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News Archive 2006
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For more information on any of the items
listed here, please contact Rhode Island Sea Grant Communications
at (401) 874-6842.
Sea Grant events
March 2, 2006 rescheduled
to March 16
Fisheries Management Leadership Training: Stock Assessment
Steven Cadrin of the National Marine Fisheries Service presents
tools for assessing fish stocks at this workshop.
6-9 p.m., Corless Auditorium, URI Graduate School of Oceanography
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March 3, 2006
Rhode Island Natural History Survey Annual Conference: Stewarding
Rhode Island's Natural Heritage
Oral presentations will be delivered during concurrent sessions
organized into categories such as conservation, restoration,
vertebrates, invertebrates, geology, plants, invasive species,
and ecosystems.
Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Cranston, RI
March 11, 2006
2006 Land & Water Conservation Summit
This day-long conference will provide land trust and watershed
council board members, staff, volunteers, municipal commission
members, and others interested in land and watershed conservation
with the information, skills, and connections needed to be
the most effective.
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
March 27, 2006
Fisheries Management Leadership Training: Management Tools
Jon Sutinen, URI professsor of environmental and natural resource
economics, and Robert Pomeroy, Connecticut Sea Grant Fisheries
Extension specialist, are presenting.
6-9 p.m., Corless Auditorium, URI Graduate School of Oceanography
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March 31-April 2, 2006
2006 New England Saltwater Fishing Show
This Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers-hosted event includes
exhibitors, seminars, and a Virtual Fishing Simulator.
Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI
April 5-6, 2006
Fish Expo WorkBoat Atlantic
This commercial fishing expo showcases commercial fishing
products and services, boatbuilders, and other commercial
vessel equipment and services. Hundreds of manufacturers and
distributors will display the latest marine products and technology
for commercial fishing vessels, charter boats, patrol boats,
tugs, barges, boat building, marine construction, passenger
vessels, and more.
Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI
April 8, 2006
21st Annual Rhode Island Statewide Historic Preservation Conference:
Outlooks and Opportunities on the Waterfront
Discover industrial waterways and lakefront resorts as well
as fishing villages and commercial ports. Then consider the
unique and often endangered historic resources present: dams
and towpaths, summer cottages and recreational facilities,
shanties, and wharves. Gather strategies to improve public
access, protect working waterfronts, and preserve historic
character. And explore the area--a stroll around the Pawtuxet
Village Historic District, a visit to local State Preservation
Grant projects, a neighbrhood tour of Edgewood, or a cruise
on Narragansett Bay.
Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Cranston, RI
May 12, 2006
Power of Place Summit
GrowSmartRI is convening this summit to help jump-start implementation
of Rhode Island’s soon-to-be-adopted land use plan,
Land Use 2025. Topics include an overview of development
trends in Rhode Island, the new plan’s proposed responses
to these trends, and the latest tools for managing sustainable
community growth.
May 13, 2006
East Farm Day
Rhode Island Sea Grant is taking part in the annual open house
at URI's East Farm Campus. East Farm Day runs from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Fisheries events include presentations at URI Fisheries
Center (Bldg 83)—at 11:30 "Bizarre Sea Creatures
of Rhode Island" by Laura Skrobe, and at 12:45 "What
is eating our lobsters? Shell Disease" by Barbara Somers—as
well as a photo display of fisheries in action, continuous
showing of documentary film Where Does Your Seafood Come
From: Contemporary Fisheries of Rhode Island, and an aquarium
with shell diseased lobsters. At the Commercial Fisheries
Center (Bldg 59) there will be a "touch" box of
freshly caught sea creatures (on ice), models of commercial
fishing gear--nets, traps, etc., and chowder. East Farm is
located on East Farm Road, off Route 108, Kingston.
May 14-17, 2006
The Coastal Society's 20th Biennial Conference: Charting a
New Course: Shaping Solutions for the Coasts
TCS 20 will present a solution-based conference experience:
learning and sharing information, success stories and challenges,
and exploring the interface among scientists, policy-makers,
coastal managers and the public.
