CoastalScience@Work Updates from the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium - Issue 23 October 22, 2021 Finegan Joins the Consortium Katie Finegan, PE, recently joined the Consortium as coastal processes program specialist, a position shared with the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies at Coastal Carolina University. Katie will contribute her technical expertise and knowledge to provide a wider range of services to those requesting science-based information and assistance about coastal processes—the connection between upland watersheds and the ocean, coastal hazards, and how to enhance resilience to these hazards.   Katie earned a M.E. and B.S. in environmental engineering, both from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining the Consortium, Katie was an engineer with Moffatt & Nichol where she worked on coastal-, water resource-, and environmental-engineering projects in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Her areas of expertise include coastal management, coastal change analysis, and soft-engineered coastal protection. Contact Katie via email or call her at (843) 349-5017.

Scientists Develop Novel Fish Aging Technique Joseph Quattro, director of graduate studies at the University of South Carolina (USC) School of the Earth, Ocean, and Environment, USC doctoral student Michelle Passerotti, and Joseph Ballenger, a research scientist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, examined the effectiveness of Fourier Transform Near Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-NIRS) in predicting the age and growth of juvenile red snapper. The FT-NIRS technique allows researchers to scan otoliths, a bony structure of the inner ear, to quickly and accurately determine fish age. Age determination work that can take several people multiple weeks using the existing method could be done by one person in a 40-hour work week using FT-NIRS.   NOAA Fisheries is vetting this methodology for integration into age production methodologies nationwide. In addition, regional fishery management council recommendations have been made during assessment workshops to pursue the use of FT-NIRS for predicting age of managed species.

"Food from the Sea" Grants Support Career Development and Training The Consortium recently received a grant from the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program for the project titled, “Developing a Blueprint for a Southeast Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Training Center.” Partners on the grant include the Town of McClellanville, McClellanville Community Foundation, McClellanville Watermen’s Association, Clemson University, and Robin Payne Consulting. Funds will allow for the development of a training center blueprint that would address fisheries workforce training needs in the Southeast U.S. Leading up to the blueprint, partners will hold workshops and focus groups with commercial fishers, and coordinate a learning exchange program with an existing training center.   The Sea Grant programs of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina also were awarded funds for “A Next Gen Seafood Industry: Framing a Career-Development Program for Those Earning a Living Off the Water.” The programs will coordinate a series of focus group meetings in each state to identify training needs in marine industry sectors, such as seamanship, electronics, and safety; vessel care, maintenance, and repair; and sustainable fishing and aquaculture practices. For more information about these grants, contact Graham Gaines, living marine resources program specialist, or Matt Gorstein, assistant director for development and extension.

Volunteers Sprout New Marsh Habitat Since November 2020, more than 200 volunteers have planted nearly 90,000 smooth cordgrass (Sporobolus alterniflorus) seedlings at five locations on Edisto Island, Folly Island, West Ashley, and James Island. The effort is part of the “Community Science Salt Marsh Restoration and Monitoring Project” funded by NOAA Fisheries. The grant was awarded to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and partners include the Consortium, Clemson University Cooperative Extension, and South Carolina Aquarium.   Elizabeth Vernon (E.V.) Bell, marine education specialist, and Amanda Namsinh, coastal outreach intern, are coordinating the salt marsh restoration aspect of the grant for the Consortium. Volunteers collect smooth cordgrass seeds in the fall, grow them in a greenhouse over the winter, and plant the seedlings in the spring. SCDNR volunteers are creating intertidal oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs, and the two efforts combined will result in a salt marsh ecosystem that is more resilient to erosion, sea-level rise, and habitat loss. In addition, the efforts will foster community awareness of the vital salt marsh ecosystem through volunteer engagement. Volunteers have become trained community scientists in data collection methods and they will monitor the restoration sites long-term.

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