tripods and downloadedwhat Wright describes as “an excep-

tional data set.” The team is now busyanalyzing those data.

Each tripod used in the studystands about 2 meters tall and weighsabout a ton. A host of D-cell batteriespower its state-of-the-art sensors. Thesensors use sound waves, light beams,pressure readings, and electromagneticfields to measure current velocity,turbulence, and the concentration ofsediments suspended in the water.

Unlike previous sensing techniques,many of the new sensors are non-intrusive. Thereby allowing the re-searchers to observe the behavior ofthe system free from any artificialinfluences introduced by the instru-ments themselves.

Sound sensors on the tripodsinclude an Acoustic Doppler Velocime-ter. The ADV focuses three sonicbeams on a 1-centimeter cube located15 centimeters from the sensor. Byrecording and analyzing how theseintersecting beams reflect off particlesin the water, the ADV can determinethe speed and 3-dimensional motion ofcurrents through that spot. Because theADV emits 10 sonic pulses eachsecond, it can resolve not only theaverage velocity of the local current,but its short-term variations as well.This is crucial for obtaining the type ofhigh-resolution data that the teamneeds to understand the complexinterplay between bottom roughnessand sediment motion.

Another sound sensor is theAcoustic Doppler Current Profiler.

VIMS� pod being retrieved by helicopter from New Zealand waters.

VIMS scientists preparing to dive during a recent research cruise in New Zealand.(L to R - Bob Gammisch, Don Wright and Wayne Reisner.)

Continued on page 9

In the Middle of the Storm.....In the Middle of the Storm.....In the Middle of the Storm.....In the Middle of the Storm.....In the Middle of the Storm.....

Just Where VIMS Scientists Plan to Be

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For geologists, continental marginsare where the action is. Along marginsgreat rivers dump their sediments, coralreefs form, volcanoes erupt, andcolliding plates build mountains. Therocks that form along continentalmargins thus record many of thesignificant events in Earth’s history.

VIMS geologist Dr. Steven Kuehland colleagues at VIMS and aroundthe world have now established aninterdisciplinary program to systemati-cally study these margins.

The objectives of the 10-yearMARGINS program, funded by theU.S. National Science Foundation, areambitious. Says Kuehl, “the statedgoals are to rewrite the book when itcomes to understanding the processesthat operate on continental margins,from mountain top to abyssal plain.”

A more thorough understanding ofthese physical, chemical, and biologicalprocesses will help geologists betterdecipher the record of past changes inclimate, landscape, and human activitythat are preserved in marine sediments.

MARGINS research will alsoallow policy makers to better managehow humans interact with the marginenvironment. The importance of thatenvironment is clear. Continentalmargins provide many of humanity’smineral and fossil-fuel resources, andhold an ever-increasing percentage ofthe human population. Nearly two-thirds of humanity—more than 3.5billion people—now live within 150kilometers of a coastline. Within threedecades, that figure is likely to reach75 percent.

To achieve its goals, the MAR-GINS program needs to address theobstacles that have hindered pastmargin research. These include thesheer size of the margin environment,the wide range of time and spacescales on which margin processesoperate, and the parochial nature ofmuch past margin research.

The very feature that defines acontinental margin—its position at theboundary between land and sea—hastraditionally hindered efforts to under-stand the processes by which marginsform and evolve. That’s because thephysical boundary that defines amargin has also acted as a disciplinaryboundary between land-based andmarine geologists.

The “Source to Sink” initiative, oneof the four main components of theMARGINS science plan, is specificallydesigned to help break down some of

sediment that the Waipaoa carries for ariver of its size.

“Because the river’s dischargerates are so high, its sedimentarysignals are huge,” says Kuehl. “Thatmakes them easy to measure.”

The Waipaoa’s extreme turbidity islargely due to human activity. Between1870 and 1900, ranchers burned mostof the Waipaoa’s beech and podocarpforests to sheep pasture, which gulliesand landslides quickly began to scour.The resulting sediments now choke theriver’s floodplain, which in some areashas risen 10 meters since the turn ofthe century. Thisvast plug of sedimentis presumablymaking its wayoffshore, where theresearchers expect itwill leave a clearsignal in seafloorsediments.

“The same sortsof things are goingon in Virginia,” saysKuehl, noting theincreased turbidityand shoreline erosionexperienced in theChesapeake sinceEuropean settlement,“but in a much lessextreme way.”

Thus the WSSprovides a fieldlaboratory in com-pact caricature. “Itonly takes about twohours to drive fromthe river’s mouth to

its headwaters,” says Kuehl, “and thecontinental shelf is narrow, only about30 to 40 km wide.” Moreover, becausethe Waipaoa carries so much sediment,its seafloor deposits are written inlarge, easily readable print.

Kuehl and his team hope to use thepassages that humans have recentlypenned in those sediments to helpdecipher the record of significantprehistoric events.

“We like to view human impacts inthe Waipaoa as an opportunity ratherthan a problem,” says Kuehl. He notesthat deforestation in the Waipaoa basinprobably increased sedimentation thereby a factor of 10, comparable to whatgeologists might expect following avolcanic eruption or change in climate.Studying the Waipaoa’s recent humansignal should thus allow geologists tobetter understand such events else-where.

The Waipaoa’s extreme sedimentload provides another unique researchopportunity for Kuehl’s team. Kuehlnotes that water in rivers, even veryturbid rivers like the Amazon, istypically less dense than the saltyseawater into which it flows. Thus, ariver’s freshwater discharge usuallyfloats atop the salt water beneath. TheWaipaoa’s sediment-laden discharge isunique in that it can be denser thanseawater, or “hyperpycnal.”

these disciplinary barriers. As its nameimplies, the initiative encouragesresearchers from many different fieldsto collaboratively view rivers, theirtributaries, and their submarine distribu-taries as parts of a holistic sedimentarysystem, rather than as separateentities.

Kuehl and colleagues recentlysubmitted a 3-year “Source to Sink”proposal to trace the origin, transport,and deposition of sediments withinNew Zealand’s Waipaoa SedimentarySystem, or WSS for short. The WSSlies along the east coast of NewZealand’s North Island and encom-passes the main body of the WaipaoaRiver, its headwaters and nearbystreams, and the continental shelf andcanyons that collect the river’s sedi-ments or funnel them further offshore.It was previously deemed a model sitefor “Source to Sink” field projects.

If funded, Kuehl’s team will beginfieldwork later this year. His team isboth interdisciplinary and international,with scientists from VIMS, five otherU.S. research institutions, and threeresearch partners in New Zealand,including the National Institute ofWater and Atmospheric Research(NIWA). VIMS and NIWA signed aGeneral Cooperation Intention in 1998to foster cooperation in education andresearch.

The WSS is an ideal field labora-tory because its small size easeslogistics and because its distinctboundaries provide a closed systemwhose sediment budget can be calcu-lated readily. Research in the WSS alsobenefits from the large quantities of

Dr. Steve Kuehl, center, and VIMS students Tara Kniskern and Dave Fugate on a researchcruise collecting seabed samples for future MARGINS work.

This composite shows elevation of New Zealand and bathymetryof surrounding ocean floor. MARGINS research is proposed forthe Waipaoa and Eastern South Island sites.

Continental Margins - Where the Action Is

Continued on page 8

The Crest 7

Marine Finfish Culture Activities

In 1996, clam hatcheries onVirginia’s Eastern Shore began to claimthat runoff from local farms washarming their aquaculture operations.Hatchery owners alleged that the useof plastic sheeting on tomato fields washelping to channel pesticides and heavymetals into area waters, killing clamlarvae. Tomato growers argued that“plasticulture” allowed them to usefewer pesticides, and is a recognized“Best Management Practice” for aridenvironments.

Since then, scientists from VIMS,other universities, and several stateagencies have been working alongsidethe clam and tomato farmers to helpclarify the science behind their compet-ing claims, and to develop managementsolutions acceptable to both parties.Their efforts have been funded since1998 by a grant from the VirginiaDepartment of Agriculture and Con-sumer Services (VDACS).

Those efforts are now bearingfruit. Tomato farmers are beginning tovoluntarily implement the changes infarming practice that research shows

are most likely to reduce the effects ofrunoff on neighboring clam hatcheries.

“The big story,” says MarkLuckenbach, director of VIMS EasternShore Laboratory, “is not that theresearch itself is all that startling, butthat it was done in such a collaborativeway.”

