Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved Rhode Island Sea Grant University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography South Ferry Road Narragansett, RI 02882 Tel: (401) 874-6800 Fax: (401) 789-8340 E-mail: allard@gso.uri.edu

Research Projects 2012-2014 Rhode Island Sea Grant seeks to fund research efforts that will support better management decisions for Rhode Island's coastal and marine resources, and the communities that depend upon them. For the 2012-2014 omnibus period the program will venture into new venues of research concerning fish and shellfish aquaculture, as well as build upon ongoing efforts bringing together social and climate change sciences. Rhode Island Sea Grant will also continue investment in the critical issue of nutrient dynamics and its implications for ecosystem-based management in Narragansett Bay. FISHERIES What are the costs and benefits of fisheries certification? Sea Grant-funded researcher Jeremy Collie (URI) will be looking at the status and trends of various fish stocks, and comparing certified vs. non-certified fisheries to see if certification of sustainability by an organization such as the Marine Stewardship Council affects the sustainability of a stock, and whether a certified product commands a premium price, as expected. The economic and ecological outcomes of this research will aid the decision-making process of the many Rhode Island commercial fisheries considering fisheries certification. AQUACULTURE Fishmeal alternatives Could replacing fishmeal with soybean meal as an alternative in fish foods be beneficial for the environment and reduce production costs of aquaculture efforts? Sea Grant-funded researcher Marta Gomez-Chiarri (URI) will be investigating the attributes of soybean meal alternatives. This research may also reveal if there are properties in soybean meal that reduce disease in fish culture practices, in addition to providing a better economic model for aquaculture and reducing the need for pharmaceuticals involved in fish husbandry. Applying upwellers for faster growth of shellfish Can altering water flow and circulation patterns help oysters or clams grow faster? Sea Grant funded-researcher Dale Leavitt (Roger Williams University) will be focusing on the use of upwellers in shellfish aquaculture systems to determine if altering the amount, timing, and pattern of water flow through the systems will speed oyster and hard clam growth to market size. An anticipated benefit is a reduction in the energy used when flow is manipulated, reducing costs and improving the economic viability of shellfish production in hatchery-based systems. Building mussels While oysters are currently the major aquaculture crop in Rhode Island, mussel aquaculture has huge potential. Sea Grant funded-researcher Scott Lindell (Marine Biological Laboratory) will be conducting biological and ecological experiments to define mechanisms by which mussel aquaculture can most effectively be developed as an industry in Narragansett Bay. Highly restrictive policies regulate the use of closed (to shellfishing) waters in the Bay for rapid mussel growout to near-market size. The Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program will devote one of its Law Fellows to conduct the research necessary to bring this issue into the management arena for analysis and debate. This project has the potential for significant impacts on the aquaculture industry in Rhode Island, and has the interest and cooperation of both industry and the regulatory community in making change to enhance the economic viability of aquaculture in the state. NUTRIENT DYNAMICS Changes and impacts of nutrient inputs To provide research needed to more fully develop nutrient criteria for the Bay that could assist better management of water quality, four projects will be funded that are closely integrated and overlap. Sea Grant-funded researcher Bethany Jenkins (URI) will focus on interactions between various members of the microbial community in Narragansett Bay sediments, paying particular attention to changes in their makeup or function as nutrient input to the Bay is reduced according to current management plans. Her findings will help shed light on the relationship between nutrient inputs, microbial community response, and the onset of hypoxic (low dissolved oxygen) conditions. As Jenkins focuses on the upper region of the Bay, researchers Scott Nixon (URI) and Theodore Smayda (URI) will be exploring the dynamics of nutrients at a scale encompassing the entire length of the Bay. Nixon's work will explore two models of ecosystems function for Narragansett Bay. The first model is based on an eco-functional approach that looks at the fertilization aspect of the upper Bay, the nutrient assimilation zone of the mid-Bay, and the input of nutrients from offshore waters into the lower Bay. The second model makes the assumption that the nutrient enriched upper Bay provides the fuel for all primary production throughout all Narragansett Bay. Anticipated results of the outcomes of comparing and contrasting the validity of each model should provide a more realistic ecosystem-based model for resource managers to use in managing nutrient inputs to the Bay and impacts to the ecosystem. Smayda's work further tests the eco-functional approach model by examining a 40-year time series of plankton and environmental data to look for change linked to nutrient inputs and/or to changing climate signals, such as the increase in water temperature. More specifically, Smayda will be focusing on a complex of species that are the major primary producer in the Bay—Skeletonema. As a complement to Smayda's work, researcher Tatiana Rynearson (URI) has developed a protocol that allows the distinction of species within the Skeletonema complex, as well as a methodology that allows her to test archived (preserved) samples. By running tests on current-day conditions to validate her methodologies, Rynearson can look back into time via archived samples to greatly enhance the research efforts by Smayda and others investigating nutrient dynamics in Narragansett Bay. New tools to track nutrient movements Sea Grant-funded researcher Christopher Kincaid (URI) will be utilizing and refining modeling technology to explore physical conditions