Coastal & Marine Conservation

A first-of-its-kind analysis of the impact of 20 ocean trash items on seabirds, marine mammals and sea turtles conducted using expert elicitation was published today in Marine Policy by Ocean Conservancy and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). Until now, the impact of marine debris items, such as plastic bags and fishing gear, to populations of these animals has been far less clear. ...

The ocean off Cape Cod is warming at a rate more than double what prior modeling predicted, according to a report released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The finding by researchers at the federal agency matches what has already been recognized locally over the past ten years, said the report's lead author, fisheries scientist Vincent Saba.

Andrea Bogomolni, a researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, said satellite tracking is changing the understanding of seals’ resilience and their role in the ecosystem. “These large animals that are able to come back again, that in itself is telling us the ecology role,” Bogomolni said. “That this system can sustain this growth of large, top predators.” Read more

Beal’s project was funded at $200,000 and builds on his award-winning soft-shell clam research. “Using Applied Research to Support Development of Intertidal Aquaculture of Soft-Shell Clams” focuses on wild clam recruitment in the Harraseeket River system at Freeport. Read more

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Beal and a team based at the university’s Marine Science Field Station at the Downeast Institute are putting their aquaculture innovation skills to work. The team’s goals are to diversify the U.S. market for shellfish and increase the number of jobs in that market. The researchers are focused on two types of shellfish with the potential to bring more jobs and dollars to the area: blue mussels and Arctic surfclams.

In a significant move to save one of the world’s most-treasured marine animals, Peru has approved strong regulations to protect the giant oceanic manta ray, a species particularly vulnerable to fishing activity.

Phytoplankton are the entry point for mercury in marine food webs, and subsequent mercury accumulation in fish is the primary route of human exposure. Yet despite the fact that phytoplankton form this critical link, their role in marine mercury dynamics is not clear, especially with respect to seasonal and geographic variability. This study is designed to evaluate trends in mercury cycling in highly productive coastal marine environments, with a focus on the seasonal effects of phytoplankton blooms in a range of coastal lagoon systems.

Angie Doerr has accepted a position with the Center for Ocean Solutions as a Research Associate for Coupled Human-Natural Systems. See Angee Doerr's LinkedIn profile

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in food webs, posing a global threat to environmental health. Marine mammals are common sentinel species for studying marine pollution; however, their potential role as vectors of contaminants to local ecosystems has rarely been addressed. By quantifying the concentration and chemical form of mercury in seawater affected by Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) colonization, we demonstrated here that marine mammal behavioral ecology can substantially influence nearshore mercury cycling.