Luckenbach has conducted theresearch along with fellow VIMSscientists Mory Roberts, Mike Unger,and Mike Newman, with assistancefrom the Eastern Shore Resource Con-servation and Development Programand the local Soil and Water Conserva-tion District. Area tomato farmers andlandowners have also been importantcontributors, allowing the researchersfree access to their fields and property,and underwriting the sometimesexpensive changes in farming practicethat the research suggests.

Gretchen Arnold, a researchspecialist at the VIMS Eastern ShoreLab, points out that the research hasalso benefited from its multi-disciplin-ary approach. Arnold, who has man-aged the field studies on the project for

the past three years, notes that the re-search involves land-use characteriza-tion, agricultural science, environmentalchemistry, toxicology, and ecology.

In a preliminary 1996 study, theresearchers caged grass shrimp larvae(which have known sensitivity topesticides) in six watersheds along theEastern Shore. By monitoring thehealth of these larvae during a two-month period, the team found thatmortality peaked following heavy rainsin those watersheds exposed to runofffrom plasticulture operations. Althoughthe research didn’t uncover the direct

Aquaculture and Agriculture -Working Together for Solutions

cause of the mortality, it did suggest astrong need for improved managementpractices.

The team used the VDACS grantto study the impacts of plasticulturerunoff in more detail, and to test howvarious management practices mightmitigate those impacts. They confirmedthat water quality in tidal creeks ismost affected by pulses of runofffollowing heavy rain, and thus realized,says Luckenbach, that those effects“could be eliminated or reduced bycontrolling the run-off from fields.”Tomato farmers have responded byinstalling retention ponds, modifyingexisting buffer zones to better controlrunoff, and altering the way they usepesticides.

Luckenbach notes that the re-sponse of the farmers to the suggestedchanges has been remarkably rapid.“There was almost no lag between theresearch and the implementation ofmanagement strategies,” saysLuckenbach.

His team has so far found littleevidence that plasticulture is havingany chronic effects on native organ-isms in affected waters. For instance,they have observed no relationshipbetween plasticulture in a watershedand toxicity levels in migrating finfishor bottom-dwelling invertebrates.

“However,” cautions Luckenbach,“that doesn’t mean the toxins aren’tthere. It may simply be a detectionproblem.” His team continues tomonitor for any long-term effects bymeasuring levels of organic pesticidesand heavy metals within the tissues ofoysters that they have deployed in theirfield sites.

The ultimate goal, says Lucken-bach, is to contribute to a betterunderstanding of how sustainabletomato cultivation can be practicedwithout negatively impacting the healthof coastal waters.

Clam aquaculture on Virginia�s Eastern Shore.

By Mike Oesterling

During 2000, the VIMS MarineFinfish Culture Program achieved amilestone with the spawning of captivecobia (Rachycentron canadum). Theproject is ongoing with the continuedculture of juvenile cobia from thatspawning. Cobia are considered primecandidates for commercial aquaculturebecause of an expanding market as afood fish, a fast growth rate, and theiradaptability to confinement systems.Indeed, the cobia that are currently inthe VIMS recirculating water grow-outfacility have demonstrated both the fastgrowth and adaptability aspects. Afteronly 200 days of growth, the juvenilecobia weigh an average of 2 pounds,with some fish topping the scales at 3pounds. These animals are part of agraduate student’s Master degreethesis and will contribute much usableinformation to fish culturists. Plans arecurrently being made for the upcomingseason to continue the development ofaquaculture protocol for cobia.

While not as momentous as thecobia spawning, the Marine FinfishCulture Program has just completedthe spawning of spot (Leiostomus

xanthurus). These fishwere collected in the fallprior to their migrationout of Chesapeake Bayto offshore spawningareas, held within a1,000-gallon recirculat-ing water system forfinal maturation, andspawned in earlyJanuary using hormonalinjection techniques.Unlike cobia, spot arenot considered candi-dates for aquaculturebased upon their appealas a food fish. Rather,cultured spot are beinginvestigated for theirpotential as a live-baitfor the recreationalfishing industry. TheMarine Finfish CultureProgram is workingcooperatively with aprivate individual whointends to grow fingerling spot to a baitsize, test market the animals, andevaluate the potential for large-scalespot production. This project is being

Graduate student Patrick Kilduff injects an anesthetized spotin preparation for spawning

supported in part by the FisheryResource Grant Program administeredby the Virginia Sea GrantCollege Program.

The Crest8

Jack MusickJack MusickJack MusickJack MusickJack MusickDr. Jack Musick, VIMS Acuff Professor of Marine Science, received an

Outstanding Faculty Award by the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia.In a special ceremony at the Executive Mansion on February 16, GovernorGilmore and Secretary of Education Wilbert Bryan honored Musick and otheroutstanding educators from the Commonwealth.

Since joining the VIMS faculty in 1967, Musick has mentored 31 Masters and36 Ph.D. students. His students have, in their own right, gone on to achieve great

success in government, academia and industry, a reflec-tion of the strong mentorship they received from Musick.“The success of Dr. Musick’s program has been, andcontinues to be, evidenced by the fact that it attractsstudents from all parts of the United States, as well asthose from foreign countries. Success of this program isalso reflected in the placement of its graduates in aca-demic positions at major universities, and in careerpositions within federal and state government agencies.His contributions to the program at VIMS have resultedin an internationally recognized center for ichthyologicalresearch where students pursue perhaps the widest

variety of research interests on fishes available anywhere in the country,” said Dr.Thomas A. Munroe, of NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Musick has authored, or co-authored 100 scientific papers and five books inthe field of ichthyology and marine conservation. In the past five years, he haspresented over 30 invited presentations including a recent trip to Japan where hespoke in three cities on “Criteria to Define Endangered Marine Species.” He iscurrently Co-Chair of the International Union for the Conservation of NatureShark Specialist Group a role which requires a well-respected and high profilescientist.

Musick also received an American Fisheries Society Distinguished ServiceAward. Kenneth L. Beal, President of the American Fisheries Society said, “Dr.Musick has lead the preparation of and has co-authored four Society PolicyStatements on long-lived marine fish resources. These efforts are widely recog-nized by the aquatic resource conservation community.”

Faculty Awards

Carl Friedrichs Linda Schaffner

Jack Musick

Carl FriedrichsCarl FriedrichsCarl FriedrichsCarl FriedrichsCarl FriedrichsDr. Carl Friedrichs, Dept. of Physical Science, was a recipient of the 2000

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Thisaward is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstandingscientists and engineers who are in the early stages of establishing their indepen-dent research careers. “These awards acknowledge much more than past perfor-

mance,” said National Science Foundation director RitaColwell, “They represent our expectation that thesewomen and men will continue to provide leadership inscience, engineering and higher education well into themillennium.” Friedrichs was one of only four oceanogra-phers among the 56 recipients of the 2000 award

A member of the VIMS faculty since 1993, Friedrichswas recognized for, “an exceptional interdisciplinaryapproach to understanding sediment dynamics and itsimpact on marine ecology, and his extensive experiencewith mentoring programs for undergraduates and highschool students.” His research focuses on the ways inwhich sediments moving through estuaries and around

coasts affect the biology in such bodies of water. In his research, Friedrichs andhis students are critically examining traditional theories predicting how sedimentsare cycled through estuaries. His work has shown a connection between patternsof mixing in the tidal currents and the transport of muddy sediment upstream alongestuaries. “This work can have great significance for the health of the ChesapeakeBay and of human beings who live around it,” said Don Wright, Dean and Directorof VIMS. Intense sediment transport by tidal currents, for example, hampers theability of bottom-dwelling (benthic) organisms to recruit and feed.”

Friedrichs also received a four-year National Science Foundation CAREERgrant for $499,000 to support his sediment dynamics research.

Linda SchaffnerLinda SchaffnerLinda SchaffnerLinda SchaffnerLinda Schaffner“Your passion for research, your devotion to education and your unwavering

commitment to encouraging women in science represents the best traditions of theCollege of William and Mary.” With these words, Rector, J. Edward Grimsley,presented Dr. Linda Schaffner with the 2001 Thomas Jefferson Teaching Awardduring the Charter Day ceremony on February 9, 2001. She was also praised forher leadership of the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience forUndergraduates Program (REU) at the School ofMarine Science. The REU program is recognizednationwide and is one of the few programs in marinescience that recruits minority undergraduates. In 1995,Schaffner received the School of Marine ScienceOutstanding Teacher Award.

