Research Projects

Share:
Principal Investigator:
A. Whitman Miller
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

This ongoing project has examined the risk of aquatic invasive species introductions to the Mid-Atlantic via the live bait trade. Researchers have quantified the diversity of species found in baitboxes shipped to the Mid-Atlantic so as to determine the best intervention strategies to minimize the introduction of unwanted and harmful species to the region.

Principal Investigator:
Matthew Baker
Co-Principal Investigator:
Joseph Sexton, University of Maryland, College Park
Summary:

Scientists developed a new analytical approach that improves detection and measurement of changes in biological communities in Chesapeake Bay tributaries over time and at different locations. This line of research may help researchers and local and state officials to plan better to prevent and manage the effects of development and urbanization on that plants and animals in Maryland’s streams.

Principal Investigator:
Lisa Kellogg
Co-Principal Investigator:
Roger I.E. Newell, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

OBJECTIVES: Our overall objective is to quantify how suspension-feeding organisms living attached to the hard substrate formed by oyster reefs serve to remove phytoplankton from the water column and thereby help improve water quality. Specifically, for hooked mussels and tunicates, two of the most abundant (by biomass) organisms on oyster reefs, we will: • Determine biomass-specific, temperature-dependent, and seston concentration-dependent rates of water filtration and biodeposition • Assess filtration efficiency for particles between 1 _ 50 μm • Develop a spreadsheet model that estimates non-oyster "filtration capacity," in terms of both total volume of water cleared of particles and mass of particles transferred to the sediments.

Principal Investigator:
Douglas Lipton
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

Objectives: The goal of this project is to expand and accelerate the adoption of aquaculture practices in Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic Region, and nationally by accomplishing the following objectives:1) Evaluate the concept of Aquaculture Enterprise Zones being adopted in Maryland to determine its effectiveness and potential for adoption in other regions.2) Work with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and groups of Maryland watermen to develop and test the concept of Industry Reserve Production Cooperatives. 3) Provide information to policymakers about the role of aquaculture in emerging ecosystem service markets such as Chesapeake Bay nutrient trading markets.

Principal Investigator:
Fredrika C. Moser
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

Objectives: The purpose of the proposed research is to understand how to prevent introductions of non-native species through the management of a single intentional AIS introduction vector, in this case the live bait vector, as a model. Our goal is to couple research to investigate the ecological and social science aspects of managing the live bait vector (saltwater to fresh) with new outreach efforts designed to reach from supplier to user in the Mid-Atlantic region. Targeted outcomes include: a) illuminating the challenges and success in vector management and applying the findings to other intentional introduction sub-vectors (e.g.

Principal Investigator:
Erica Goldman
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:
Principal Investigator:
Jonathan G. Kramer
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this program is to develop a robust socioeconomics program to support the development of ecosystem based fisheries management and provide new national models/tools in this regard. METHODOLOGY: Funds are requested for three linked activities. These include a new targeted solicitation for projects to be focused on achieving a short-term understanding of socioeconomic reference points for five key species in Chesapeake Bay. Second, we will support continuation of an ongoing research project directed to the use of existing long-term economic data series to provide fishery and coastal managers and policymakers with greater information about the communities and industries their decisions impact.

Principal Investigator:
Douglas Lipton
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this program is to develop a robust socioeconomics program to support the development of ecosystem based fisheries management and provide new national models/tools in this regard. METHODOLOGY: Funds are requested for three linked activities. These include a new targeted solicitation for projects to be focused on achieving a short-term understanding of socioeconomic reference points for five key species in Chesapeake Bay. Second, we will support continuation of an ongoing research project directed to the use of existing long-term economic data series to provide fishery and coastal managers and policymakers with greater information about the communities and industries their decisions impact.

Principal Investigator:
Jeffrey C. Cornwell
Co-Principal Investigator:
Lawrence P. Sanford, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

This ongoing research project is quantifying the effects of off-bottom oyster and mussel aquaculture (i.e. on floats) on sediments and surrounding water. The researchers are working to predict the influence of oyster and mussel farms on nutrient processes and to mitigate possible adverse effects.

Principal Investigator:
Douglas Lipton
Co-Principal Investigator:
Virginia Carrasco, Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program University of Maryland College Park
Summary:

Objectives: This proposal seeks to bring together a number of outreach providers in the state who are engaged in climate-related education and technical assistance to identify needs, to coordinate efforts, and to deliver much-needed information and technical tools to coastal communities. This project will complement and enhance an upcoming SARP (Sector Applications Research Program) proposal, which will develop a process for surveying a particularly significant stakeholder group — planning staff — in all counties in Maryland, with the intent of understanding their level of knowledge, their attitudes, and the barriers (for implementation) around climate change adaptation.

