NY Coastlines—New York Sea Grant (NYSG)'s flagship publication—and its news archive, Currents, highlight news, events and other activities from our coastal program's various research, extension and education endeavors throughout New York's marine and Great Lakes waters.
Late Fall 2023
NY Coastlines / Currents; Vol. 51, No. 3 & 4 / Vol. 11, No. 2
Jamaica Bay at dusk. Credit: Giles Ashford
NYSG Director's Letter: Becky Shuford
As we wish Summer a fond farewell, and welcome Autumn (and, soon, Winter), we at New York Sea Grant (NYSG) wish fair winds and following seas to our colleague and friend, Pat Hoyt, who is embarking on new adventures following retirement this summer. NYSG is excited to also welcome several new staff that have joined the family since the last issue of NY Coastlines. Here we introduce you to seven amazing members of the team, at locations across the state: Maureen Canning, Senior Administrative Assistant in Stony Brook; Norma Gunn, Administrative Assistant in Ithaca; in our Oswego offices, Katie Snyder, Administrative Assistant, and John Cannaday, Great Lakes Tourism and Recreation Specialist; based in Rochester is Jake Anderson, Water Quality Specialist; Catherine Prunella, NYC Water Quality Extension Specialist in Bronx; and in Brooklyn, Hannah Burnett, Jamaica Bay Coastal Resilience Specialist. Please stay tuned over the next few months for a few more introductions to come!
This summer also saw a successful third season of New York’s Coastal Resilience Law and Policy Fellowship and Community Engaged Internship programs, of which we are really proud. Read on for more information about these engaging and transformational student opportunities implemented with partner mentors, and the impressive law and undergraduate students who are working to make a difference with New York’s coastal communities as they chart their career courses! Thank you and good luck to Eric, Ethan, and Taylor and Holly, Micah, Olivia, and Scout!
The 2024 class of John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellows has also just been announced. We are excited to introduce you to three inspiring finalists from New York – including masters, Ph.D. and law students from CUNY and Pace Law! In February they will begin their one-year marine and coastal policy experience in Washington, DC, filling positions in either the executive or legislative branches of the Federal government. Congratulations to Max, Patrick, and Brianna!
NYSG also provides programming and activities in support of K-12 education. Read on to learn more about cruising on Lake Ontario with 15 Great Lakes educators aboard the EPA R/V Lake Guardian research vessel; “Day in the Life” is a joint NYSDEC and NYSG program that has reached more than 600 students on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River; and find out about #LISoundFacts.
You may also be interested in diving deep into summaries of the results of many of NYSG’s funded research projects that have recently been wrapping up. The topical, geographic, and institutional breath of the work shared here is impressive. NYSG research is unique in its stakeholder-driven, applied and actionable nature. This science has impact!
Finally, you all might be interested in taking some action yourselves! Highlighted here is the New York Aquaculture fact sheet, which just might inspire you to go out and buy (and prepare) some local New York product! NYSG, with partners, has also recently launched a new App that you can get fully engaged in – download MyCoastNY and start to document water levels, beach processes, and more in your neighborhood.
As always there is even more to catch in a bountiful edition of NY Coastlines. So sit back with your pumpkin spice and read on!
— Becky Shuford, NYSG's Director
What's Trending
For even more 'What's Trending' — Subscribe to our social media channels and keep tabs on this fall and winter's #SeaGrantFellowships and #CommunityScienceLI campaigns, as well as NYSG (job, funding) opportunities, events and other programming ... and much more … Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; YouTube
Apply: 2025 Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship
The application period for the 2025 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship is now open. The fellowship provides a one-year, paid experience for highly qualified early career professionals to work on issues related to coastal, marine and Great Lakes science and policy in offices within the executive or legislative branch of government in Washington, D.C.
Graduate students interested in marine, coastal, and Great Lakes science and policy should explore the information about the fellowship as soon as possible and talk to their local Sea Grant program (or the National Sea Grant Office) at least one month prior to the February 15, 2024 deadline.
?Apply: 2024 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowship
The NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Program in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics places Ph.D. students in research-based fellowships that provide support for up to three years. The opportunity to apply for 2024 fellowships is now open. Applications are due to Sea Grant programs on January 25, 2024.
?2024 Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship
NYSG Celebrates Three Finalists in 45th Knauss Fellowship Class — The 2024 finalists for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program will become the 45th class of one of the most prestigious marine policy fellowships in the U.S. The 85 finalists, three of whom are supported by NYSG, represent 30 of the 34 Sea Grant programs and 66 universities.