In her remarks, Schaffner said, “We have theresources and knowledge to train our students torecognize and embrace the complexities of coastalocean science. We are confident that they, in turn, willfind new and better solutions to the problems that westruggle with today.”

Schaffner, an Associate Professor in the Dept. ofBiological Sciences is well known for her work with bottom dwelling (benthic)organisms. Her current research includes a multi-institutional project to examinesediments from three regions of Chesapeake Bay which exhibit high levels ofcontaminants and evidence of impacts on fish and benthic organisms that are a keycomponent of estuarine food webs. She is also involved in research to determinehow natural physical processes, such as storm activity and strong currents, controlthe dynamics, biodiversity and productivity of benthic communities in estuarine andother coastal habitats.

Liz Canuel

Liz CanuelLiz CanuelLiz CanuelLiz CanuelLiz CanuelDr. Elizabeth Canuel, Department of Physical

Sciences, recently received a William and Mary AlumniFellowship Award. The award, given annually, recog-nizes younger faculty members who are “outstandingteachers.” While five awards are given, Canuel re-ceived the single award dedicated to a faculty memberinvolved in graduate education. Canuel and her co-PIDr. Michael Kelley (Dept. of Applied Sciences) alsorecently received one of the first Collaborative Re-search Grants. These awards are designed to supportcollaborations between faculty across campus and arejointly funded by VIMS, the College of William andMary and the Applied research Center (ARC).

Continental Marginscontinued from page 6

Unlike regular surface plumes,hyperpycnal flows move along theseafloor, and can significantly affectseafloor sediments and bottom-dwellingorganisms. Kuehl notes that TropicalCyclone Bola, which struck NewZealand in 1988 with torrential rains,“flushed a plug of sediment out of theWaipaoa system that left a 1-meter-thick layer of goop on the continentalshelf, wiping out the bottom commu-nity.”

Kuehl’s team expects that studyingthese extreme cases will provide freshinsights into the more mundane prob-lems facing oysters and other bottom

dwellers in places like the ChesapeakeBay.

Kuehl’s team plans to conduct theirsubmarine research using a pair ofinstrumented tripods brought to NewZealand this winter for a related VIMSresearch project (see page 5). These,combined with river monitoring equip-ment provided by NIWA and box coresfor taking shallow sediment samples,should allow the team to trace thepassage of sediment from sheeppasture to seafloor in real time.

Kuehl hopes that future work usingthe resources of the Ocean DrillingProgram will extend the team’s reachfarther beneath the seafloor andfarther back in time.

The Crest 9

Former VIMS student, JamieJackson, left marine science forcomputer science and a career withthe highly successful Internet companyYAHOO. She did not, however, forgetthe people she knew at VIMS nor theircommitment to marine education. Lastyear, Jackson contacted Dr. JohnMilliman, former Dean of GraduateStudies, and told him she wanted tofund a scholarship to be established inhis name. In the fall of 2000, KellyJohnson became the first recipient ofthe Milliman Scholarship. Johnson, amaster’s student in the Department ofFisheries Science, graduated fromNorth Dakota State University(NDSU). “I spent several summersdoing field work in marine relatedareas and fell in love with marinescience,” she said. As part of her

undergraduate study in zoology, shehad an opportunity to begin work ingenetics utilizing microsatellites and“allozymes.” When Dr. Peg Mulvey,VIMS Dept. of Environmental Sci-ences, gave a seminar at NDSUJohnson became interested in thegraduate education program at VIMS.After researching VIMS on theInternet, Johnson decided VIMS hadboth the graduate education and thestrong genetics research opportunitiesshe wanted. As a first year VIMSstudent, Johnson is taking the requiredcore courses as well as planning herown research. “I love it here, “ shesays, “receiving this scholarship hasenabled me to be in a premier educa-tion and research facility. It is quitechallenging and exciting. And, I lovethe Virginia weather!”

Former Student Funds Scholarship

This sits atop the tripod and pointsupward. The ADCP measures theaverage current velocity in every 25-cm layer between the sensor and thewater surface. It also measuresturbulence, and the concentration ofsuspended particles.

Light sensors on each tripodoperate on the same basic principle asthe acoustic sensors, but emit andreceive infrared light rather than soundwaves. The team employs light sensors

because they are much better thansound sensors at measuring theconcentration and motion of very finesediments such as mud and clay.

Pressure gauges on the tripodsmeasures the depth of the overlyingwater column, and thus provideinformation on tides and wave height.This helps the researchers relatesediment motion to the daily tidal cycleor the passage of storms.

The final tool in the researcherstoolbox is an electromagnetic sensorthat provides back-up measurements ofcurrent velocity by detecting the motion

Middle of the Stormcontinued from page 5

of seawater, an electrolyte, past 4electrodes protruding from its smallspherical body.

Together with before and aftersurveys of the seafloor, these sensorsprovide a detailed 3-dimensionalunderstanding of how seafloor rough-ness influences sediment motion, andvice versa. It is important to remember,notes Wright, that the interactionbetween seafloor and sediment goesboth ways.

“Water turbulence is proportionalto roughness,” says Wright. Thus as asediment-laden water current moves

Kauffman Aquaculture Center Campaign

Kelly is investigating thegenetic relatedness ofseveral species of shorefishes that occur in Bermudaand along the U.S. southAtlantic coast. Her resultswill increase our understand-ing of the population struc-ture of widely distributedmarine fishes, informationthat is necessary for effec-tive management. In addi-tion, the data will allow her totest various hypothesesregarding the temporalpatterning of the colonizationof Bermuda.

“As the cost of supporting studentscontinues to rise, it is great to seeprivate funds support for our academicprogram. I am most grateful to Ms.

Kelly Johnson, first-year Masters student, in theFisheries Genetic Lab.

Jackson for her contribution—it isclearly making a big difference for onedeserving student,” said Dr. JohnGraves, Chair, Department of FisheriesScience and Johnson’s major advisor.

from a rough patch of seafloor to asmooth one, turbulence decreases, asdoes the amount of sediment the watercan hold. Deposition of this sedimentchanges the seafloor’s shape, which inturn alters the turbulence of watermoving above and can result in furthererosion or accumulation.

This type of complex feedback isexactly what the researchers arehoping the tripods they deployed inNew Zealand will help them to betterunderstand. These feedbacks can thenbe incorporated into computer modelsused right here at home.

Mr. and Mrs. John Kauffman havecommitted $500,000 as a challengegrant to construct an aquaculturefacility on their property in Topping,Virginia. Their home and surroundingproperty and a supporting endowmentwas bequeathed to VIMS in 1997 to beused for marine education and re-search programs. VIMS will immedi-ately begin a campaign to raise the$500,000 match needed to constructthe facility.

Dr. Stan Allen, Director, Aquacul-ture Genetics and Breeding TechnologyCenter (ABC) at VIMS explains thatdeveloping disease resistant strains ofoysters offers the opportunity for astrategy of immense magnitude –genetic rehabilitation of oysters in thelower Chesapeake Bay. “Replacingoysters on a reconstructed reef is amulti-million dollar enterprise amongvarious agencies in and around theChesapeake Bay,” says Allen.

“Building reefs is one thing, seedingthem with oysters capable of growing,reproducing and repopulating reefs andsurrounding areas which will in turngrow and reproduce, is essential if rest-oration efforts are to be meaningful.”

The facility, The KauffmanAquaculture Center, will be used forresearch to advance the developmentof disease resistant oysters throughtechnological innovation for aquacul-

ture and restoration efforts. TheCenter will include laboratories to growand study non-native and geneticallyenhanced native oysters in isolation.The techniques developed at theCenter will have a wide array ofapplication worldwide in shellfish andfinfish aquaculture.

At the same time disease resistantstocks can be used for genetic rehabili-tation, they can also serve as an agent

of economic development. At present,wild oysters cannot survive to marketsize in sufficient quantities to warrantinvestment in oyster farming. Diseaseresistant strains provide an opportunityto redress this because they canwithstand diseases for at least an extrasix-month period. Continual improve-ments will extend this advantage. “Ourprogress in selection for diseaseresistance is hastened by new develop-ments in ABC’s molecular lab concern-ing oyster genomics and mappingimportant genes,” said Allen.