Principal Investigator:
Yonathan Zohar
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

OBJECTIVES: To develop Greater Amberjack, Seriola dumerili, as a new US aquaculture species, research efforts are needed to improve the juvenile supply in captivity. The overall goal is to describe the reproductive cycle and its endocrine dysfunction, from pre-puberty through early gametogenesis and spawning of females held in controlled thermo-photoperiod conditions in a biosecure recirculating aquaculture system. This goal will be achieved through 3 key objectives: Objective 1: Study puberty and the reproductive cycle of S. dumerili held in captivity. Objective 2: Develop a GnRH-based technology to induce captive spawning. Objective 3: Study the effect of different environmental regimens on phase-shifting the spawning time.

Principal Investigator:
Denise L. Breitburg
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

*This project is a continuing project initially funded through award NA05OAR4171042 (year one) and currently funded through award NA10OAR4170072 (year two)* Objectives: We propose to test the relationship between diel cycling hypoxia, "infection risk," and the acquisition and progression of Perkinsus marinus infections in the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in shallow waters within Chesapeake Bay. Specifically, we will examine (1) the effect of temporally varying patterns of hypoxia in shallow subestuaries and embayments on the acquisition and progression of P. marinus infections in C. virginica, and (2) how the interactive effects of temporally varying hypoxia and P. marinus infections influence oyster mortality and growth. Methodology: Field deployments of P.

Principal Investigator:
Andrew Elmore
Co-Principal Investigator:
Sujay Kaushal, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Jason Jullian, University of Oklahoma
Summary:

The researchers mapped the locations of headwater streams across Maryland and the Potomac River Watershed -- many of which are “buried” or covered by roads, parking lots, and other development. Using complex hydrologic and statistical modeling, they have created large data sets about these aquatic stream networks and the effects of humans on these systems. Their maps and data have been shared with land-use managers and used to make stream conservation decisions.

Principal Investigator:
Thomas J. Miller
Co-Principal Investigator:
Allen Place, Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute; David Secor, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

Using striped bass as a model, this study employed traditional fisheries science approaches, combined with state-of-the-art chemical analyses and molecular genetics, to quantify the role of diversity in population resilience among spawning females and their offspring.

Principal Investigator:
Diane Stoecker
Co-Principal Investigator:
Jeffrey C. Cornwell, Horn Point Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

Researchers explored what conditions promote the growth, persistence, and demise of the cyanobacteria Microcystis (blue-green algae) in the upper Sassafras River. Their results indicate that elevation in pH, phosphorus release from sediments, inhibition of coupled nitrification-denitrification, and nitrogen fixation are factors in the persistence of cyanobacterial blooms. 

Principal Investigator:
Lora Harris
Co-Principal Investigator:
Walter Boynton, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Mark Brush, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Summary:

*This project is a continuing project initially funded through award NA05OAR4171042 (year one) and currently funded through award NA10OAR4170072 (year two)* Objective: The objective of this proposal is to create a coupled ecosystem model to explore the response of Chincoteague Bay to watershed nitrogen loading. Existing models that simulate the dynamics of eelgrass, benthic microalgae, phytoplankton, and macroalgae will be linked using formulations that model patterns of autotrophic dominance under various nitrogen loading scenarios. Special attention will be paid to nitrogen cycling, feedbacks on light attenuation, and sedimentation processes mediated by SAV. Nitrogen loading models will be adapted to GIS systems.

Principal Investigator:
David H. Secor
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

*This project is a continuing project initially funded through award NA05OAR4171042 (year one) and currently funded through award NA10OAR4170072 (year two)*

OBJECTIVES: (1) During summer-fall 2008, conduct trawl surveys, targeting MD coastal bays, Ocean City Inlet, and nearshore ocean environment. (2) Using area-swept estimates compare juvenile abundances across habitat-types, analyze spatio-temporal patterns in size-structure of recruiting cohorts, and investigate the underlying biodiversity and composition of nursery fish assemblages. (3) Evaluate the connectivity of coastal bay and nearshore habitats through stable isotope food web analysis.

