Science Serving Maryland’s Coasts

MARYLAND SEA GRANT2015 Annual Report

I t is with much pleasure that we provide to you our 2015 annualreport highlighting some of the successes we achieved last yearthrough partnerships we created with university researchers, out-

reach professionals, resource managers, decision makers, and a varietyof environmental and community organizations. These partners, alongwith our exceptional advisory committees and our excellent staff,help drive our program’s strong contributions to current efforts toachieve healthy and resilient coastal watersheds in Maryland and theMid-Atlantic region. Our key partner, the University System ofMaryland (USM), has provided unwavering support since MarylandSea Grant began work nearly 40 years ago. As a result of that strong

base and those long-standing partnerships, we have been able to respond to some remarkableopportunities to engage with Maryland citizens and communities. In January 2015, the strengthof these collaborations was commended during a four-year review by a site review team andpanel appointed by the National Sea Grant office. That review ranked Maryland Sea Grant as oneof the top Sea Grant programs in the country. This sampling of our 2015 projects highlights the work of our partners and staff in the areasof research, education, communications, and Extension. Maryland Sea Grant supported scientistswhose research helped clarify how the Conowingo Dam affects downstream estuarine processes,how to respond to invasive species, and how to improve the replanting of riparian forests and thestabilizing of eroding shorelines. Much of our research and outreach focused on achieving sus-tainable fishery harvests and ensuring the delivery of safe seafood products from Maryland waters.In addition, many of our outreach efforts assisted communities interested in implementingstormwater management practices. Our funding supported eight faculty-led research projects, 15graduate students, and over 35 undergraduates. Our magazine Chesapeake Quarterly and our twoblogs created accessible, in-depth explanations of current research and examined its applicationsto environmental issues and public policy discussions. In addition, our Extension agents, workingclosely with our community and industry partners, developed innovative outreach and trainingprojects to help grow jobs, strengthen our regional economy, and improve the health and produc-tivity of the estuary. We hope you enjoy this report and welcome you to join with Maryland Sea Grant as wework to preserve and restore Maryland’s beautiful coastal waters and the stunning landscapes thatsurround them. We value your thoughts and comments, so please don’t hesitate to contact any ofour team.

Fredrika C. Moser, Ph.D.Maryland Sea Grant

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTORM

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Building Resilient Communities

Extension specialists help to create anew regional certification for Bay-friendly landscapers n The ChesapeakeBay Landscape Professional certification willenhance the pool of highly qualified conserva-tion landscape professionals in the Chesapeakewatershed and enhance the marketability oftheir service s.

Seafoodprocessors andoyster shippersin Maryland receive trainingto improve foodsafety n Our

Extension program’s Seafood Safety Specialisttrained 61 industry members to become certi-fied in Hazards Analysis and Critical ControlPoints (HACCP) procedures to ensure foodsafety, as required by the federal government.In addition, 12 businesses, or nearly two-thirds

of the state’s crab processors, voluntarily parti -ci pated in the Maryland Crabmeat QualityAssurance Program .

Maryland oyster farmers get technicaltraining and support to start andexpand aquaculture businesses nExtension specialists provided guidance to help130 producers learn business skills to run aqua-culture operations. In 2015 an Extensionspecialist helped applicants obtain $185,000 innew loans for shellfish aquaculture businesses .

A new coordinator will assist com mu -nities and managers to better understand and plan for coastalchanges associated with sea level riseand flooding n An Extension specialisthired in 2015 will help partners in theChesapeake Bay Sentinel Site Cooperativecollaborate in using their environmental datacollected at seven sites .

Our activities in 2015 reflected priorities described in thefour focus areas of our 2014-2017 strategic plan. These arethe focus areas and examples of our work in each.

Resilient Ecosystem Processes and Responses: Supportscientific research and synthesis to help inform managementof the Chesapeake and coastal bays and their watersheds

Resilient Communities and Economies: Grow jobs and businesses in Maryland’s aqua-culture industry; assist local partners to manage stormwater, improve water quality, and planfor coastal flooding and other effects of climate change

Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture: Provide technical analyses and training to helpexpand Maryland’s aquaculture, fishing, and seafood industries; advise seafood businessesabout food safety and processing technology; build understanding of fisheries science and theeconomic value of Maryland’s fisheries

Effective Environmental Science Education: Promote education, both formal and infor-mal, as the foundation for building communities that understand environmental issues andengage in decision making

PROGRAM PRIORITIESS

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2015

Training and Education

Core Federal Funding 2015 (Total: $1,600,193)

BUDGET OVERVIEW

All Funding Sources 2015 (Total: $3,423,804)

A children’s bookabout salamandersand environmentalscience wins recog-nition in a nationalcompetition nSalamander Season, co-written by MarylandSea Grant’s assistant director for education,received the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize forExcellence in Science Books.