“The Kauffman’s support providesan opportunity to advance researchthat can have very significant long-term implications for both oysterculture and reef restoration efforts inChesapeake Bay,” said Dr. GeneBurreson, Director of Research andAdvisory Service at VIMS.

Rendering of the proposed Kauffman Aquaculture Center in Middlesex County.

The Crest10

New Graduate Courses for Science Teachers

Knauss FellowsDean of Graduate Studies, Dr.

Mike Newman, announced that threestudents in the School of MarineScience were awarded Knauss MarinePolicy Fellowships for 2001. “Theseare highly competitive awards: havingthree recipients speaks very well of thequality of our education program in theSchool of Marine Science.”

These awards match highlyqualified graduate students with hostsin the legislative branch, executivebranch or appropriate associations orinstitutions in the Washington, DC area.The fellowship was established in 1979to provide a unique educational experi-ence to students with an interest inocean, coastal and Great Lakesresources and in the national policydecisions that affect these resources.

Krisa Arzayus, Ph.D. student,Dept. of Physical Sciences, is workingat NOAA Office of Global Programsin Silver Spring, MD. “Specifically, Iam working with the global carboncycle research program where I will beinvolved establishing a Carbon CycleProgram Office which will serve as acoordinating venue for the CarbonCycle scientific steering group andinteragency working groups, as well asan outreach post for Congress andother interested parties who needinformation on the current issuessurrounding carbon cycling” Arzayusexplains. “I am learning firsthand howscientific research is funded by work-ing with program managers in climate

change-related research topics bothwithin NOAA and across agencies.”As a Knauss Fellow, she has had theopportunity to observe, if not partici-pate in, important policy decision-making processes, attend congressionalbriefings and hearings, and researchproposal review panels.

Rebecca Arenson Masters Studentin the Dept. of Coastal and OceanPolicy, is assigned to NOAA, NationalOcean Service, Management &Budget Office, Division of Policy,Analysis, and Communications. “I amhelping with legislative and budgetissues. Often I have had to helpassemble reports to congress (thatthey have requested for implementationof specific funding issues), I also havehad the opportunity to research legisla-tion relevant to national ocean sciencesto answer questions submitted fromcongress or that pertain to mandatedactivities and funding.”

Masters Student Elizabeth Mountz,Dept. of Coastal and Ocean Policy, isworking with the Great LakesTaskforce in Senator Mike Dewine’s(OH) office. She is working with all ofthe congressional members from theGreat Lakes region to develop policy.“I’m working on a variety of issues,such as water diversions from theLakes, invasive species, and slant-drilling for oil and natural gas. I’mlearning how different entities fromnon-government organizations up to thefederal government interact.”

Teachers study interactions in aquatic foodwebs inDr. Emmett Duffy�s lab at VIMS.

Through lectures and plenty ofhands-on laboratory experience, VIMSfaculty and Sea Grant marine educa-tors worked together last fall to providemiddle and high school science teach-ers with a wealth of information,materials and innovative techniquesthat they could take directly back intotheir classrooms. Eighteen regionalteachers completed ExperimentalDesign in the Marine Science Labora-tory, a one-semester graduate coursepresented for the first time at VIMSduring fall 2000. “There’s no delay ingoing back and testing it on the kids,”said Jane Butler, a science teacher atGrafton High School, “Everything is sohands-on and we’re making contactswith experts in our field.” BrindaJones, whose marine biology classes atWarwick High School in NewportNews grew from 15 students in 1992up to 112 in the fall of 2000 said, “It’shard to find new lab experiments to

bring to the classroom. This is great,my classes have really bloomed.”

A second course for scienceteachers is being offered this summer,July 1 - July 6 at VIMS Eastern ShoreLaboratory in Wachapreague, VA.(attendance on July 4 is optional)

Current Environmental IssuesCurrent Environmental IssuesCurrent Environmental IssuesCurrent Environmental IssuesCurrent Environmental Issuesin Marine Science: Case Studiesin Marine Science: Case Studiesin Marine Science: Case Studiesin Marine Science: Case Studiesin Marine Science: Case Studiesfrom from from from from VVVVViririririrginia’ginia’ginia’ginia’ginia’s Eastern Shores Eastern Shores Eastern Shores Eastern Shores Eastern Shore

Two (2) graduate credits in marinescience available from Virginia Instituteof Marine Science School of MarineScience, College of William and Mary(MS 548); recertification credits mayalso apply. Tuition and lodging pro-vided. Fee: $20 registration fee and afew meals at participant’s expense.

Instruction will be provided byVIMS faculty and marine educationstaff from the VIMS Virginia SeaGrant Marine Advisory Program.Activities will include field surveys,laboratory exercises and internet

applications. Implementa-tion of course content andactivities for the secondaryscience classroom will beemphasized. Courseconcepts will addressselected Virginia Stan-dards of Learning in lifescience, biology, earthscience, physics andchemistry. Course contentwill include:

· Physical Oceanogra-phy (tides, waves,currents, barrierbeach processes)

· Chemical oceanogra-phy (dissolvedoxygen, water quality,impact of pollutants)

····· Marine ecology and biology(estuarine and barrier islandhabitats, biodiversity, fisheriesbiology)

····· A look at current VIMS researchin shellfish aquaculture, non-

indigenous species, toxicology,fisheries management and more.For more information, contact:

Susan Haynes (804) 684-7135, VickiClark (804) 684-7169, John Graves(804) 684-7352, or Mark Luckenbach(757) 787-5816

Once again, VIMS scientistsneed your help in collecting Rapawhelks. This is very important to helpin mapping the Rapa distribution andgathering information on the variousage classes of the whelk in theChesapeake Bay. Beginning on April16, 2001 VIMS will pay a $5.00bounty on all live whelkscollected, and $2.00bounty on each deadwhelk or emptywhelk shell col-lected. While thewhelks are muchmore valuable forresearch if theyare alive, thescientists areinterested in any Rapawhelks that are foundand reported. If youfind a whelk you canmake arrangements forpick-up of the whelk byVIMS personnel - it is notnecessary to remain at thesite. To keep the whelk aliveplease keep it in a bucket of riverwater in the shade. Please do NOTput live whelks in the freezer or onice. We have set up a VIMS RapaHotline at (804) 684-7361; please usethis number to report Rapa whelks

Rapa Whelk Bountyand request pick-up. VIMS staff canmonitor this line 24 hours a day, 7days a week. All callers shouldprovide information about the collec-tion of the rapa whelk including thecaller’s name, the collector’s name (ifdifferent from the caller), the date onwhich the whelks were collected, a

phone number to call for additionalinformation, the status of the

rapa whelk (live, dead,empty shell), the number

of rapa whelks, theplace where therapa whelk wascollected (forexample, offOcean View nearHarrison’s Pieror in the JamesRiver just above

the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge

Tunnel), and the placewhere the whelk(s) can

be picked up.A member of the VIMS

staff will return your call and verifythe pick-up location as well as yourmailing address which is needed topay the bounty. If you do not leaveyour phone number, VIMS cannotpay the bounty.

The Crest 11

For many, Antarctica represents anunpolluted refuge from the modernworld. With no industry and only 4,000temporary inhabitants dotting an icyexpanse larger than the United States,it seems the continent would retain aprimal purity.

Recent research suggests other-wise.

Indeed, some volatile pollutants,such as the pesticide hexachloro-benzene, occur in higher concentrationsin Antarctica than in the temperate andtropical latitudes where they areproduced and used.

VIMS researchers RebeccaDickhut and Hugh Ducklow will travelto Antarctica next September withgraduate student Amy Chiuchiolo tobegin investigating the role that sea iceplays in injecting these “persistentorganic pollutants,” or POPs, into polarfood webs.

Their visit to the waters of theAntarctic Peninsula will be the first in apair of trips down under, courtesy of a2-year grant from the U.S. NationalScience Foundation. The work buildson research conducted in the Chesa-peake Bay during the last several yearsby Dickhut’s current graduate studentPadma Venkatraman.

Previous work on polar pollutionhas focused on the Arctic, due toconcerns by Arctic governments aboutthe effects of such contaminants onindigenous peoples. Because peoplesuch as the Inuit occupy the top of thefood chain, feasting on polar bears andother marine mammals, they face aserious threat of biomagnification—the

process by which contaminantsbecome increasingly concentrated asthe food pyramid narrows from thelarge number of primary producers atits base to the few predators at itspeak.

