Category: Environment

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New Jersey Commits $13 Million to Fight Algae

12/4/2019 - By Eric Colby. New Jersey governor Phil Murphy announced that his administration will provide more than $13 million to fund an initiative to reduce and prevent future algal blooms in the state. In its Currents newsletter, the National Marine Manufacturers Association applauded the program that will fund prevention, mitigation, study and response… SEE MORE

Algae bloom

BP Spill Fines Pay for the Restoration of Queen Bess Island

Environment

12/4/2019 - By John Snell. A few miles north of Grand Isle, contractors race the clock in a first-of-its-kind island restoration. A $10 million dredging project is piecing back together Queen Bess Island, a major breeding ground for brown pelicans. While island restorations are nothing new along Louisiana’s coast, the state is… SEE MORE

Island Restoration

White oak seedlings at John S. Ayton State Tree Nursery.

“Gift of Trees” Can Last for Generations

Environment

12/4/2019 - The Maryland Department of Natural Resources offers holiday shoppers the opportunity to give a lasting legacy. The Gift of Trees is a program where Marylanders purchase native trees — either a single tree or a grove of 10 trees — for planting in honor of a celebration, commemoration, or observation. A Gift of Trees certificate suitable for framing… SEE MORE

Coral reefs play a vital role in sustaining the health of our oceans and our economy.

10 Ways to Protect Coral Reefs

12/4/2019 - Here are some things YOU can do: Corals are already a gift, don't give them as presents. Conserve water. The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater that will eventually find its way back into the ocean. Volunteer in local beach or reef cleanups. If you don't live… SEE MORE

Photo Courtesy of Rick Swart / Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife.

State Parks to Waive Fees on Black Friday

11/22/2019 - Looking for an alternative to the shopping lines on Black Friday? Fees at state parks in Oregon and Washington will be waived the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29), and the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife is offering free fishing, crabbing, and clamming across the state. The free day-use parking… SEE MORE

Fishing License

NOAA Reports Uptick in Stranded Sea Turtles on NY / NJ Beaches

11/20/2019 - The recent cold snap has caused a sudden uptick in the number of cold-stunned sea turtles washing up on beaches in northern, NJ - particularly Sandy Hook and Long Beach Island and Long Island, NY. NOAA is asking all individuals walking these beaches, and beaches throughout the northeast, to report stranded… SEE MORE

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/veterans-become-budding-marine-scientists-through-washington-internship-program?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Veterans Become Budding Marine Scientists Through Internship

11/20/2019 - In the Puget Sound region of Washington, Kate Rovinski helps study Dungeness crabs at NOAA’s Mukilteo Research Station, part of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. The crabs are the target of a valuable West Coast fishery at high risk to the effects of ocean acidification. Rovinski got started in the lab through… SEE MORE

New York Scallop Season A Disaster

11/18/2019 - By Dan Nosowitz. Scallop season in the Northeast opened this past week, with fishermen in New York and New England heading out to find small, succulent bay scallops. The results of the early fishing have been what you might generously called “mixed.” In Massachusetts, fishermen off Martha’s Vineyard have seen… SEE MORE

Ocean Floor Bacteria Potentially Influencing Arctic Weather

Environment

11/18/2019 - By Maddie Stone. Scientists have identified a surprising new mechanism that could be affecting cloud formation and weather patterns in the Arctic: bacteria from the ocean floor. When tiny, plantlike ocean microbes known as phytoplankton die, their bodies sink to the bottom of the sea, becoming food for bacteria residing… SEE MORE

Oyster Farming Has Small but Positive Impact on Chesapeake Bay

11/13/2019 - By David Malmquist, VIMS. The rapid growth of oyster aquaculture in the Chesapeake Bay has raised questions about its effects on water quality, with proponents touting benefits including reduction of water-column nutrients and increased clarity, and other stakeholders pointing to drawbacks such as enrichment of sediment nutrients and altered current… SEE MORE