Knauss finalists are chosen through a competitive process that includes comprehensive review at both the state Sea Grant program and national levels. The finalists are enrolled in or have recently completed master’s, Juris Doctor (J.D.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs with a focus and/or interest in marine and coastal science, policy or management.
Since 1979, Sea Grant has provided one-year Knauss fellowships to over 1,600 early career professionals to work in federal government offices in Washington, D.C. Knauss fellows bring their diverse perspectives to positions in the executive and legislative branches of government. Read on >>
In Photos: Updates from the 2023 Knauss Fellows
As we usher in the 45th class of Knauss Fellowship finalists, who begin in February 2024, we reached back out to NYSG's four 2023 Knauss fellows, whose experiences wrap up by January 2024, and collected these updates. Read on >>
Research
On YouTube: State of the Bays — 2023: Reasons for Optimism in State of the Bays
Stony Brook University (SBU) researchers are learning more about the health risks caused by pollution in Long Island waterways. They're also finding reasons for optimism. Read on >>
Fixing an Environmental Problem in the Sea with Kelp
Researchers at SBU may have discovered a tool in the arsenal to combat ocean acidification (and climate change) — kelp, a common seaweed. Read on >>
Lake Trout Research Underway on Lake Ontario
Investigators — from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Fisheries, with outreach assistance from NYSG — are using specialized tags that communicate with acoustic receivers stationed on the lake bottom. The tags will provide information about the migration patterns and habitats used by adult lake trout. Read on >>
Advanced Treatment Methods Can Remove Psychiatric Medicines From the Water
In a NYSG-funded research study, Investigators from SBU and the University at Buffalo examined the potential harmful effects of psychiatric medicines in New York’s Great Lakes and its estuaries. Read on >>
Protecting Water Quality, from Far above the Earth
Satellites have been used in a study led by a City College of New York investigator to monitor water quality in the Long Island Sound — taking measurements over wide spans of territory and time. Read on >>
Exploring Undersea Habitats, and Conserving Them
NYSG-funded scientists at Stony Brook University used mathematical models to explore and understand undersea habitats, with the aim of conserving them. Read on >>
An Environmental Test for Dozens of Targeted Pests
A team of NYSG-funded researchers at Cornell University has developed a single test that can detect a number of known plant and animal species, based on small bits of DNA found in the environment (eDNA). This new test could make it far easier and cheaper for scientists to detect dozens of already-identified pests moving into new regions. Read on >>
Seagrass Meadows Could Help All Living Things in an Acidic Ocean
Scientists believe seagrass meadows could serve as sanctuaries for living things in an acidic ocean. The SBU-led team in this NYSG-funded study assessed the ability of seagrass to draw down carbon dioxide from the aquatic environment. This could reduce the effects of ocean acidification, which would be a benefit to shellfish. Read on >>
Extension
NYSG Announces New Great Lakes Regional Office at Rochester Institute of Technology
The initial focus of NYSG's satellite office at RIT is on water quality research and programming. Two Sea Grant-funded research water pollution-related projects are already underway along with two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program grants. Read on >>
Download: MyCoast NY App
MyCoast NY, as a downloadable app and web portal, can provide you with a way to locally document increasing flood risk and uncertainty.
Also, you can use CoastSnap at several NY locations to take photos that will be shared with us and periodically compiled into time-lapse videos that capture the coastline as it evolves through time: Hudson Ferry Landing, Stuyvesant, NY; Watch Hill, Fire Island National Seashore, NY; and Rockaway Beach, Queens, NY. You can view photos already taken, too. Learn more >>
Apply: Long Island Sound Resilience Planning and Grant Writing Assistance Programs
Applications are now being accepted for a new Long Island Sound (LIS) Resilience Planning Support Program (through December 15, 2023) and the ongoing LIS Resilience Grant Writing Assistance Program (on a rolling basis until all available funding is allocated).