Arctic research shows that levelsof polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), aknown carcinogen, are 2-10 timeshigher in Inuit newborns than in babiesborn further south. PCBs were oncewidely used in electrical equipment, buttheir manufacture was banned in theU.S. in 1977 because of evidence thatthey build up in the environment andcause harmful effects.

Dickhut and Ducklow’s researchturns the Arctic work on its head, bothin geography and ecology. Instead ofconcentrating on the effects contami-nants may have on top predators,Dickhut says they seek to understand“the mechanisms by which POPs aregetting into the base of the Antarcticfood web.”

They hypothesize that sea ice playsa crucial role. A skirt of sea ice slowlyexpands around Antarctica eachaustral winter (from May throughSeptember) and then quickly contractswith the warmer temperatures of theaustral spring. This floating fringe ofsea ice is huge, and can at its maxi-mum extent nearly double the solidsurface of the continent.

Dickhut and Ducklow reason thatPOPs condense from the air onto thevast sheet of sea ice during the longwinter, and then melt along with thesea ice into the surrounding seawatercome spring.

Unfortunately, release of contami-nants in this manner would coincidewith Antarctica’s renowned springphytoplankton bloom. During thisbloom, increasing daylight and a richsupply of nutrients fuel algae, alsoreleased from the melting sea ice, togenerate a population explosion amongthe tiny marine plants that nourish therest of the Antarctic ecosystem.

Thus in Dickhut and Ducklow’sproposed scenario, phytoplanktongrowth and POP concentrations peakin seawater simultaneously.

“You’ve had six to eight months ofdeposition all injected at once into theplankton system,” says Ducklow. Fromthere, the pair suspect the contami-nants could quickly and efficientlyinfiltrate up the Antarctic food chain,passing from phytoplankton to zoop-lankton such as krill, then to fish, andon to apex predators such as Adeliepenguins, skua seabirds, seals, andwhales.

Ducklow is also interested inlooking down the food chain, to explorehow decomposition by marine bacteriaaffects the longer-term fate of persis-tent organic pollutants in Antarcticwaters. As their name implies, POPspersist in nature for a long time—10sto 100s of years. They are ultimatelybroken down by sunlight and the actionof microbes. Studying the mechanismsby which marine bacteria break downPOPs may thus one day help scientistsaccelerate the process.

To test their sea-ice hypothesis, theVIMS team must sample POP concen-trations in each suspected reservoir—air, sea ice, seawater, and the tissues ofplankton and microbes. Because theirwork will focus on the base of the foodchain, Dickhut and Ducklow expect to

encounter contaminant concentrationsthat are very low.

“We’ll be measuring in parts perbillion and lower,” says Dickhut.“That’s like trying to find a coffee tablein the state of Texas,” adds Ducklow.

Previous Arctic researchers, whosampled from the blubbery tissues oftop predators where POPs tend toconcentrate, had a much easier time,working with concentrations a thou-sand times higher.

Because of the low concentrationsin the reservoirs they plan to study, theVIMS team must sample large vol-umes to obtain a detectable signal. “Wemight have to get a cubic meter of iceper sample,” says Ducklow.

“We have to make sure we getmeasurable levels,” adds Dickhut.“And since you only get one or twotrips to Antarctica, you don’t have a lotof time to play with, so you’d ratheroverkill and collect even more.” All theteam’s samples will be returned toVIMS for analysis.This will furthercomplicate the logistics of an alreadyrigorous expedition.

To reach their study site at 64o

south latitude, the VIMS’ scientists willsail from Punta Arenas, Chile aboardthe 308-foot research ice-breakerNathaniel B. Palmer. The voyage willbring them across notoriously windyand wave-tossed seas that sailors havedubbed the “roaring forties.”

Ducklow tells of watching a solidwave of cold green water roar past his6th-deck porthole during a 1996 Antarc-tic passage aboard the Palmer, thenfalling to the floor as the ship dropped70 feet into the trough of the nextwave. His stomach followed a fewmoments later.

VIMS Scientists to ExploreHuman Imprint of Pollution onAntarctic Sea Ice

Continued on page 12Rebecca Dickhut and Hugh Ducklow of VIMS will begin a new study in Antarctica inFall 2001.

Scientists extract an ice core during a Ross Sea expedition.

The Crest12

Mid-Atlantic Scallop Closed Areas Set to Reopen

“I’ll probably get seasick, but I’mstill going!” laughs Dickhut.

Unfettered by land, the intensewinds of the roaring forties drive thesurface of the Southern Ocean in ahuge circumpolar current that effec-tively isolates Antarctica’s coastalwaters from the rest of the worldocean.

Based on this isolation, scientistsassume that the POPs detected inAntarctica’s resident marine organismsare reaching the continent through theair—via what they call the “grasshop-per effect.” Dickhut and Ducklow’sresearch will help to test this assump-tion.

Understanding how the grasshop-per effect might help pollute Antarcticmarine ecosystems requires a briefforay into the world of contaminantchemistry.

Some POPs are relatively non-volatile, which means that they areunlikely to evaporate into the air atnormal surface temperatures. Theseinclude polycyclic aromatic hydrocar-bons (PAHs), produced by incompleteburning of fossil fuels, and Kepone, thepesticide that began entering the JamesRiver during the 1960s.

Non-volatile POPs tend to stay put,adhering to mud and clay particles andthus accumulating in river and coastalsediments near where they are pro-duced or used. Dickhut and herstudents, as well as others at VIMS,have previously studied these types ofPOPs in sediments and organisms fromthe James, York, and Elizabeth rivers.

However, other POPs—such asthe pesticides hexachlorobenzene(HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexane

(HCH), as well as some PCBs—evaporate relatively easily at normalsurface temperatures. Because of thisproperty, these compounds are liftedinto the air by the same processes thatcarry water vapor skyward to produceclouds and rain. And like water vapor,which on a global basis enters theatmosphere in the tropics and exits atthe poles, these compounds cycleslowly but consistently polewardthrough time.

Individual POP molecules may rainout of the atmosphere during theirpoleward voyage, but if the underlyingwater or land is warm, they quickly“hop” back into the air through re-newed evaporation— hence the“grasshopper effect.” Yet as an airmass travels away from the tropics intocolder and colder climes, the proportionof molecules that hop back into the aircontinually decreases. By the poles, thegrasshopper aren’t hoppin’, and anygaseous pollutants that condense andfall to the frigid surface remain trappedthere.

The grasshopper effect may helpexplain the troubling fact that HCHlevels in polar regions exceed those inthe tropical zones where this insecti-cide is primarily used. After a farmer inIndia or other tropical lands sprays hisor her rice fields with HCH, residualmolecules may simply evaporate andthen slowly but surely cycle polewardthrough the atmosphere to accumulatein polar zones.

By comparing samples taken fromdifferent reservoirs and during differentseasons, Ducklow and Dickhut shouldbe able to calculate a budget that canbe used to track the passage of thesegrasshoppered POPs through Antarcticsea ice and into the local food chain.

September provides a particularlyimportant window of opportunity forthe team’s research effort. This iswhen the sea ice begins to melt andrelatively high concentrations of POPsflood the surrounding seawater. “Ourcruise is purposefully scheduled tocatch the end of the winter season,”notes Ducklow.

The VIMS team will follow theirSeptember 2001 cruise with anothertrip in January and February 2002 tothe Palmer Research Station. Duringthe second trip the team will work bothon land and sea to collect samples thatthey can tie into the long-term scientificdatabases available via Palmer’s LongTerm Ecological (LTER) Program.

Ducklow says that the project “isthe best example I’ve ever had of anew idea that just kind of floated up tome that became a proposal that gotfunded. I was on Padma’s thesiscommittee with Becky and I started tothink about sea ice melting, and that

pollutants probably accumulate on theice. It was just an out-of-the-bluething.”

Both agree that formulation of theirsea-ice hypothesis represents a “greatexample of teamwork” betweenDickhut, a contaminant geochemist,and Ducklow, a biological oceanogra-pher.

Within a month of their initialbrainstorming, the two had submitted aformal proposal to NSF’s Office ofPolar Programs that combinedDucklow’s research experience fromfour previous Antarctic trips withDickhut’s expertise in contaminantchemistry. The proposal that led totheir upcoming work was funded inDecember 2000.

If that work proves successful, thepair plan a future return trip to Antarc-tica to trace the movement of POPsinto the upper levels of the Antarcticmarine ecosystem.

