Volume 19, Number 6 • November-December 2001

Other News of Note

Summer Estuarine Fellowships Available

Maryland Sea Grant is currently seeking applications for its summer 2002 Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) fellowship program. Up to fourteen undergraduates will be selected to work with university scientists on major marine research programs that focus on the Chesapeake Bay.

As members of research, modelling and data analysis labs, students in the REU program work on individual research projects in areas that include estuarine processes, biogeochemistry, contaminants, chemical contaminant cycling, fisheries, physical oceanography, the benthic environment and submerged aquatic vegetation. Each student will work with a principal investigator at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Chesapeake Biological Laboratory - at Solomons, Maryland, or its Horn Point Laboratory, at Cambridge, Maryland - or at the Academy of Natural Science Estuarine Research Center in St. Leonard, Maryland.

The 12-week program runs from May 28-August 20 and includes dormitory costs, round-trip travel expenses and a stipend of $3,600. Applicants must have completed at least two years of study toward a bachelor's degree and still be undergraduates in the fall of 2002. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. or its possessions.

For application details, visit the web at www.mdsg.umd.edu/Education/REU or call (301) 405-7500. Applications are due March 8, 2002.

Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report

[Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee's 2001 Blue Crab Advisory Report (first page)]

The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee's 2001 Blue Crab Advisory Report is now available on the web and as a printed leaflet. Released early each summer, the report summarizes the status of the blue crab resource and provides scientific advice for resource management decisions. The report uses data from five fishery-independent surveys to determine the status of the stock. The five surveys include the Virginia trawl survey, Maryland summer trawl survey, Calvert Cliffs crab pot survey, Baywide winter dredge survey, and Baywide zooplankton monitoring survey.

A review of data collected in 2001 indicates that: (1) there is a declining trend in recruitment in recent years; (2) age 1+ blue crab stock size is approaching a low not seen since the late-1960s; (3) adult female abundance is currently below the previous historical low set in 1968; and, (4) fishing mortality rate is well above the target, and may be increasing. The report may be viewed on the web at noaa.chesapeakebay.net/reports/BCARpage2001.htm. The CBSAC Technical Committee is comprised of scientists from Maryland, Virginia, and the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service's NE Fisheries Science Center, SE Fisheries Science Center, and Chesapeake Bay Office (Derek.Orner@noaa.gov, (410) 267-5676).

Congress Funds Bay Education

As part of the Fiscal Year 2002 budget Congress approved $1.2 million in funding for a Chesapeake Bay education program administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Chesapeake Bay Office, making it the first federal agency with a formally funded Chesapeake Bay education program. Funding will be available for environmental education efforts in states in the Bay watershed (MD, VA, PA, NY, DE, WV) and the District of Columbia.

Funding was supported by Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) and other members of the Congressional delegation in the Bay watershed, and passed as part of NOAA's annual budget. Of the total appropriation, $400,000 is intended to support the efforts of nonprofit environmental education programs, with the remaining $800,000 used to support and coordinate additional environmental education activities within the Bay watershed. A solicitation for education proposals is anticipated to be published in the early spring. For more information, contact Seaberry Nachbar, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, (410) 267-5660.

Bi-State Crab Effort Continues

At a meeting in Richmond, Virginia on December 11, 2001 members of the Chesapeake Bay Commission's Bi-State Blue Crab Advisory Committee (BBCAC) assembled to address the future, both immediate and long term, of the Chesapeake's valuable blue crab fishery. The meeting was designed specifically for stakeholder input. Seafood processors like Jack Brooks, of Clayton's Seafood, warned that additional restrictions will further weaken a processing industry already dealing with imported crabmeat, labor challenges and changing markets.

Watermen from around the Bay, from southern Virginia to northern Maryland, also shared their observations on the 2001 crabbing season. Most agreed that while the season had started slow, the fall harvest took a decided turn for the better, fueling optimism for the future.

Researcher Rom Lipcius, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, reported that his trawl data, which has shown a dismal decline in spawning stock during the past several years, at last posted an increase this season. While welcome news, Lipcius pointed out that the level still remains quite low, and far below average. Still, some movement upward has sparked hope in researchers and watermen alike that the declining trend may be nearing its end, and that restrictions on harvest pressure may have begun to bear results.

Maryland Delegate John F. Wood, who co-chairs the bi-state committee with Robert S. Bloxom of Virginia, exhorted those present to continue to work together, and to find ways to stick to the goal set out by the committee's action plan, of doubling the blue crab's spawning stock. "We have a good plan," he said. "Let's stick to it."

Maryland Sea Grant Request for Proposals

In mid-January Maryland Sea Grant College issues a Request for Proposals (RFP) for its next proposal cycle, which runs from February 1, 2003-January 31, 2005. The RFP solicits proposals with durations of one to two years. Those interested in submitting proposals should read the RFP carefully and direct any questions to the program early in the proposal process. Sea Grant support is offered on an open, competitive basis and is available to researchers at all academic institutions and research laboratories in Maryland. To read the online RFP and download forms, visit the web at www.mdsg.umd.edu/Research/RFP. If you don't have web access, or you'd prefer a paper copy, contact Rosalie Lynn at (301) 405-6371.

Comprehensive Oyster Plan

A new effort is underway by Chesapeake Bay Program partners to develop a comprehensive plan for managing the Chesapeake Bay's oyster resources. With the adoption of the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement, a renewed and better-coordinated effort is underway to address the commitment of "achieving at a minimum, a tenfold increase in native oysters by 2010." Towards this end, the Bay Program is drafting a Comprehensive Oyster Plan (COP) with the ultimate goal of maintaining the valuable ecological role of native oyster populations, while continuing to support an oyster fishery. The outline is available on the web at www.chesapeakebay.net/cop.htm.

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