Public schools expand the use ofaquaponics as a tool to teach studentsabout science and engineering andusing them to solve practical problemsn Teachers attended a week-long professionaldevelopment summer workshop run by Mary-land Sea Grant staff. We also helped students atBaltimore Polytechnic Institute to build anaquaponics laboratory, the largest such facilityin a Baltimore City school.

Undergraduates conduct originalresearch about the Chesapeake Bay nMaryland Sea Grant supported studentresearch programs in the University of Mary-land’s Gemstone Honors Program, whichserves to meet America’s need for a scientifi-cally literate public and a trained workforce.Sea Grant funded four Gemstone undergradu-ates to travel to Barcelona, Spain, and presenttheir research findings at the Society ofEnviron menta l Toxicology and Chemistry(SETAC) meeting.

Maryland Sea Grant sponsors highlycompetitive graduate fellowship pro-grams that support students pursuingresearch and policy activities impor-tant to the Chesapeake Bay n During2015, 12 students were supported to conductresearch projects at seven Maryland institu-tions, and three students were placed in federaloffices as Knauss Marine Policy Fellows.

State Allocation 32%

Core Federal Funding 47%

Other and Pass-Through Funding 21%

0 $250 $750$500 $1000 $1250 $1500THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

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www.mdsg.umd.edu

MARYLAND SEA GRANT4321 Hartwick Road, Suite 300College Park, Maryland 20740Ph: 301.405.7500 / Fax: 301.314.5780

Maryland Sea Grant Office

Director’s Office

Fredrika Moser, Director

Research and Administration

Mike Allen, Associate Director for Research andAdministration

Jenna Clark, Program andPlanning Assistant

Kim Cox, Business Manager

Theresa Lee, GrantsCoordinator

Jeannette Connors, Personneland Travel Coordinator/ NMEA* National OfficeManager

Information Technology

Dan Jacobs, InformationTechnology Manager/Webmaster

Education

Adam Frederick,AssistantDirector for Education

Communications

Jeffrey Brainard,AssistantDirector for Communications

Michael W. Fincham, Writer/Film Producer

MARYLAND SEA GRANT STAFF

Daniel Pendick,Writer/Editor

Sandy Rodgers, Art Director /Editor

Maryland Sea Grant Extension Offices

Andrew Lazur, ProgramLeader, College Park, MD

Lucinda Botlero, BusinessServices Specialist, CollegePark, MD

Nancy McIntee,Administrative Assistant,Cambridge , MD

Eric Buehl, Mid and Upper Eastern ShoreWatershed RestorationSpecialist , Queenstown , MD

Vicky Carrasco, Coastal Communities Specialist , College Park, MD

Jennifer Dindinger, Lower Eastern ShoreWatershed RestorationSpecialist , Cambridge , MD

Jorge Holzer, Fisheries Economist, Assistant Professor, Agriculturaland Resource Economics,University of Maryland,College Park, MD

Chengchu (Cathy) Liu,Seafood Technology Specialist,Princess Anne, MD

Donald Meritt, ShellfishAquaculture Specialist,Cambridge , MD

Matt Parker, Aquaculture Business Specialist , Clinton, MD

Amanda Rockler, Central Maryland WatershedRestoration Specialist,Derwood , MD

Jacqueline Takacs, Southern Maryland WatershedRestoration Specialist, St. Mary’s City, MD

Krisztian Varsa, Northern Maryland WatershedRestoration Specialist,Cockeysville , MD

Donald Webster, Eastern Shore Agent, Queenstown, MD

Sarah Wilkins, Coordinator,Chesapeake Bay Sentinel SiteCooperative, Annapolis, MD

For full addresses and contact information for our staff, visit the web at: www.mdsg.umd.edu/our-office.*Maryland Sea Grant hosts the national office for the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA).

Publication Number UM-SG-PI-2016-01

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RESEARCH PROJECTS FUNDED FOR 2015Projects Led by Faculty

Evaluating the relative impactsof the recreational andcommercial sectors of the bluecrab fishery in Maryland;Anson H. Hines, SmithsonianEnvironmental ResearchCenter; Robert Semmler *

From genes to ecosystems:integrating measures of aquaticbiodiversity and ecosystemhealth within urbanizing Baywatersheds; RobertHilderbrand, University ofMaryland Center forEnvironmental Science(UMCES) AppalachianLaboratory; Sarah Laperriere

Phragmites australis invasionin the Chesapeake Bay:implication s of nitrogenpollution, elevated CO2, andgenotypic variation for tidalmarsh management; PatrickMegonigal, SmithsonianEnvironmental ResearchCenter

