Sea
Grant’s 2005
4th Quarter Highlights
Tsunami
signs, a concept developed by Sea Grant, go global
The signs have been adopted in other Pacific
coastal states - Washington, California, Alaska and Hawaii - as part
of the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, a collaborative state-federal
program to improve tsunami warning systems and public awareness. A Sea
Grant scientist developed the tsunami sign concepts with state geologists
and planners. The tsunami signs were posted on new warning signs along
Thai beaches as part of Thailand's new National Disaster Warning Centre.
Hurricane Warning
Systems: researchers gauge Hurricane Dennis' fury
A team of research engineers from three Florida universities
deployed five mobile wind towers in Dennis' projected path,
then monitored and recorded the hurricane's winds as it
swept ashore. In the second project, researchers followed
the hurricane's impact on University of Florida’s
“hurricane house,” built to withstand winds
exceeding 140 mph. The 3,000-square-foot house was all but
undamaged. Both of these research projects began with Sea
Grant funding.
Maine Sea Grant and partners are making
significant progress in its efforts to monitor water quality
at beaches, with 42 beaches now regularly
monitoring for water quality. In 2001, only three
Maine beaches performed monitoring.
In Pearl and Hermes Atoll and Maro
Reef in the northwest islands, Coast
Guard and NOAA divers pulled up more than 20,000 pounds
of lethal debris--nets, line, buoy pieces and other
marine junk--twisted in the muck and chunks of coral that
had been smothered by the trash. NOAA recently received
money from Congress for its marine debris efforts. The program,
coordinated through NOS, is working with Sea Grant and other
offices across NOAA lines to address this pressing problem
throughout the Nation.
Delaware Sea
Grant Researchers Analyze Katrina's Effect on Gulf Ports
Ports in Louisiana and Mississippi play a key role in the
transport of products ranging from fuel oil to fresh fruit
across the region and the nation, according to James Corbett,
a Sea Grant marine transportation specialist. Corbett analyzed
how the hurricane's damages to New Orleans and several other
major Gulf ports will affect the movement and cost of consumer
goods on regional to national scales, and provided the nation
with early observations.
South Carolina
Sea Grant and Partners Host Annual Beach Sweep
Volunteers from school groups, church groups, businesses
and other groups collected more than 130 pounds of trash
from the beach and waterways at Huntington Beach State Park
Saturday during the 17th Annual South Carolina Beach Sweep
and River Sweep, which is held in conjunction with The Ocean
Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup.
Sea Grant Creates
a 24/7 Sea Turtle Hotline
The program has trained a group of experienced people
and enlisted a cadre of boats to respond to turtle entanglement
calls. Launched this summer, the disentanglement program
is run by the Rhode Island Sea Grant Sustainable Fisheries
Extension Program in partnership with NOAA's National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), the federal agency charged with
protecting and recovering sea turtles.
Researchers
are developing a means to predict the risk of dioxin in
fish
Toxicologists supported by Sea Grant are revealing the intricate
molecular mechanisms by which dioxin (and similar compounds
like PCBs) derail normal processes in the cells of developing
fish. With a detailed understanding of these mechanisms,
toxicologists will have a way to predict the danger a given
species faces from dioxin: conduct a relatively simple analysis
of that species’ cellular biochemistry, and then describe
how dioxin will corrupt it.
Texas Sea Grant
Leads Nation in Clean Marina participation
Through the Clean Texas Marina Program, Sea Grant recently
certified a record 51 marinas that are demonstrating their
commitment to keeping Texas waterways clean. The program
is helping marinas reduce pollutants and waste going into
the water, including trash, sewage, detergents, oil and
gasoline. Marina operators are using better management practices
to reduce waste and pollution.
Sea Grant formulates
diets to boost the feasibility of building an aquaculture
system for sea urchins
Sea Grant formulated 44 different diets based on the knowledge
of commercial diets for other invertebrates and sea urchin
feeding ecology. Sea Grant laid the groundwork for boosting
the feasibility of building land-based aquaculture system
edible sea urchins, which are a major component of marine
environments found throughout the world’s oceans.
The promise of sea urchin farming would not only help to
alleviate the over-fished sea urchin population and bolster
the seafood industry, but has important biomedical applications
and the ability for global economic impact.
A survey conducted
by Sea Grant showed that Louisiana inshore shrimpers and
fishermen are increasing their profits by marketing some
of their catch as live bait to recreational anglers.
The survey was part of a national Sea Grant initiative to
guide research and extension programming for the coastal
bait industry in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Previously,
no definitive survey of the Louisiana coastal bait industry
had been conducted. The survey found shrimp, croakers and
cocahoe minnows to be the most popular live baits with the
state’s recreational fishermen. Survey respondents
indicated they are willing to pay up to four times the market
value of some baits – specifically croakers –
in order to guarantee a successful fishing trip. The live
bait sector in Louisiana is a $40 million business, according
to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Louisiana Sea
Grant continues to support the coastal bait industry with
programs and publications geared to helping all aspects
of the industry.
Researchers
find hibiscus & hala trees help block destructive sea
waves
Hawaii Sea Grant researchers found that pandanus
(hala) trees and bushy plants between buildings helped lessen
the waves' impact.
High-Tech Buoy
Monitors Weather in Michigan
A solar-powered buoy bobbing on the surface of Grand Traverse
Bay is providing boaters, forecasters and other interested
people with up-to-date information about the Lake Michigan
waterway's sometimes volatile weather. The floating device
is being added to a developing network of Great Lakes buoys
that could support research projects on topics ranging from
global warming to oxygen depletion. Sea Grant assisted with
the logistics and funded the earlier Lake St. Clair deployment.
Aquaculture Will Soon Be
in Alaska Agriculture Plan
Thanks to nearly a decade of perseverance by Alaska Sea
Grant aquaculture specialist Ray RaLonde to improve funding
for research and development of Alaska shellfish and salmon
enhancement, aquaculture will be included in the Alaska
statewide agriculture plan. That will give Alaska aquaculture
researchers access to much needed, higher levels of financial
support.