These opportunities — supported by funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency via the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) and administered through NYSG and Connecticut Sea Grant (CTSG) — are intended to assist with the development of sustainability and resilience focused projects that will impact a community(ies) within or partially within the LIS coastal boundary. Learn more >>
Learn to Fish for Walleye Seminar Graduates 10 Women
Women from as far as Akron and Rochester and as near as Cicero and Mexico, New York, attended a fall fishing seminar on Oneida Lake at Shackelton Point hosted by NYSG and the Cornell Biological Field Station. Read on >>
Seafood and Aquaculture
Events: 2024 Seafood Summit
Learn more about the 8th annual Seafood Summit, which will be held in several different locations throughout New Your State in February 2024. Events for the "Access and Opportunities for New York Seafood"-themed summit will include New York seafood tastings, industry spotlights, agency updates, and provide opportunities for cross-sector networking. More Info >>
Publications: New York Aquaculture
A newly-revised fact sheet (New York Aquaculture) focuses on aquaculture, the cultivation of finfish, aquatic plants, and shellfish. When done properly, it is an environmentally responsible and sustainable way to produce seafood. Explored in the fact sheet are the many ways that aquaculture can be done — on land using freshwater, in tanks and ponds, or in the marine habitat in saltwater. Read on >>
Also, to better understand the New York aquaculture industry, its constraints, and opportunities for growth, NYSG conducted a needs assessment in 2021 followed by an overall report in 2022, both of which can be found, along with a summary one-pager (New York Aquaculture Industry Needs Assessment Summary), in the "Publications" section at www.nyseagrant.org/aquaculture.
Publications: NYSG's Seafood and Seaweed Guide Series
NYSG offers a guide series to assist NY seaweed producers in understanding the regulations governing the sale and marketing of seaweed products in New York. The latest in the series is Guide 3, Harvesting Food-Grade Seaweed in New York. More at www.nyseagrant.org/seaweedguides.
NYSG also offers a guide series outlining the requirements for processing and marketing seafood in New York. The series includes eight guides, including ones on Allergens and Cross-Contact, Marketing Seafood, and Best Practices for Seafood Delivery and Mailing, as well as regulatory and other guides. More at www.nyseagrant.org/seafoodguides.
Report: Seafood Incentives
The Seafood Incentives Program was launched in summer 2022 to encourage consumers to support and buy from their local seafood economies. A final report for this NYSG and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County effort offers an evaluation of the program as well as highlights of participant incentives and responses. Read on >>
Education
NYSG Students Gain Real-World Environmental Science and Law Experience
Eight college students were provided with real-world experience related to the environmental sciences and environmental law in the summer of 2023 thanks to NYSG fellowships and internships, which were made possible through NYSG’s New York Coastal Resilience Law and Policy Fellowship program, NYSG’s Community Engaged Internship (CEI) program, and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Summer Internship program. Read on >>
A Day in the Life: Over 600 Middle School Students Participated from Eight Schools in Three Upstate NY Counties
NYSDEC, Sea Grant, and New York State Parks hosted a student summit event to announce the success of a two-year environmental education project in the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River watershed. Read on >>
#LISoundFacts
A collection of facts about the health of Long Island Sound and its diverse habitat and wildlife. Learn more >>
Educators Learned from Scientists and NY Sea Grant Aboard Ship on Lake Ontario
Working alongside federal, state, academic scientists, 15 Great Lakes educators experienced the Lake Ontario ecosystem firsthand this past summer aboard the R/V Lake Guardian, the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office research vessel. As of the fall, these citizen scientists began incorporating what they've learned into the classroom, giving students valuable, personalized info. Watch and listen to TV and radio interviews as well as a summary of other media clips filed by local media via our YouTube playlist. Read on >>
Also, check out an interactive story map for 2023 Shipboard Science Workshop on Lake Ontario bit.ly/2023LOntarioWorkshopStoryMap.
National
Sea Grant Seaweed Hub
As part of the National Sea Grant Seaweed Hub https://seaweedhub.extension.uconn.edu/, the National Sea Grant Law Center (NSGLC) partnered with NYSG and CTSG on a guide to help the emerging seaweed industry understand the prevailing regulatory requirements surrounding the production of seaweeds as foods. Learn more >>
A new publication, Seaweed Food Safety: Comparing Compliance with Preventive Controls for Human Food with Seafood HACCP, was developed to help the emerging seaweed industry understand the prevailing regulatory requirements surrounding the production of seaweeds as foods. There are currently two regulations that are being used to regulate seaweeds at either the federal or state level, the Food Safety and Modernization Act’s Preventive Controls for Human Foods regulation, which includes current Good Manufacturing Practices, and the Seafood HACCP regulation. This guide will help the reader understand the similarities/differences between the two regulations to be more informed and determine how their operations will be regulated federally.
The guide was drafted by a core team including Michael Ciaramella, NYSG; Anoushka Concepcion, CTSG; and Catherine Janasie and Stephanie Otts, NSGLC.
Members of the National Seaweed Hub’s Regulations Work Group and the Seaweed Food Safety Training Workgroup (coordinated by NYSG), which include agencies, academics, industry, and nonprofits, assisted with revisions and edits.
You can also find additional seaweed publications at www.nyseagrant.org/seaweedguides.