found in shallow water environments to track nutrient movements so that resource managers can begin to predict the occurrence and potential longevity of hypoxic (low dissolved oxygen) events in upper Narragansett Bay. CLIMATE CHANGE Social and economic adaptations to climate change The third and final year of the Climate Change Collaborative, led by Pamela Rubinoff (URI Coastal Resources Center), will continue to investigate changing human behaviors for adaptation to the impacts brought on by a changing climate, such as sea level rise and increased storminess. The project team is adopting a methodology used to change behaviors that reduce cancer rates through smoking cessation, following a five-step process moving from acknowledgement of a problem to finding solutions. The intention of this research is to build awareness of climate change through an interdisciplinary approach that utilizes expertise across various scientific fields and to encourage behavioral change in coastal communities through adaptation and mitigation to prepare for anticipated changes caused by a changing climate. In order to improve understanding of the tradeoffs to be considered—both societal and economic—in the decision-making process concerning climate change adaptation, Rhode Island Sea Grant and other Sea Grant programs in the Northeast through the Northeast Sea Grant Consortium will fund two regional projects that address such tradeoffs. Porter Hoagland (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Marine Policy Center) will explore the regional economic base and will define and evaluate tradeoffs involved in the rapidly evolving field of coastal marine spatial planning. Robert Johnston (Clark University) will examine costs and benefits of climate adaptation strategies, and their impacts on ecosystem services and ecosystem resilience. These projects define behavioral change models under development by adding another layer of depth and understanding in the decision/choice processes. PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Rhode Island Sea Grant sets aside a small amount of funds for unanticipated projects and initiatives that arise over the course of the two-year omnibus period, as well as for promising science investments that may fuel significant benefits from a small infusion of funds. These funds may go to an investigator needing a small amount of startup funds to do a proof-of-concept experiment before seeking further funding, or to address an important issue that has newly arisen and needs investigation. In the 2012-2014 omnibus period, Rhode Island Sea Grant will be funding pilot projects examining the impacts of climate change on septic system function in the coastal zone, implementing a sediment flux model for Narragansett Bay, and assessing the use of sea scallop viscera as a feed product for European sea bass. Impacts of increased precipitation and rising sea level on septic systems Due to wetter weather conditions and rising sea level as a result of changing climate, nitrogen inputs into the groundwater from septic systems may increase and impact coastal lagoon ecosystems, specifically in Rhode Island's south shore, as well as the functioning of onsite wastewater treatment systems. Sea Grant funded researcher George Loomis (URI Cooperative Extension)—the expert who helped define the existing septic system management regime for Rhode Island's lagoon ecosystems—will undertake preliminary work to assess the impacts of increased precipitation and rising sea level on the functioning of those septic systems. He will also make preliminary estimates of impact to the lagoon ecosystems. The findings of this research will inform municipal and state resource managers of a potentially new, emerging threat resulting from changing climate. Validating and improving a mechanistic sediment flux modeling framework to simulate a climate and nutrient management driven transition from eutrophication to oligotrophication Researcher Damian Brady (University of Maine) will be taking a sediment flux model developed in the 1980s, and still in use today for managing nutrient loading to waterbodies, and calibrating it for use in Narragansett Bay. Brady will use long-term datasets for the Bay, as well as new data collected by researchers funded by Rhode Island Sea Grant during its 2010-2012 omnibus (Fulweiler, Nixon, Rich) to improve the model for use in predicting impacts to Narragansett Bay based upon various nutrient reduction and climate change scenarios. Outputs of the model will prove useful to resource managers for setting nutrient control guidance in the face of changing climate. Assessment of scallop viscera hydrolysate for its feeding attractant and growth stimulant properties in juvenile European seabass Nutritional scientist Chong Lee (URI) has developed ways to take squid processing wastes out of the trash can and turn them into lawn and garden fertilizers. Lee now has his sights set on taking sea scallop wastes and turning that into fish food. Rhode Island Sea Grant will fund URI student Elizabeth Gamez to work with Lee in his laboratory exploring mechanisms to process sea scallop viscera into high quality feed for fish, testing this on European seabass. The research has potential economic benefits for sea scallop fishermen—turning their wastes into dollars—as well as for the finfish aquaculture industry, which may gain a new feed product for consideration. RESEARCH Research Projects 2012-2014 Research Projects 2010-2012 Research Projects 2008-2010 2011 Research Conference Site Map	Contacts Alan Desbonnet Assistant Director Tel: (401) 874-6813 Fax: (401) 789-8340 E-mail: aland@gso.uri.edu GIVING TO RI SEARGANT

Research Projects 2012-2014

Rhode Island Sea Grant seeks to fund research efforts that will support better management decisions for Rhode Island's coastal and marine resources, and the communities that depend upon them. For the 2012-2014 omnibus period the program will venture into new venues of research concerning fish and shellfish aquaculture, as well as build upon ongoing efforts bringing together social and climate change sciences. Rhode Island Sea Grant will also continue investment in the critical issue of nutrient dynamics and its implications for ecosystem-based management in Narragansett Bay.