Imprint of Pollution onAntarctic Sea Icecontinued from page 11

Chris Earnhart, a Ph.D.student in the Department ofEnvironmental Sciences, re-cently received a three yearNSF graduate fellowship whichpays for an $18,000 stipend and$10,000 per annum towardstuition and educational costs. Hereceived it under the discipline ofimmunology focusing on oysterdefense mechanisms.

Student Receives NSF GraduateFellowship

By Dr. William DuPaul

Two sea scallop resource areas inthe mid-Atlantic closed since 1998 toprotect concentrations of small scallopsare set to reopen in the spring of the2001-2002 fishing year, which startedon March 1st. The two areas, HudsonCanyon South and the Virginia BeachClosed Area, have an estimated totalscallop biomass of 65.7 million lbs., ofwhich 14.5 million lbs. are scheduledfor harvest in 2001 and 14.7 millionlbs., in 2002. The harvest estimateswere obtained from the August 2000survey conducted by the NationalMarine Fisheries Service and the Juneand September 2000 surveys con-

ducted by VIMS scientists and stu-dents on the F/V Alice Amanda fromHampton, Virginia. As currentlyenvisioned, each fishing vessel with afull-time scallop permit will be initiallyawarded three fishing trips in 2001,with a maximum catch up to 17,000lbs. of scallops per trip. The mid-Atlantic Closed Areas are historicfishing areas frequented by scallopvessels from Virginia, New Jersey, andNew York.

The year 2000 was a very suc-cessful year for the Virginia scallopindustry. More than 8.9 million lbs. ofscallops were landed in Virginia ports,worth more than $37.3 million. This

does not include several hundredthousand pounds of scallopslanded by Virginia-based boats inthe Port of New Bedford afterfishing on Georges Bank. Portionsof the Georges Bank Closed AreaI and the Nantucket LightshipClosed Area were reopened in2000 to a limited harvest of 4.5million pounds after a six-yearclosure.

The reopening of mid-Atlanticareas, along with good recruit-ment in other fishing areas,portends good news for Virginia’sscallop industry.

Ph.D. student Chris Earnhart in the VIMSImmunology lab.

The Crest 13

VIMS Study Poses New Questions on River Carbon

R/V Bay Eagle on the York River, one of the sites Bauer and Raymond studied.

The ability of scientists to accu-rately predict future climate changerequires a realistic understanding ofEarth’s carbon cycle. Research byVIMS scientists Dr. James Bauer andPh.D. student Peter Raymond, nowsuggests that the carbon in river watermay be much older—and vary more inage—than previously thought. Theirfindings, presented in a recent issue ofthe journal Nature, may help resolve afundamental paradox facing thosetrying to assess Earth’s carbon budget.

By studying water from theAmazon and several North Americanrivers, including the York, Raymondand Bauer determined that some of thecarbon in these waters was thousandsof years old. Previous thinking held thatriver carbon was at most a fewdecades old.

Researchers have long assumedthat rivers play an important role inEarth’s carbon cycle by carrying to thesea the carbon that land plants removefrom the atmosphere via photosynthe-sis. When land plants die and decay,the carbon in their tissues enters thesoil. As rivers erode the soil, they carrythis carbon to the ocean. Once in theocean, this carbon may sink to deepwaters. There, it can become trappedfor thousands of years, effectivelyremoving it from the atmosphere andthus helping to lessen the greenhouseeffect.

Based on this assumption, ocean-ographers expect to find large amounts

of river-derived carbon in the ocean.“We know that continents supply a lotof carbon to the oceans,” says Bauer,“but current techniques tell us it’s notthere.”

The paradox of this missing carbonhas long vexed oceanographers. ButRaymond and Bauer’s results suggestthat much of the river-derived carbonmay not be “missing”— once in theocean, it simply may not look like whatit started out as on land. Traditionalthinking holds that the carbon thatrivers carry to the ocean was onlyrecently extracted from the atmo-sphere by land plants. This “young”carbon can be detected in a watersample by measuring the proportion ofstable and radioactive carbon atoms itcontains. Oceanographers have thuslooked for large amounts of youngcarbon in their seawater samples as afingerprint of land-derived carbon—butin vain.

Raymond and Bauer took adifferent approach, using the carbon-dating technique on water samplesfrom rivers rather than the ocean.Their results show that the carbon inthe rivers they studied is on average670 years old, much older than previ-ously suspected. They also found thatthe age of the various types of carbonin the samples varied much more thanonce thought.

“Our research,” says Bauer“shows that young carbon in rivers isthe exception rather than the rule.”

River-borne carbon may thus bemore abundant in the ocean thanpreviously thought, but scientists willneed to look at something other than itsage in order to identify just howabundant it really is.

About 40 percent of the carbon inriver water occurs as tiny suspendedparticles. The rest of river carbon isdissolved in the water. Raymond andBauer found that particulate rivercarbon is especially old—the averageage of such samples from the riversstudied ranges from around 700 toalmost 5,000 years old. This suggeststhat much of the particulate carbon in

these rivers derives not from landplants but from ancient carbon storedin rocks and deep soil layers beneaththe rivers’ drainage basins.

The dissolved carbon is younger—but still much older than expected.Raymond and Bauer attribute theirsamples’ unexpected age in part to theaction of bacteria. Laboratory experi-ments by the pair show that bacteria inriver water preferentially feast onyounger carbon, thus enriching theremaining river water in older carbonthat plants extracted from the atmo-sphere long ago.

The pair’s research poses as manyquestions as it answers. One iswhether the unexpected age of theirsamples may, like fossil-fuel burning,reflect a human disturbance to thenatural carbon cycle. “Human activitiessuch as agriculture may have modifiedthe rivers’ input of carbon to theocean,” says Bauer. In this scenario,tilling of soil in areas surrounding theChesapeake Bay and other heavilyfarmed areas may bring older soilcarbon to the surface, where rivers canthen carry it to the sea.

Raymond and Bauer qualify theirfindings by noting that they have so farlooked at samples from only a handfulof rivers. However, they note that therivers they studied likely provide a goodmodel for the river systems thatcontribute almost 60 percent of thefreshwater delivered to the NorthAtlantic each year.

Bauer next plans to study watersamples from other river systems inNorth America and New Guinea todetermine if the current findings applyelsewhere around the globe.

DrDrDrDrDr. Deborah . Deborah . Deborah . Deborah . Deborah A. BronkA. BronkA. BronkA. BronkA. Bronk, Associ-ate Professor, Physical Sciences. B.S.,University of Miami; Ph.D., Universityof Maryland, Horn Point EnvironmentalLaboratory.

Dr. Bronk’s research focuses onthe cycling of nitrogen in marine andestuarine environments. Specificresearch includes the role of dissolvedorganic nitrogen (DON) in microbialfood webs, and the utilization of marsh-derived and phytoplankton-derivedDON as a nitrogen source for phy-toplankton and bacteria.

DrDrDrDrDr. Jesse E. McNinch. Jesse E. McNinch. Jesse E. McNinch. Jesse E. McNinch. Jesse E. McNinch, Assis-tant Professor, Physical Sciences. B.S.University of Southwestern Louisiana;M.S. University of North Carolina atChapel Hill; Ph.D. University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill.

VIMS Welcomes Faculty MembersDr. McNinch’s research interests

are the observation and prediction ofshoreface and shoreline changes inresponse to underlying geology, physi-cal and sedimentary processes oncape-associated shoals, and otherinner-shelf sedimentary features.

DrDrDrDrDr. Ratana Chuenpagdee. Ratana Chuenpagdee. Ratana Chuenpagdee. Ratana Chuenpagdee. Ratana Chuenpagdee,Assistant Professor, Coastal & OceanPolicy. M.Sc. University of Wales,Bangor; Michigan State University;Ph.D., University of British Columbia.

Dr. Chuenpagdee’s primaryinterest is in developing public decision-making processes for resource man-agement and policies.

DrDrDrDrDr. Robert L. Hicks. Robert L. Hicks. Robert L. Hicks. Robert L. Hicks. Robert L. Hicks, AssistantProfessor, Coastal & Ocean Policy.B.A. North Carolina State University;Ph.D. University of Maryland.

Dr. Hicks’ major research interestsare environmental and resourceeconomics, non-market valuation,natural resource damage assessment,and the economics of commercial andrecreational fisheries. Hicks was withthe National Marine Fisheries Servicefor the past three years.