June 3, 2006 *Postponed*
Aquidneck Island Smart Growth Ambassadors Bike Ride
This event has been postponed to fall
2006 (date TBA) due to anticipated rain. This two-mile
bike ride along Burma Road in Portsmouth begins at Weaver
Cove. Free bike helmets for kids will be provided by the R.I.
Department of Transportation and R.I. Department of Health.
This event is cosponsored by the Greenways Alliance of Rhode
Island and Rhode Island Sea Grant. For more information, contact
Sue Kennedy at (401) 874-6107 or .
Weaver Cove, Portsmouth
10 a.m.
June 14, 2006
Summer Community Lecture Series: History of Southeastern
New England’s Native American Coastal Communities
By John McNiff
North Kingstown Free Library
100 Boone St., North Kingstown
7 p.m.
August 3, 2006
Summer Community Lecture Series: Be Happy, Eat Seafood: Balancing
the Benefits & Risks
By Doris Hicks
URI Graduate School of Oceanography Coastal Institute
Auditorium
South Ferry Road, Narragansett
7 p.m.
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August 9 , 2006
Sea Turtles in New England: Our Summer Visitors
by Malia Schwartz
Most people don't realize that several species of sea turtles call New England their summer home. Join Malia Schwartz, Rhode Island Sea Grant marine turtle extension specialist, to learn about these fascinating creatures, the problems they face, and what you can do to help.
Audubon Society of Rhode Island Environmental Education Center
1401 Hope St., Bristol
7 p.m.
October 5, 2006
Summer Community Lecture Series: Fish for the Future: Where
Will Our Fish Come from?
By Dave Beutel
Audubon Society of Rhode Island Environmental Education Center
1401 Hope St., Bristol
7 p.m.
October 19-20, 2006
6th Marine Law Symposium
The Evolution of Ecosystem Based Management: From Theory to
Practice
Roger Williams University School of Law, Bristol, RI
October 23, 2006
Lecture: Aquaculture: An Update on the Evolution of the Blue Revolution
By Barry Costa-Pierce
The Harborside Learning Lab, New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston
7 p.m.
Admission is free, but please register at
October 30-November 3, 2006
The International Council for Exploration of the Seas 2006
symposium will focus on the theme of integrating commercial
fishing and ecosystem conservation.
November 28
Bizarre Sea Creatures
By David Beutel
Narragansett Community Center, Narragansett, RI
11:30 a.m.
News
Fisheries Leadership Workshops presentations on-line
The Sustainable Fisheries Extension Program worked with the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) to offer a Fisheries Management Leadership Training Program for Rhode Island. The goal of this training program was to develop and strengthen the skills of Rhode Island fisheries managers. Workshops were held on fisheries management, the tools fisheries managers use, stock assessment, and fishing gear, selectivity, and bottom impact studies. The presentations are now available .
Lobster research
website launched
Congress has appropriated $3 million to establish a cooperative
research program—the New England Lobster Research Initiative—to
study the causes and consequences of lobster shell disease.
This funding is jointly managed by the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), the University of Rhode Island (URI), and
Rhode Island Sea Grant. A solicitation for research proposals
was issued in late May 2006. The goal of this project
is to describe the disease agent and how it works, and to
determine the extent and severity of the disease in New England
waters.
Marine Resources
Development Program adopted
Plan designed to improve inter-agency cooperation, resources
management
The R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council, which administers
the state's coastal program, has adopted a Marine Resources
Development Plan (MDRP) that guides its new policy-oriented
focus with a vision that includes:
· Properly functioning bay and lagoon
ecosystems
· Abundant and sustained fishing and fisheries resources
· Successful coastal places
· Marine-based economic development
The plan outlines strategies for improving
the state’s marine ecosystem, and for providing appropriate
marine-based economic development. The plan outlines implementation
activities for the next five years. The plan is on-line at
.