FISHERIES

What are the costs and benefits of fisheries certification?
Sea Grant-funded researcher Jeremy Collie (URI) will be looking at the status and trends of various fish stocks, and comparing certified vs. non-certified fisheries to see if certification of sustainability by an organization such as the Marine Stewardship Council affects the sustainability of a stock, and whether a certified product commands a premium price, as expected. The economic and ecological outcomes of this research will aid the decision-making process of the many Rhode Island commercial fisheries considering fisheries certification.

AQUACULTURE

Fishmeal alternatives
Could replacing fishmeal with soybean meal as an alternative in fish foods be beneficial for the environment and reduce production costs of aquaculture efforts?

Sea Grant-funded researcher Marta Gomez-Chiarri (URI) will be investigating the attributes of soybean meal alternatives. This research may also reveal if there are properties in soybean meal that reduce disease in fish culture practices, in addition to providing a better economic model for aquaculture and reducing the need for pharmaceuticals involved in fish husbandry.

Applying upwellers for faster growth of shellfish
Can altering water flow and circulation patterns help oysters or clams grow faster?

Sea Grant funded-researcher Dale Leavitt (Roger Williams University) will be focusing on the use of upwellers in shellfish aquaculture systems to determine if altering the amount, timing, and pattern of water flow through the systems will speed oyster and hard clam growth to market size. An anticipated benefit is a reduction in the energy used when flow is manipulated, reducing costs and improving the economic viability of shellfish production in hatchery-based systems.

Building mussels
While oysters are currently the major aquaculture crop in Rhode Island, mussel aquaculture has huge potential.

Sea Grant funded-researcher Scott Lindell (Marine Biological Laboratory) will be conducting biological and ecological experiments to define mechanisms by which mussel aquaculture can most effectively be developed as an industry in Narragansett Bay.

Highly restrictive policies regulate the use of closed (to shellfishing) waters in the Bay for rapid mussel growout to near-market size. The Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program will devote one of its Law Fellows to conduct the research necessary to bring this issue into the management arena for analysis and debate.

This project has the potential for significant impacts on the aquaculture industry in Rhode Island, and has the interest and cooperation of both industry and the regulatory community in making change to enhance the economic viability of aquaculture in the state.

NUTRIENT DYNAMICS

Changes and impacts of nutrient inputs
To provide research needed to more fully develop nutrient criteria for the Bay that could assist better management of water quality, four projects will be funded that are closely integrated and overlap.

Sea Grant-funded researcher Bethany Jenkins (URI) will focus on interactions between various members of the microbial community in Narragansett Bay sediments, paying particular attention to changes in their makeup or function as nutrient input to the Bay is reduced according to current management plans. Her findings will help shed light on the relationship between nutrient inputs, microbial community response, and the onset of hypoxic (low dissolved oxygen) conditions.

As Jenkins focuses on the upper region of the Bay, researchers Scott Nixon (URI) and Theodore Smayda (URI) will be exploring the dynamics of nutrients at a scale encompassing the entire length of the Bay.

Nixon's work will explore two models of ecosystems function for Narragansett Bay. The first model is based on an eco-functional approach that looks at the fertilization aspect of the upper Bay, the nutrient assimilation zone of the mid-Bay, and the input of nutrients from offshore waters into the lower Bay.

The second model makes the assumption that the nutrient enriched upper Bay provides the fuel for all primary production throughout all Narragansett Bay. Anticipated results of the outcomes of comparing and contrasting the validity of each model should provide a more realistic ecosystem-based model for resource managers to use in managing nutrient inputs to the Bay and impacts to the ecosystem.

Smayda's work further tests the eco-functional approach model by examining a 40-year time series of plankton and environmental data to look for change linked to nutrient inputs and/or to changing climate signals, such as the increase in water temperature. More specifically, Smayda will be focusing on a complex of species that are the major primary producer in the Bay—Skeletonema.