Retrospective analysis ofnutrient and sediment loadingsto the Chesapeake Bay:exploration of trends andaffecting factors; William P.Ball, Johns Hopkins University

Role of a resilient submersedplant bed in mitigating theeffects of increasing river-borne particulate inputs toChesapeake Bay: nutrient

cycling; W. Michael Kemp,UMCES Horn PointLaboratory; Cassie Gurbisz

Role of a resilient submersedplant bed in mitigating theeffects of increasing river-borne particulate inputs toChesapeake Bay: sedimentdynamics; Lawrence P. Sanford,UMCES Horn PointLaboratory; Jia Gao

Understanding Atlanticmenhaden populationdynamics through use of datafrom a large-scale historicaltagging study; MichaelWilberg, UMCES ChesapeakeBiological Laboratory; EmilyLiljestrand

Understanding the effective -ness of the watershed stewardsacademies in Maryland; DanaFisher, University of Maryland,College Park; William Yagatich

Projects Led by GraduateFellows

Application of an individual-based model to understand theeffects of climate change onblue crab, Callinectes sapidus,population; Hillary LaneGlandon, UMCES ChesapeakeBiological Laboratory

Diet and feeding of menhadenusing barcoding identificationbased on Cox1 sequences toenable the linking of primaryproductivity to fisheries;

*Names of Maryland Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellows who worked on projects are in italic

Ammar Hanif, UMCESInstitute of Marine andEnvironmental Technology

Exploring the connectivity ofsediment transport in upperChesapeake Bay; Emily Russ,UMCES Horn PointLaboratory

Fate of carbon produced bywinter dinoflagellate blooms;Nicole Millette, UMCES HornPoint Laboratory

Riparian buffer indicators ofeco-hydraulic function forimproved watershedmanagement and monitoring;Molly Van Appledorn, Universityof Maryland, BaltimoreCounty

Understanding the complexroles that green infrastructurecan play in improving theresilience of coastal urbanzones; Rhea Thompson,University of Maryland,College Park

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Cover photograph: Alyson Santoro, a researcher at UMCES Horn Point Environmental Laboratory; photograph by Skip Brown

MarylandSea Grant

RESEARCH PARTNERS

PROGRAM GOVERNANCE

Academic Advisory Committee (AAC)

Dr. William Boicourt, UMCES Horn PointLaboratory

Dr. Marie Bundy, NOAA Estuarine ReservesDivision

Dr. Maurice Crawford, University of Maryland,Eastern Shore

Dr. Patricia Delgado, Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary Dr. Lynn Fegley, Maryland Department of

Natural Resources Dr. Solange Filoso, UMCES Chesapeake

Biological LaboratoryDr. Amy Freitag, Virginia Sea GrantMr. Brent McCloskey, Environmental Finance

Center Dr. Thomas Miller, UMCES Chesapeake

Biological LaboratoryDr. Meredith Muth, NOAA Climate Program

OfficeDr. Jay Nelson, Towson UniversityDr. Peter Tango, USGS at Chesapeake Bay

Program Office

Mr. Dave Blazer, Maryland Departmentof Natural Resources, Fisheries

Mr. Mark Bryer, The Nature ConservancyDr. Jana Davis, Chesapeake Bay TrustMr. Marty Gary, Potomac River Fisheries

CommissionMr. William Matuszeski, U.S. EPA

Chesapeake Bay Program (retired)Dr. Beth McGee, Chesapeake Bay

Foundation Dr. Thomas Miller, UMCES Chesapeake

Biological Laboratory (AAC liaison)Mr. Adam Ortiz, Prince George’s County

Department of the EnvironmentMr. Eric Schwaab, National Fish and

Wildlife FoundationMs. Ann Swanson, Chesapeake Bay

Commission Mr. Dave Wilson, Conservation

Community Consulting, LLC

In 2015, Maryland Sea Grantsupported research projects at:

In Maryland: Johns Hopkins University ● Smithsonian Environmental Research Center ● University of Baltimore ●University of Maryland, Baltimore County(UMBC) ● University of Maryland Center forEnvironmental Science (UMCES) Appalachian Laboratory ● UMCES Chesapeake BiologicalLaboratory ● UMCES Horn Point Laboratory● UMCES Institute of Marine andEnvironmental Technology ● University ofMaryland, College Park (UMCP) ● OutsideMaryland : ● Beaufort Laboratory , North Carolina, NationalMarine Fisheries Service ● University of North Florida ●University of Vermont

Maryland Sea Grant is administered by the University of Maryland Center for EnvironmentalScience (UMCES).

“Maryland Sea Grant Extension brings insight to the subject matter, and their practicalexperience of conveying information to the public is so wide.” — Linda Luke, Village Gardeners,Sykesville, MD, describing the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional certification program

External Advisory Board (EAB)