DrDrDrDrDr. Rochelle D. Seitz. Rochelle D. Seitz. Rochelle D. Seitz. Rochelle D. Seitz. Rochelle D. Seitz, Re-search Assistant Professor, BiologicalSciences. B.A., Colgate University;M.S., The College of William andMary; Ph.D., The College of Williamand Mary.

Continued on page 15

The Crest14

Computational Science Student Receives FellowshipRichard Mills, Computational

Science graduate student in theComputer Science Department atWilliam and Mary recently wasawarded a Department of Energy(DOE) Computational Science Gradu-ate Fellowship for his work with Dr.Harry Wang, VIMS Dept. of PhysicalScience and Dr. Andreas Stathopoulos,Computer Science Department. Sincelast fall, Mills has taken classes andworked with Wang and others in theVIMS modeling program. His workincluded combining advance numericalcomputation with VIMS three-dimen-sional physical-chemical-biologicalnumerical model to enhance the modelperformance and improve predictivecapability. As an undergraduate

studying geophysics, Mills becameinterested in the various computationalapplications and realized that his maininterest was in developing the cuttingedge methods required for solving themost computationally demandingproblems that arise in geosciences. Heand Wang are working on both thenumerical methods and the computercode required for parallel computingimplementation of the model. “Manyparallel applications do not fully utilizethe capabilities of today’s hardware,”said Mills. “I am interested in designingparallel numerical algorithms that notonly have good numerical properties,but are better tailored to the computingenvironments they run in, thus enablingscientists to more fully utilize their

time, long-term monitoring in the Ft.McHenry wetlands was an aspirationof the restoration effort, but not arealization. The implementation of thelong-term monitoring aspect of theproject did not happen untilCBNERRVA became involved with theNational Aquarium in Baltimore andthe Ft. McHenry Restoration Team.With funds provided by NOAA,CBNERRVA established long-termwater quality and meteorologicalstations at therestorationsite andconductedtrainingworkshops onthose stationsfor staff ofthe NationalAquarium inBaltimore andenvironmentalsciencestudents atMorgan State

CBNERRVAcontinued from page 1

commercially important fishes aregreatly affected by the abundance oftheir prey, their predators and theircompetitors. These relationshipschange over the life history of aspecies, and can be greatly influencedby the environment. Fishing, as wellas environmental fluctuations, canseriously alter community structure,impacting the abundance of predatorand prey species. “The delineation andunderstanding of such interactions arecritical to the sustainable managementof the lower Bay ecosystem,” said Dr.John Graves, Chair Department ofFisheries Science, VIMS. “The awardfrom the Virginia EnvironmentalEndowment provides us with a uniqueopportunity to develop a model that willallow fishery managers to forecast theimpacts of various actions on theecosystem as a whole”

This work will build on VIMSJuvenile Trawl Survey, a 46-year seriesmonitoring the abundance of juvenilefishes in Chesapeake Bay and tributar-ies and some environmental conditions.The project will be coordinated withresearchers at other institutions on theBay who are also working on variousaspects of the food web within Chesa-peake Bay. Ultimately, these data willbe used to develop a more comprehen-sive model for fishery managers,allowing them to predict the outcomeof various scenarios. For example,currently striped bass populations areup. What impact do elevated levels ofstriped bass have on their prey speciessuch as bay anchovy, blue crab, andmenhaden? How do these impacts

affect other species such as bluefish,red drum, and weakfish that also feedon bay anchovy, blue crab and menha-den? Scientists feel that some of thedata necessary to understand thesekinds of food-web interactions are notknown. As the model is developed, theneeds for further food web researchwill be highlighted. “Building a dy-namic model will force us to takeinventory, to see where information isneeded to develop predictive capabili-ties,” explains Dr. Richard Wetzel,Chair Department of BiologicalSciences at VIMS and co-director ofthe project.

The grant from the VirginiaEnvironmental Endowment will alsopermit researchers at VIMS to updatethe Status of Stocks and SpeciesInformation document they developedin 1995. The original document, whichincluded a synopsis of information onimportant recreational fishes of Chesa-peake Bay, will be revised and ex-panded to include data on the feedinghabits and relationships of manyimportant forage species, as well asseveral non-resident species in thelower Chesapeake Bay. This docu-ment will be available on the VIMSweb site.

Gerald P. McCarthy, ExecutiveDirector of Virginia EnvironmentalEndowment, stated that “This work willenable scientists to develop the knowl-edge and applications needed bymanagers to make decisions based ona complex and far more complete suiteof information.” The goal of the workis to develop an ecosystem basedfisheries management plan with modelsthat will provide better tools to forecastthe impact of a management act or

Dr. William Reay and Eric Wooden (third and fourth from left) receiveCoastal America Award.

New Ecosystem Management Studycontinued from page 1

Dr. Harry Wang, VIMS, Dept. of Physical Sciences,and student Richard Mills.

available computing resources.”The DOE fellowship, good forup to four years, covers alltuition and fees, provides somemoney for research relatedexpenses and includes a monthlystipend. Dr. Robert Voigt,Director of the ComputationalScience Program at William andMary, explained that the DOEawards are perhaps the mostcompetitive in the nation. “Theprogram seeks to identify andprovide support for the very bestcomputational science graduatestudents in the nation. We arevery pleased to have one of ourstudents receive such anaward,” said Voigt.

environmental event on a particularspecies as well as on the ecosystem asa whole. Sustainable fisheries areessential to maintain ecological,economic and social benefits providedby the resources.

McCarthy said that VIMS has justthe right combination of experience,skills, and information to undertake thisimportant and groundbreaking work.“This initiative will eventually changethe way the fisheries of the Chesa-peake Bay are managed, and allow for

the possibility of sustainable fisheries inthe Bay for generations to come.” Headded, “VIMS is taking a leadershiprole in coordinating the scientific workon sustainable fisheries research in theBay. They are inviting their colleaguesto work cooperatively so that theLiving Resources goals of the Chesa-peake 2000 Agreement may bereached. The Endowment is veryexcited at this new direction andhonored to be able to help.”

University. Students at Morgan StateUniversity are under the direct supervi-sion of Dr. Livingston Marshall, aVIMS alumnus.

Coastal America is an organizationthat encourages and promotes thepartnership of federal, state, and localgovernments, tribal, non-governmentalorganizations, and private entitiesworking together on coastal conserva-tion, restoration, and educationprojects.

The Crest 15

By Tom Murray

Perhaps no fishery in Virginia better illustrates the evolution from wild harvestto aquaculture than the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria). As the graph belowillustrates, the harvest of “public” hard clams has continued to decline over the pastdecade. The overall level of effort by watermen to harvest clams on the publicbottom has also declined. For example, in 1980 the state issued 475 permits toharvest clams by hand. The current figure is 191. Over the same period, thenumber of licenses held to harvest clams by patent tong has increased slightly from133 in 1980 to 160 in 2000.

At the same time, there has been a growing clam aquaculture industry inVirginia and the country. During 1998 (the most recent year for which aggregatedata are available), a reported production of 177,575,000 clams from 360 farmsgenerated farm gate sales of $50,076,000. Of that total, Virginia and Florida wereby far the largest suppliers, respectively producing 40% and 43% of the total farmsupply. Virginia’s growth in clam culture has shown an increase in supply from anestimated 30 million littlenecks in 1991 to 43.7 million in 1995 and 70.5 millionduring 1998. While the state of statistics gathering for farm-raised products is notkeeping pace with industry expansion (in fact it’s getting worse) industry estimates

indicate that at the endof the year 2000 thestate’s farms willprovide nearly 100million Virginia little-neck clams to itsdiverse markets.

