Posts by Chad Chinnery
Science at Our Shores: Woods Hole Sea Grant Research Symposium
Friday, March 6, 2020 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Redfield Auditorium Woods Hole, MA Researchers explain the work they’re doing to investigate pressing environmental and coastal issues. Showcasing recently completed and newly funded Sea Grant projects on shoreline resilience, sustainable fisheries, and sharks and microplastics in our waters, among others. This event is free and…
Read MoreShark Research: The Rewilding of Cape Cod
A fatal shark attack in Wellfleet on Cape Cod in 2018 has heightened the focus on protecting beachgoers from sharks. While the means of doing that is a subject of intense debate, many proposed actions involved new technologies and the need for increased awareness of sharks in the environment. Three new research projects funded by…
Read MoreThe Kelp Forests of New England
New England isn’t known for its kelp forests the way California and other parts of the world are. But the truth is, below the surface of both inshore and offshore waters throughout New England, especially in areas that have rocky bottoms and a lot of wave action, there are “lush rolling meadows of kelp,” according…
Read MoreGreens from the Ocean
What do warming oceans mean for Massachusetts’s nascent kelp farming industry? Seaweed farming is a huge global business valued at $6 billion, yet in the U.S. it is still getting its sea legs. Around New England there are perhaps 40 – 50 farmers of all sizes and experience levels working small ocean plots of a…
Read MoreBeyond Oysters: Expanding the shellfish market for alternative species
Expanding shellfish markets for alternative species Oysters on the half shell represent 94 percent of Massachusetts’s $28 million shellfish aquaculture industry. For an industry that has grown over 300 percent in value over the last ten years, some worry about the reliance on a monocrop: one bad year for oysters could be devastating to aquaculture…
Read MoreSetting ‘Sites’ for Aquaculture
New GIS-based tool can help aquaculture industry grow The simple pleasure of digging for clams and oysters is part of the fabric of life in New England. But for those wanting to make a living from growing shellfish – or those who license and monitor it – the process for selecting and establishing a farm…
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