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Science News
The Oyster Files: New Study Details 50 years of Oyster Poaching
 At a time when the population of wild oysters remains at historic lows in the Bay, a group of local scientists recently completed an ambitious task: a first-ever study of five decades of state data about where and when oysters have been illegally harvested across the Maryland portion of the estuary. And to find out whether oyster crimes pay, the researchers examined how much violators were fined. The team hopes that their findings may help the state better police its waters, providing more security to the region’s few remaining wild oysters.
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Mid-Atlantic Sea Grant Programs Identify Key Ocean Research Needs for the Region
 Maryland Sea Grant is a coauthor of a new, multi-state effort to plan priorities for coordinated ocean and coastal research studies in the Mid-Atlantic region. The studies could yield new insights into pressing environmental problems and economic challenges, inform regional management of coastal resources, and support a new science-based national policy on oceans. All of those efforts could aid efforts to preserve the Chesapeake Bay region’s ecology and commerce.
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High Schoolers Dig into Fracking
 Frostburg, a college town tucked into Maryland’s Allegheny Mountains, is
no contender for the state’s biggest metropolis. But the town’s 9,000
residents are dealing with a big issue: natural gas drilling. In less
than two years, a host of drilling companies may flood into the region
to extract this fossil fuel using a technique known as fracking. It’s a
process that could bring economic gains for the town but may also carry
consequences for the health of local streams and of the broader
ecosystem that drains into the Chesapeake Bay. A group of high
school students in Frostburg, however, have responded to those potential
changes in a creative way -- by doing research.
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A Picture Tells the Story of Future Coastal Flooding
 Seeing -- and listening -- really does equal believing when it comes to
public understanding of the sea-level rise that threatens communities
along the Chesapeake Bay. That’s the finding of a recent experiment that
tested an interactive, online map and other new ways of showing
Marylanders who live by the Bay just how real may be the threat of
increased coastal flooding from rising seas. A research team led by George Mason University developed new educational
tools that they hope may help Marylanders to understand and prepare for
the flooding threat. And earlier this year, they tested these tools
with residents of Anne Arundel County. The results showed promise.
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Burreson Receives Mathias Medal
 Eugene M. Burreson, a Virginia biologist who pioneered studies of
parasites that decimated oysters in the Chesapeake Bay, is the latest
recipient of a rare honor, the Mathias Medal. He received the award at a
ceremony in Richmond on October 17, 2011, attended by family members
and coworkers.The medal, sponsored by Maryland Sea Grant, Virginia Sea Grant, and Chesapeake Research Consortium, has been presented every five years or so to a retired scientist who has made significant contributions to science and policy in the Chesapeake Bay.
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