The value of thoseharvests rose also,from an estimated $4.1million in 1991 to $6.9million in 1995 and$11.0 million in 1998.Florida’s farm gate

sales have grown from an estimated $5.4 million in 1995 to $12.7 million in 1997;$9.5 million in 1998 and, most recently, $15.9 million in 1999. Estimates ofFlorida’s production point to an increase to 200 million clams in the year 2000,compared to the reported 76.3 million sold by Florida clam farms in 1998. Further,the USDA reports Florida’s clam planting intentions for the year 2000 at421,925,000 clams. This, in view of the average reported survival rates of 67% for1998 and 53% for 1999, suggests continued pressure on clam market channels. 1

Other factors are emerging which would serve to support an expandedfarming sector for hard clams. As of February 1999, the U.S. Department ofAgriculture (U.S.D.A.) initiated a pilot hard clam crop insurance program throughthe “Federal Crop Insurance Corporation” issued as Aquaculture (Shellfish-Clam)Crop Provisions. The three states selected for the pilot program are Massachu-setts, Virginia, and Florida, who currently account for almost 90% of the farm-raised clam harvest. While only in its first year, the program reportedly has writtencrop insurance on the majority of the hard clam aquaculture farms in these select

Marine Industry Trends

Figure 1. Hard Clam Wild Harvest and Values 1993-2000

industry locations.With crop perilinsurance, theavailability of pro-duction loans andfacility expansionloans is greatlyenhanced, and one ofthe longstandingconstraints todeveloping aquacul-ture, (i.e., limitedaccess to privatesector financing) hasbeen, at least temporarily, mitigated.

In certain states, policies and programs have significantly accelerated thegrowth in the supply of hard clams.

Most notably perhaps, the State of Florida has expanded employment opportu-nities in the clam aquaculture industry by funding a “Job Training Partnership Act”aimed at providing the infrastructure to introduce clam aquaculture as an economicstimulant. During the past eight years, these programs have provided the necessarysupport to introduce shellfish aquaculture as a means of economic growth in ruralcoastal communities. In that sense, the programs may be impacting the overallmarket by adding more products without offsetting growth in market size.

While no detailed price analysis has been completed in recent years, prelimi-nary analysis (confirmed by industry anecdotes) suggests that there has been somesoftening or flexibility in average prices received in the major growing states. It isbelieved by most in the supply network that this is associated with the dramaticincrease in hard clam products available (as reflected in Figure 2).

Figure 3 illustrates, in a simple way, the leveling in the per-unit value of thehard clam product at the “farm gate,” which has apparently accompanied increas-ing supply.

As noted above, the state of Florida reportedly produced and marketed anestimated 134,000,000 hard clams worth $15.9 million during 1999. The farm saleswere made at an overall average price of $.118 per clam. Although no morerecently published data are available nationwide or for Virginia’s clam aquacultureindustry, it is generally reported that the leveling of prices for Virginia’s product asof 1998 has continued and producer prices remain at about the same level; i.e.about $.15-$.16 per clam for Virginia product. The production of Virginia’s farmedhard clams has contin-ued to expand andthrough successfulindustry marketing hasincreased revenues toproducers overall.

1 Florida reportedlyproduced 134 million hardclams in 1999. FloridaAgricultural StatisticsService. June 2000.

Figure 2. Virginia Cultured Clam Harvest and Revenues.

Figure 3. Virginia Aquacultured Hard Clam Price Flexibility1991-1998

Dr. Seitz’s research interestscenter around benthic communityecology, particularly changes in benthicinvertebrate diversity with environmen-tal stress, predator-prey dynamics, top-down versus bottom-up control ofbenthic systems, and conservationbiology.

New Facultycontinued from page 13

DrDrDrDrDr. Courtney K. Harris. Courtney K. Harris. Courtney K. Harris. Courtney K. Harris. Courtney K. Harris,Assistant Professor, Physical Sciences.B.S. University of Virginia; M.S.University of California at Berkeley;Ph.D. University of Virginia.

Dr. Harris’ research interestsinclude 3-D modeling of river plume,wave resuspension, and wind-drivencirculation effects on flood deposits; aswell as quantification and prediction of

shelf and estuarine sediment transportover contrasting temporal and spatialscales. She comes to VIMS from theUS Geological Survey in Woods Hole.

DrDrDrDrDr. Deborah S. Deborah S. Deborah S. Deborah S. Deborah Steinberteinberteinberteinberteinberggggg, Associ-ate Professor, Biological Sciences.B.A., University of California, SantaBarbara; Ph.D., University of Califor-nia, Santa Cruz.

Dr. Steinberg is interested inzooplankton ecology and physiology,coastal and deep-sea food webs,nutrient cycling, and marine detritus(“marine snow”). She comes to VIMSfrom the Bermuda Biological Stationfor Research (BBSR) where shecoordinated the Bermuda AtlanticTime-series Study, as part of the JointGlobal Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS).

The Crest16

Calendar of Events�May�

4, 11, 18, 25 - Public Tour, VIMS Campus, 2pm.Teaching Marsh Tour, 3pm.

13- College of William and Mary Graduation15-17 - Wetlands ID Delineation Workshop17 - VIMS Council Meeting20 - Watermen�s Heritage Day at the Watermen�s Museum in Yorktown. VIMS exhibits and activities

Visit our website at: www.vims.eduFor more information call 804/684-7101 or 804/684-7011.

A week on the French Riviera brought the most lively bidding at the thirdVIMS auction on Saturday, March 3, 2001. Nearly 200 people attended to bidon items including a kayak, antique chairs, dinners, spa passes, art and jewelry.More than 140 local merchants and individuals supported the event with theirdonations. Proceeds support the Hargis Library Endowment. Auction Chair,Carrie Garland and more than a dozen volunteers and VIMS personnel beganworking in the fall to plan and organize the event. “We exceeded our goal thisyear and are very happy to be able to provide nearly $30,000 to the HargisLibrary Endowment to support all aspects of library operations. It was apleasure to work with everyone here and I would like to personally thank allthe great volunteers and VIMS people who contributed so much of their timeand energy to make this the best auction ever,” said Garland.

VIMS Auction

Stranded Sea Turtle ProgramUnderway

More than 200 guests attended the Third Annual VIMS Auction.

The season for sea turtles in theChesapeake Bay and its tributaries ishere again and VIMS scientists urgeanyone who finds a stranded sea turtleto call the sea turtle stranding hotline(804) 684-7313. “We need your help,”says Kate Mansfield of VIMS, “wecan’t continue collecting this valuabledata without help from our localresidents, visitors and fishermen. Allinformation is important to us and helpsus learn more about these marineanimals.” VIMS scientists have beencollecting data on sea turtles in Virginiawaters for 22 years and respond to anystranded sea turtle (alive or dead)found north of the James River.

Up to 10,000 loggerhead sea turtlesare in the Bay during the summer.Turtles start to arrive in the Bay whenthe water temperature approaches 66degrees F, and migrate out of the Bayto winteringgrounds off ofNorth Carolinaor as far southas the Floridacoast whentemperaturesdrop to around60 degrees F.ChesapeakeBay providessummerfeedinggrounds forboth adult andjuvenileloggerheadsand juvenileKemp’s

ridleys. Kemp’s are the most endan-gered of all sea turtles and one of themost endangered animals in the world.Ridleys forage in the shallow watersaround the margins of the Bay whileloggerheads most often utilize deeperwater, near channels. Green andleatherback turtles have on occasionbeen found in Bay waters.

If you see a stranded sea turtleanywhere north of the James River,please contact: VIMS Sea TurtleStranding Hotline (804) 684-7313. Ifyou find a LIVE stranded sea turtleafter business hours, please contact thestranding pager (804) 684-6197. Bothnumbers are checked frequently duringthe day and after hours. When calling,please leave your name, phone number,date, description of the turtle andinformation on the location of the turtle.

Beginning in May, walking tours ofthe VIMS campus will be offered eachFriday. The docent led tours will beginin the Aquarium Visitor Center andconclude in the Teaching Marsh. Groupsof more than 6 should call in advance.For additional information, pleasecontact Christine Evans at (804) 684-7735 or Susan Polk at (804) 684-7846.

Public Tours of VIMS CampusTTTTTour Schedule - every Friday:our Schedule - every Friday:our Schedule - every Friday:our Schedule - every Friday:our Schedule - every Friday:April 27 – June 15: 2pmJune 22 – September 14: 10:30amSeptember 21 – Nov. 16: 2pm

Saturday ScheduleSaturday ScheduleSaturday ScheduleSaturday ScheduleSaturday ScheduleJune 2 – September 1June 2 – September 1June 2 – September 1June 2 – September 1June 2 – September 1Visitor Center and Lobby open10am – 2pm

�June�2 - Gloucester County Riverfest. Exhibits and activities. 10am - 5pm. VIMS Boat Basin. Aquarium Visitors Center in Watermens Hall open.9 - Aquarium Open 10am - 2pm

�July�1-6 - Graduate Education Course MS 548. Eastern Shore Laboratory, Wachapreague, VA

*See below for complete Public Tour information.*