The plan was created with input from the
R.I. Department of Environmental Management, the R.I. Department
of Administration, and the R.I. Economic Development Corporation.
The University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center
and Rhode Island Sea Grant also played a large part in the
development of the plan, along with the R.I. Senate Policy
office, and the R.I. Economic Policy Council.
Rhode Island Sea Grant's efforts on the
MRDP earned the program an outreach award at the January 2006
Northeast Sea Grant Region's annual meeting. The award was
presented to Virginia Lee, Director, Sustainable Coastal Communities
and Ecosystems Program, and Pamela Rubinoff, Donald Robadue,
and Amber Neville, Sustainable Coastal Communities and Ecosystems
Extension Program staff.
Applications Being
Accepted for the 2007 Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
Program
Qualified individuals are invited to submit applications to
the Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program for the Dean John
A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. Approximately 30 individuals
are selected nationally for this prestigious fellowship to
spend a year in Washington, DC, working in Congress or the
Executive Branch on critical marine policy and resource management
issues. The Knauss Fellowship provides a stipend and living
expense allowance totaling $41,500 annually. The one year
fellowship begins
February 1, 2007. For more information, download (pdf) or visit .
Applications are due to the Rhode Island Sea Grant Office
by February 21, 2006.
Knauss Fellowships send URI students
to work in Washington
Two University of Rhode Island (URI) graduate students are
among 42 nationally who have been awarded one-year, $41,500,
National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine
Policy Fellowships. Rebecca Asch and Michael Conathan began
working in the federal government on climate and fisheries
issues on February 1, 2006.
"One of the great things about the
Knauss Fellowship Program is that it gives recent graduates
an opportunity to work in offices that are pretty high up
in the NOAA hierarchy. It also exposes young scientists to
things that they wouldn't normally see so early in their careers,"
says Asch, of Warwick, RI, a URI master of science in biological
oceanography candidate.
At URI, Asch has managed a laboratory, undertaken
fisheries research, and taught science to junior high school
students. Prior to attending URI, Asch worked for the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where she co-authored
the first report to Congress on the state of U.S. coral reefs.
Asch will be working for the NOAA Climate Program Office.
Conathan, a former children's book editor,
television screenwriter, and English teacher, came to URI
after some soul-searching and with an interest in the Cape
Wind project proposed for Nantucket Sound, near Conathan's
childhood home of Centerville, Mass. At URI, Conathan traveled
to Denmark to study offshore wind farms and presented a paper
on the topic at an international conference. Today, with a
master's degree in marine affairs, Conathan hopes the fellowship
will give him "an intricate knowledge of the policy process.
I not only want to know how things are supposed to work, but
how they actually get done." Conathan will be working
in the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Fisheries
and Coast Guard.
The Knauss Fellowship, established in 1979,
matches highly qualified graduate students interested in ocean,
coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy
decisions affecting those resources with hosts in the federal
legislative or executive branch.
Commercial Fisheries
Center launches newsletter
The Commercial Fisheries Center, located at URI's East Farm
campus, comprises the R.I. Commercial Fishermen's Association,
the R.I. Lobstermen's Association, the R.I. Shellfisherman's
Association, the Ocean State Fisherman's Association, and
the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation. The center is
launching a new bimonthly newsletter, and the first issue
is available
in pdf.
HazNet
Sea Grant has updated its with a portal for information on hurricanes Katrina
and Rita. Haznet is intended to share hazard mitigation information
among Sea Grant programs, outside collaborators, and the public.
Walk, boat, bike, or run to Coastweeks 2006
Rhode Island’s annual coastal celebration is larger than ever
Curious about commercial fishing? Want to see what critters live along the ocean’s edge? How about a bike tour of Aquidneck Island, a lesson in oyster gardening, a first-hand look at a restored cove, or a birdwatching jaunt?
