Posts by Stephanie Murphy
Post 10: Summer Drifter Recovery and First Year Summary
It’s been just about a month since we released our last three drifters on 7/20! All of the drifters started heading north immediately and, within two days, had exited Cape Cod Bay. Once out of the bay, two of the drifters (the Sophia and the Annie/Autumn) continued traveling north and eventually southeast and are still…
Read MoreCatching up with Knauss Fellow Shari Rohret
In June, before 2026 Knauss Fellow Shari Rohret could settle into her new job responsibilities at NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration in Silver Spring, MD, she was given the chance to spend 25 days in the Pacific, mapping islands aboard the Okeanos Explorer. As an ocean exploration policy and operations fellow, Shari chronicled the expedition,…
Read MoreBehind the Scenes: How Aquariums Grow Fish from Scratch
Ever wonder how those dazzling fish end up in aquarium tanks? At seven U.S. aquariums, scientists and aquarists are pulling off something wild: raising marine fish from newly hatched babies the size of a pinhead into the showstoppers millions come to see. A new interactive StoryMap, developed by WHOI Sea Grant and UMass Boston, takes…
Read MoreA Modern Makeover for Shellfish Constable Training
Shellfish constables in coastal Massachusetts can say goodbye to “PowerPoint purgatory” and hello to an inspired, flexible way of learning! It took a team of people across multiple agencies and disciplines to change the way the training had been done for decades, but the Massachusetts Shellfish Officers Training Course has officially traded its intensive two-week…
Read MoreU.S. Aquariums and Universities Collaborate on Transformative Aquaculture of Marine Fish
Project Launches Interactive Site to Share Ocean Conservation Science July 28, 2026 – A nationwide collaboration among public aquariums and research institutions has developed new methods to breed more than 20 marine fish species in human care, reducing reliance on wild-caught animals while launching new public resources to help advance sustainable aquaculture. Through a multi-year…
Read MorePost 9: Summer 2026 Release
Grace Simpkins with a drifter in advance of the July 2026 deployment. By Margaret Gregory, MIT-WHOI Joint Program Our fourth and final deployment of the 2025 O-STEAM drifters occurred on Monday (7/20/26)! A huge thank you to the crew of the RV Tioga for deploying the drifters for us this week and over the past…
Read MorePost 8: Spring Release Summary
Unlike our winter and fall deployments, all of our drifters released during spring escaped Cape Cod Bay and are now in the greater Atlantic Ocean! Immediately after being released into the bay on May 11, the drifters built by Sofia and Ella/Viv (drifter 1 and 2) started to head northeast towards Race Point. The third…
Read MoreWelcome, Jess Drysdale, WHOI Sea Grant’s New Research Coordinator
WHOI Sea Grant welcomes Jessica Drysdale, who joined our team in May as research and fellowship coordinator. Jess has been working in the Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry department at WHOI since 2015, including projects exploring carbon cycling in the ocean and understanding the fate and movement of anthropogenic radionuclides from coastal sources. She has a…
Read MoreCoastSnap Program Expands to Mashpee
With its soft sand and warm water, South Cape Beach in Mashpee is a popular Cape Cod summer destination. But it’s more than just a great place to relax; year round, South Cape also serves as a barrier for marshes, ponds, and habitats. Monitoring this shoreline is fundamental to being able to protect it, and beach-goers can be part …
Read MoreFocusing on the Fundamentals of Shellfish Farming
Interest in aquaculture as a business opportunity brings a steady influx of inquiries to WHOI Sea Grant for technical and permitting assistance. The Fundamentals of Shellfish Farming class highlights ways someone could get involved with shellfish farming including creating a new farm, working on a farm, and …
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