Baird Symposium

 

Current Events

Past events

About

The annual Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium provides a forum for researchers, resource managers, and stakeholders to discuss the most current science in various areas important to Rhode Island coastal communities and coastal and ocean environments.

This forum was formed in 2002 and renamed in 2006 to honor former National Sea Grant Director Ronald Baird and his contributions and continued service to the Sea Grant mission as an advisor to the Rhode Island and National Sea Grant offices.

Recent Events

Climate Change Effects on
Recreational Fishing and Boating

2022 

This two-part webinar series engages Northeast recreational anglers, boaters, and climate experts in discussions about how climate change is affecting these traditional uses–both good and bad– as well as strategies and actions that individuals, governments, and industry are taking to respond to these changes.

Speakers

Session 1 Speakers

Todd Corayer 
Award-winning Fishing Writer, Kayak-fishing Sharpie and Fish Advocate

Willy Goldsmith, Ph.D. 
Executive Director, American Saltwater Guides Association

Jon Hare, Ph.D.
Director, NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Joe Mariani 
Regional Vice President, Safe Harbor Marinas

Pamela Rubinoff 
Coastal Management and Climate Extension Specialist
University of Rhode Island/GSO – Coastal Resources Center (CRC) and Rhode Island Sea Grant 

Abbie Schuster 
Charter Captain and Fishing Guide, Fish Conservationist and Advocate

Capt. Greg Vespe 
Executive Director, RI Saltwater Anglers Association

Mike Wade 
Watch Hill Outfitters, Owner, Climate/Fish Advocate and Expert Fisher

Speaker Bios >>

Session 2:

 “Climate Change Opportunities for Anglers and Boaters”

April 13 

Speakers

Session 2 Speakers

Capt. Chris Willi 
Block Island Fish Works

James Monti
Private recreational fisher

Capt. Richard Lipsitz
Angler and winner 2021 BI Inshore Fishing Tournament

Greg DeCelles
Chief Science Officer, Ørsted

Meredith Moore 
Director, Fish Conservation Program, Ocean Conservancy 

Chris McGuire 
Director, Ocean Programs, The Nature Conservancy

Jonathan Stone
Executive Director, Save The Bay

Speaker Bios >>

 

Event Participants: University of Rhode Island (URI) Graduate School of Oceanography, Coastal Resources Center, Rhode Island Sea Grant, Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Ørsted, American Saltwater Guides Association, Ocean Conservancy, Rhode Island Marine Trades Association, and Safe Harbor Marinas.

Jennifer McCann is an organizer for the event series; her focus is coastal and ocean management policy and practice as Director of U.S. Coastal Programs at the URI Coastal Resources Center and Director of Extension for Rhode Island Sea Grant.

David Monti is a licensed charter captain serving in leadership roles on several marine- and fisheries-based boards and organizations, including the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council; he writes about recreational fisheries issues for several publications, including The Providence Journal.

Past Events

2020

Offshore Renewable Energy in the U.S.

More Information

Rhode Island Sea Grant and the Coastal Resources Center are partnering with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Working Group on Marine Benthal Renewable Energy Developments (WGMBRED) and Venture Café & District Hall Providence to offer a 4-part webinar series to share lessons learned from offshore renewable energy development in the United States.

These webinars will explore key issues regarding the potential cause-effect relationships resulting from the construction and operation of offshore renewable energy installations and recommendations for minimizing impacts and promoting opportunities for positive biological outcomes.

Rhode Island Sea Grant and the Coastal Resources Center are partnering with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Working Group on Marine Benthal Renewable Energy Developments (WGMBRED) and Venture Café & District Hall Providence to offer a 4-part webinar series to share lessons learned from offshore renewable energy development in the United States.

These webinars will explore key issues regarding the potential cause-effect relationships resulting from the construction and operation of offshore renewable energy installations and recommendations for minimizing impacts and promoting opportunities for positive biological outcomes.

Lessons from Block Island:
Acoustical and Benthic Habitat Data 

July 21, 2020

 

Presenters & Summary Notes

Researchers presented findings about acoustical and benthic habitat data from the area of the Block Island Wind Farm. Both kinds of information are important for building our understanding about how offshore renewable energy efforts may both impact and coexist with the marine environment upon which we depend.

Summary Notes >>

Presenters:

Jennifer Amaral earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in ocean engineering from the University of Rhode Island and is currently studying towards her Ph.D. in the same discipline. Her doctoral research involves the study of impact pile driving sounds during the installation of offshore wind turbines. She is a lead scientist and engineer with Marine Acoustics, Inc. in Middletown, Rhode Island, where she implements modeling strategies and develops acoustic assessment tools to evaluate underwater sound propagation.

Monique LaFrance Bartley is marine ecologist with the National Park Service in the Ocean and Coastal Resources Branch. She earned an B.S. at the University of Rhode Island, majoring in marine biology and minoring in marine affairs and underwater archaeology. She continued her studies at the Graduate School of Oceanography at URI, earning her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in oceanography. Dr. LaFrance Bartley’s primary research focus is benthic habitat mapping to establish baseline conditions and monitoring to assess change over time, with the purpose of providing results that support real-world management applications.

Discussion Participants:

James Boyd is a coastal policy analyst for the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and has been with the agency for 20 years. He is primarily responsible for the development and implementation of the CRMC’s coastal policies and regulations, and he manages and develops the CRMC’s federal consistency decisions for offshore renewable energy projects. Prior to working for the CRMC, he was a commercial fisherman for a decade.

Dave Monti is a charter captain, fishing writer and fish advocate.  He is vice chair of the RI Marine Fisheries Council, 2nd vice president of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association, a board member of the American Saltwater Guides Association and a member of the RI Party & Charter Boat Association. He is the Providence Journal’s fishing writer and writes for 12 other fishing related blogs, magazines, and newspapers often writing about climate change and its impact on fish, offshore wind farms, and fish policy at the state and national level. He can be reached at dmontifish@verizon.net.