National Weather Service: #FallSafety Winds Down, #WinterSafety Campaign to Begin
Keep an eye on the NOAA’s Fall Weather Safety Campaign, which features messages on flooding, extreme wind, severe storms, as well as wildfires and the smoke it causes. Winter concerns include the impacts of cold, especially for vulnerable populations; storm planning; and a spotlight on concerns such as frostbite and hypothermia.
Be #WeatherReady through the fall and into the winter with the National Weather Service (NWS) latest campaigns, which features a variety of tips to help you better be prepared for seasonal weather hazards. Learn more: Fall Safety | Winter Safety | Spanish translation
Partner News
New York State Recreational Saltwater Fishing License Survey — Feedback Needed
NYSDEC is seeking feedback from anglers regarding saltwater fishing licenses. Currently, 23 of the 26 U.S. coastal states have a fee-based saltwater license. New York is exploring the potential for a similar license to provide revenue to enhance recreational saltwater fishing and management.
Results of this brief and anonymous survey will help gauge interest in such a license and provide information on how the revenue could be used.
The NYSDEC survey can be completed in a few minutes electronically. Learn more >>
NYSG's Currents News Archives (Vol. 11, No. 2)
Keep tabs on NYSG's news in between issues of NY Coastlines / Currents via our Web site (www.nyseagrant.org) and blog (www.nyseagrant.org/blog).
Here's a sampling of other stories that have made waves these past few months on our social media platforms (www.facebook.com/nyseagrant, www.twitter.com/nyseagrant, www.instagram.com/newyorkseagrant, www.youtube.com/nyseagrant) and via our site's News (www.nyseagrant.org/currents) and topic-based News Archives (www.nyseagrant.org/currentsarchive) sections ...
NYSG Extension and Education > Statewide
Students Gain Real-World Environmental Science Experience on Oneida Lake (October 2023) Read on >>
In Media: CCE Interns' Summer Projects Celebrated at Reception (October 2023) Read on >>
NYSG Extension and Education > Marine Waters
On YouTube: East River Ichthyological Alliance's Marine Small Grants Project (November 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Hard Clam Selective Breeding Project — An Introduction (May-September 2023) Read on >>
In Media: Long Sound Study Work Group Helps Create Plan To Protect Island's Vulnerable Marshland (June 2023) Read on >>
In Media: No Swimming at Some NY Beaches Due to Hurricane, Rip Currents, High Surf (August 2023) Read on >>
In Media: NYSG Featured in NYSDEC's State of the Ocean 2023 Report (June 2023) Read on >>
NYSG Extension and Education > Great Lakes
Seiche and Winter Weather Shoreline Preparedness Workshop (November 2023) Read on >>
Fall 2023 Local Government Training Workshops (October 2023) Read on >>
In Media: Town of Butler Receives Grant to Enhance Town Properties (September 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Small Boater Safety Tips — WPBS Weekly Inside the Stories (July 2023) Read on >>
On Air: New York Sea Grant Publishes New Erosion Guide (June 2023) Read on >>
In Media: Trout in Lake Ontario Tagged, Tracked With Hopes of Resolving a Fishy Mystery (June 2023) Read on >>
NYSG Extension and Education > Great Lakes > Lake Guardian
Summer 2023's Shipboard Science Workshop Lessons Shared at Teachers Conference in Syracuse (October 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube, On Air: Teachers Learn Aboard the Lake Guardian (June-July 2023) Read on >>
Educators to Learn from Scientists and NY Sea Grant Aboard Ship on Lake Ontario (June 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Teachers Wanted for Great Lakes Experience (June 2023) Read on >>
On Air: EPA Teacher Research Vessel Makes Stop at Port of Oswego (July 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Teachers on Great Lakes Research Ship Take Science Back to Their Classrooms (July 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Teachers Spend Week Aboard Research Ship (July 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Rochester Teachers Aboard Lake Ontario Science Vessel (July 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Two Rochester Teachers Chosen for Week-Long Research Sail on Lake Ontario (July 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Rochester Teachers Set Sail for Hands-On Great Lakes Research to Inspire Classroom Lessons (July 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Two RCSD teachers Will Embark on Lake Ontario Journey for Science Workshop (July 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: North Tonawanda Biology Teacher Selected to Explore Lake Ontario (June 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Belleville-Henderson Teacher Chosen to Work on EPA Research Ship (June 2023) Read on >>
On YouTube: Local Teacher to Learn from Scientists Aboard Lake Ontario Research Vessel (June 2023) Read on >>
On Air: Sea Grant Offers Opportunities For Teachers (May 2023) Read on >>