These activities and more are part of Rhode Island’s celebration of Coastweeks 2006, a nationwide celebration of the coast that takes place each autumn. This year’s calendar of events includes over 50 activities for every taste and pace—from book discussions, film showings, and a watercolor workshop to kayaking, canoeing, a shoreline biathlon, and a trip on a commercial fishing trawler.
Events take place this year from September 13 to October 28. To receive your free calendar of events, call Jean Gallo at (401) 874-6842. Coastweeks listings are also online at .
Coastweeks is an annual celebration dedicated to fostering awareness, understanding, and improved management of the coast. Coastweeks in Rhode Island is sponsored by R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council and Rhode Island Sea Grant.
R.I. Sea Turtle Disentanglement Hotline—633-4116—ready to respond to turtles in distress
Did you know sea turtles make their way into Rhode Island waters in the summer? “The leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles are most common, since they follow their food sources north along the western Atlantic, says Malia Schwartz, Rhode Island Sea Grant marine turtle extension specialist.
Unfortunately, this is also where and why they get tangled in fishing gear. “They’re attracted to the critters growing on or swimming around buoy lines, for example,” says Schwartz. “Then, they’ll get a line wrapped around their flipper and they panic, further entangling themselves.”
David Beutel, Sea Grant fisheries extension specialist, feels that most commercial fishermen enjoy knowing that the sea turtles are in Rhode Island waters. “No one wants to see a turtle hurt, let alone tangled in their fishing gear.”
If you do spot an entangled sea turtle, help is just a phone call away. The R.I. Sea Turtle Disentanglement Hotline, at (401) 633-4116, is manned 24/7. The program has enlisted boats and equipped numerous responders with the knowledge and tools to disentangle trapped turtles.
Callers are requested to give the turtle’s location and condition, a contact phone number, and if possible, to remain with the turtle until the response boat arrives.
Launched in 2005 and coordinated by Beutel and Schwartz, the disentanglement program is run by the Rhode Island Sea Grant Sustainable Fisheries Extension Program in partnership with NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency charged with protecting and recovering sea turtles.
Symposium honors retired Sea Grant director
Rhode Island Sea Grant has renamed its annual science symposium the "Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium" in honor of the recently retired director of the National Sea Grant College Program.
In recognition of Baird’s contributions to Sea Grant nationally and to Rhode Island Sea Grant specifically, Barry Costa-Pierce, Rhode Island Sea Grant director, announced the honor at a reception on October 19, during the 2006 Sea Grant Science Symposium on “Ecosystem Based Management: From Theory to Practice,” held at the Roger Williams University School of Law.
“Ron envisioned and implemented the National Sea Grant Legal Program, which was an inspiration for us to launch the Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program based at the Roger Williams University School of Law. Ron also championed a national effort to add new fisheries extension agents to our programs and to create regional fisheries extension programs. Today, Rhode Island Sea Grant is the national and Northeast regional lead for fisheries extension. Ron also led a global effort to establish Sea Grant International, and we can now point with pride to sister Sea Grant programs at various stages of development in Asia, Africa, and Latin America,” said Costa-Pierce during his remarks.
W. Michael Sullivan, director of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, also presented Baird with a proclamation of appreciation from Governor Donald L. Carcieri.
The Baird Symposium, which took place October 19–20, 2006, also served as the 6th Marine Law Symposium. Information about the symposium is on-line at .
New England Lobster Research Initiative awards $2.3 million in research and monitoring grants
The New England Lobster Research Initiative has pulled together some of the most prominent lobster researchers in the country to address lobster shell disease.
Shell disease disfigures shells, prompts egg-bearing lobsters to molt prematurely, and can make it difficult for lobsters to shed their shells. The Initiative, funded with a Congressional appropriation obtained through the efforts of Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), has allocated $2.3 million for nine research and two monitoring projects that will examine lobsters and their habitats to determine how the disease affects lobsters and what makes them susceptible to it. The Initiative's executive committee chairwoman said the projects will enhance scientists' fundamental understanding of lobster biology and disease and provide insights for fishery managers to improve the health of New England's most valuable catch.
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University of Rhode Island