As a complement to Smayda's work, researcher Tatiana Rynearson (URI) has developed a protocol that allows the distinction of species within the Skeletonema complex, as well as a methodology that allows her to test archived (preserved) samples. By running tests on current-day conditions to validate her methodologies, Rynearson can look back into time via archived samples to greatly enhance the research efforts by Smayda and others investigating nutrient dynamics in Narragansett Bay.

New tools to track nutrient movements
Sea Grant-funded researcher Christopher Kincaid (URI) will be utilizing and refining modeling technology to explore physical conditions found in shallow water environments to track nutrient movements so that resource managers can begin to predict the occurrence and potential longevity of hypoxic (low dissolved oxygen) events in upper Narragansett Bay.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Social and economic adaptations to climate change
The third and final year of the Climate Change Collaborative, led by Pamela Rubinoff (URI Coastal Resources Center), will continue to investigate changing human behaviors for adaptation to the impacts brought on by a changing climate, such as sea level rise and increased storminess.

The project team is adopting a methodology used to change behaviors that reduce cancer rates through smoking cessation, following a five-step process moving from acknowledgement of a problem to finding solutions.

The intention of this research is to build awareness of climate change through an interdisciplinary approach that utilizes expertise across various scientific fields and to encourage behavioral change in coastal communities through adaptation and mitigation to prepare for anticipated changes caused by a changing climate.

In order to improve understanding of the tradeoffs to be considered—both societal and economic—in the decision-making process concerning climate change adaptation, Rhode Island Sea Grant and other Sea Grant programs in the Northeast through the Northeast Sea Grant Consortium will fund two regional projects that address such tradeoffs.

Porter Hoagland (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Marine Policy Center) will explore the regional economic base and will define and evaluate tradeoffs involved in the rapidly evolving field of coastal marine spatial planning.

Robert Johnston (Clark University) will examine costs and benefits of climate adaptation strategies, and their impacts on ecosystem services and ecosystem resilience.

These projects define behavioral change models under development by adding another layer of depth and understanding in the decision/choice processes.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Rhode Island Sea Grant sets aside a small amount of funds for unanticipated projects and initiatives that arise over the course of the two-year omnibus period, as well as for promising science investments that may fuel significant benefits from a small infusion of funds. These funds may go to an investigator needing a small amount of startup funds to do a proof-of-concept experiment before seeking further funding, or to address an important issue that has newly arisen and needs investigation.

In the 2012-2014 omnibus period, Rhode Island Sea Grant will be funding pilot projects examining the impacts of climate change on septic system function in the coastal zone, implementing a sediment flux model for Narragansett Bay, and assessing the use of sea scallop viscera as a feed product for European sea bass.

Impacts of increased precipitation and rising sea level on septic systems
Due to wetter weather conditions and rising sea level as a result of changing climate, nitrogen inputs into the groundwater from septic systems may increase and impact coastal lagoon ecosystems, specifically in Rhode Island's south shore, as well as the functioning of onsite wastewater treatment systems.

Sea Grant funded researcher George Loomis (URI Cooperative Extension)—the expert who helped define the existing septic system management regime for Rhode Island's lagoon ecosystems—will undertake preliminary work to assess the impacts of increased precipitation and rising sea level on the functioning of those septic systems. He will also make preliminary estimates of impact to the lagoon ecosystems. The findings of this research will inform municipal and state resource managers of a potentially new, emerging threat resulting from changing climate.

Validating and improving a mechanistic sediment flux modeling framework to simulate a climate and nutrient management driven transition from eutrophication to oligotrophication
Researcher Damian Brady (University of Maine) will be taking a sediment flux model developed in the 1980s, and still in use today for managing nutrient loading to waterbodies, and calibrating it for use in Narragansett Bay.

Brady will use long-term datasets for the Bay, as well as new data collected by researchers funded by Rhode Island Sea Grant during its 2010-2012 omnibus (Fulweiler, Nixon, Rich) to improve the model for use in predicting impacts to Narragansett Bay based upon various nutrient reduction and climate change scenarios. Outputs of the model will prove useful to resource managers for setting nutrient control guidance in the face of changing climate.

Assessment of scallop viscera hydrolysate for its feeding attractant and growth stimulant properties in juvenile European seabass
Nutritional scientist Chong Lee (URI) has developed ways to take squid processing wastes out of the trash can and turn them into lawn and garden fertilizers. Lee now has his sights set on taking sea scallop wastes and turning that into fish food.

Rhode Island Sea Grant will fund URI student Elizabeth Gamez to work with Lee in his laboratory exploring mechanisms to process sea scallop viscera into high quality feed for fish, testing this on European seabass.

The research has potential economic benefits for sea scallop fishermen—turning their wastes into dollars—as well as for the finfish aquaculture industry, which may gain a new feed product for consideration.

Rhode Island Sea Grant