Principal Investigator:
Brian Needelman
Co-Principal Investigator:
Raymond R. Weil, Andrew H. Baldwin, University of Maryland, College Park; J. P. Megonigal, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Summary:

*This project is a continuing project initially funded through award NA05OAR4171042 (year one) and currently funded through award NA10OAR4170072 (year two)* Objectives: In this project we will improve the understanding of mechanisms controlling plant response to prescribed burns in Chesapeake Bay tidal marshes. This information will allow land managers to improve prescribed burn management programs to improve the sustainability of tidal marsh restoration and conservation projects. The objective of this project is to elucidate the effects of the two primary mechanisms ash deposition and canopy removal-by which prescribed burns are thought to affect above and belowground plant growth.

Principal Investigator:
Jonathan G. Kramer
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

Objective 1: Recognize the Principles for Developing EBFMPS in Chesapeake Bay In order for the EBFMP operational structure to be successful, a new set of principles needs to be recognized by the scientists, managers and stakeholders. Maryland SG will build consensus on an ecosystem management approach (EMA) that includes the following principles: I. The EMA effort will focus on management recommendations based on scientific consensus and recognize that factors extend across ecological and socioeconomic boundaries. 2. The EMA effort will efficiently utilize extant capacity and structure(s) within the Chesapeake Bay fisheries and non-fisheries communities and the Chesapeake Bay Program.

Principal Investigator:
Eric Johnson
Co-Principal Investigator:
Denise L. Breitburg, Anson Hines, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Summary:

This project has provided supporting evidence for continuing a ban on harvesting female blue crabs as a means to help increase the population of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay.

Principal Investigator:
Gregory M. Ruiz
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

Our overall goal is to determine the status of Chinese Mitten Crabs in the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay and the Mid-Atlantic region. In the proposal, we seek a modest amount of funding to sustain and build efforts to track and document new reports of the crabs over the next 12 months. This is a key step to implementing a longer-term strategy to establish the current distribution of E. sinensis in the eastern US and whether it is established here. In 2008/2009, we propose to further implement coordinated field-based measures to determine the population status of the Chinese Mitten Crab in Chesapeake Bay.

Principal Investigator:
Jonathan G. Kramer
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

Summary: The Maryland Port Administration's (MPA) Dredged Material Management Program (DMMP) Management Committee's Sediment Quality Workgroup (SQW; Workgroup) was established to support the DMMP's Innovative Reuse Committee's (IRC) final report to the Executive Committee. This report recommended an initiative to consolidate and review sediment data. Based on the IRC's recommendation, the Workgroup recommended to MPA that a scientific review of issues related to sediment quality in the Port of Baltimore's shipping channels be conducted. The general focus of the review, as related to Baltimore Harbor, should be the sediments of the entire Harbor, with an emphasis on the shipping channels.

Principal Investigator:
Mario N. Tamburri
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

The Maritime Environmental Resource Center (MERC) is a State of Maryland initiative that will be providing test facilities, information, and decision tools to address key environmental issues facing the international maritime industry. The primary focus is to evaluate the mechanical and biological efficacy and costs and logistical aspects of ballast water treatment systems and assess the economic impacts of ballast water regulations and management approaches. We are proposing to enter into a Cooperative Agreement with NOAA Ballast Water Management Demonstration Program to establish the physical MERC RDTE-Facility, a MARAD barge into a test platform.

Principal Investigator:
Denise L. Breitburg
Co-Principal Investigator:
Summary:

Objectives: This proposal seeks funding to reconstruct unpublished historical data on sea nettle abundance, convert semi-quantitative estimates, develop a methodology to reduce the subjectivity inherent in visual pier count data, and to produce an on-line publicly available electronic database that can be used as a foundation for future research and management efforts.

Principal Investigator:
Jonathan G. Kramer
Co-Principal Investigator:
Fredrika Moser, Maryland Sea Grant College University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Jessica Smits, Maryland Sea Grant College University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Summary:

Background: In the last few years, numerous regional panels under the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANSTF) received funding from the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) to develop rapid response plans. The Western Regional Panel published a model rapid response plan for aquatic nuisance species in 2002 and then developed a response plan for zebra mussels in the Columbia River basin in 2006. The Great Lakes Panel also developed a model rapid response plan for aquatic nuisance species. The Northeast Regional Panel conducted a series of workshops to determine critical elements needed in a rapid response plan.

Since 1977, Maryland Sea Grant has funded scientific research relevant to the Chesapeake Bay and the Maryland residents who conserve, enjoy, and make their living from it. We strive to fund projects that both advance scientific knowledge and offer practical results benefiting ecosystems, communities, and economies throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.

Click on an individual project to find out more. Search current and past research projects here.

The Blue Crab: Callinectes Sapidus

An essential resource for researchers, students, and managers.  Get your copy today!

pile of cooked crabs