Performance Report for Cooperative Agreement No: na06oar4810163 for the Period from September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2012 University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center

University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Lead Institution)

Delaware State University

Hampton University

Savannah State University

Center of Marine Biotechnology, UMBI

RSMAS/University of Miami

Executive Summary 3

Introduction 6

Goals and Objectives 6

Goal 1: Enhance Marine Research and Academic Program

Capacities of the Center MSIs 6

Objective 1: Building on Existing Academic and Organizational Infrastructure

to Develop Strong Interactive Academic Programs in Marine Sciences 7

• 
  Increased use of Virtual Campus 7
  
• 
  Academic Courses 7
  
• 
  Strengthening Administrative and Programmatic Components of the Center 13
  

B: Programmatic 15

Goal 2: Enhance Research Programs in the Marine Sciences at Participating Institutions

Objective 1: Continue Current and Develop New Research Programs Congruent with NOAA Fisheries Research Priorities 16

• 
  LMRCSC Funded Research Projects 17
  
• 
  Scholarly Productivity 27
  
• 
  Presentations 27
  
• 
  Publications 27
  
• 
  Grantsmanship 28
  

Objective 2: Fully Integrate Research Programs with NOAA Fisheries to

Ensure Long Term Funding and Programmatic Stability 29
Section II: Education and Outreach Efforts 30

Goal 3: Generate a Pool of Scholars Entering the Field of Marine Sciences

and Fisheries 30

Objective 1: Enhance Recruitment of Students from Underrepresented Groups

into marine science disciplines 30

Objective 2: Strengthen Outreach & Education Programs to students and the public 34

Objective 3: Develop Programs that Enhance the Practical Education

of Undergraduate and Graduate Students in the Marine Sciences 45

Table 2. Schedule for Fisheries Policy and Management (MEES 608N)

taught in Spring 2010 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

Table 3: Course taught by LMRCSC faculty and NOAA Collaborators via the

LMRCSC Virtual Campus in Spring 2010. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8

Table 4. Courses Offered Online during Fall Semester 2011 ---------------------------------------------------- 9

Table 5. LMRCSC Spring 2007 Seminar Series ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 10

Table 6. LMRCSC Seminar Series 2010-2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11

Table 7: Membership of LMRCSC TAB (2006 – 2012) ------------------------------------------------------------- 15

Table 8: Number of Proposals Submitted Each Year to the LMRCSC, and

Number of Proposals Funded --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

Table 9. LMRCSC Projects Funded After Technical Advisory Board Proposal

Review (2006-2007) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

Table 10. LMRCSC Projects Funded After Technical Advisory Board Proposal

Review (2007-2008) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18

Table 11. LMRCSC Projects Funded After Technical Advisory Board Proposal

Review (2008-2009) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19

Table 12. LMRCSC Projects Funded After Technical Advisory Board Proposal

Review (2009-2010) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19

Table 13. LMRCSC Projects Funded After Technical Advisory Board Proposal

Review (2010-2011) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20

Table 14. LMRCSC Presentations (Oral and Poster) at Scientific Meetings,

September 1, 2006 – August 31, 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 27

Table 15. LMRCSC Publications (September 1, 2006 – August 31, 2011) ---------------------------------- 27

Table 16. Leveraged funding to LMRCSC institutions (Sept. 1, 2006 to Aug. 31, 2011) ------------------ 29

Table 17. Number of students who received support from the LMRCSC

from Sept. 1, 2006 to Aug. 31, 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30

Table 18. Number of Students recruited into the LMRCSC program

(Sept. 1, 2007 to Aug. 31, 2011) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33

Table 19. Number of students who graduated from the LMRCSC ----------------------------------------------- 33

Table 20: Number of students who interned at NOAA Labs or at LMRCSC

Partner Institutions or other institutions --------------------------------------------------------------------- 34

Table 21. Upward Bound Marine and Estuarine Science Program sessions

(Nov. 2007 – Jul. 2008) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 35

Table 22. Upward Bound Marine and Estuarine Science Program Academic

Year Sessions (Oct. 2008 – Feb. 2009) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 36

Table 23. Upward Bound Marine and Estuarine Science Summer 2009 Program

(Jul. 2009 – May 2011) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 36

Table 24. Upward Bound Marine and Estuarine Science Program

Academic Year Sessions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37

Table 27: Mean pre- and post-test scores of Coast Camp participants 2007-2011 -------------------------- 38

Table 28. Speakers at the 2009 American Fisheries Society Symposium ------------------------------------- 41

Table 29: Number of students who participated in research cruise

aboard the R/V Delaware II ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 46

The mission of the Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center (LMRCSC) is to conduct research congruent with the interests of NOAA Fisheries and to prepare students for careers in research, management, and public policy that support the sustainable harvest and conservation of our nation's living marine resources. Established in October, 2001, the LMRCSC was created as a cooperative agreement between NOAA Educational Partnership Program (NOAA EPP), the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), Delaware State University (DSU), Hampton University (HU), Savannah State University (SSU), the University of Miami (UM/RSMAS) and the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB), now known as University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (UMCES-IMET). UMES is the lead institution.

To build capacity and strengthen collaborative research with NOAA scientists, several new scientists were hired at the LMRCSC in the past five years. A Research Assistant Professor, Dr. Andrij Horodysky with expertise in fish physiological ecology was hired by HU. Dr. Stacy Smith, a Chemical Oceanographer with interest in effects of ocean acidification on fish was hired at DSU and assumed the position of the LMRCSC Project Director at DSU. UMES recruited Dr. Bradley Stevens to fill the position of Distinguished Research Scientist. Several NOAA scientists also worked collaboratively with LMRCSC scientists to develop proposals, conduct research, and mentor center students.

To accomplish Goal 2, the Center developed a Strategic Plan for education, research and outreach based on the recommendations of an External Review Panel in 2009. Research projects at the Center were selected for funding after a competitive review process by the Technical Advisory Board (TAB) who, thereafter, provided recommendations to the Center Director. Prior to each year’s proposal review, the Center conducted a Science meeting during which educational programs and projects in four research thematic areas: Quantitative Fisheries, Essential Fish Habitat, Aquaculture, and Fisheries Socioeconomics were discussed and collaborative proposals developed. On average, 11 collaborative proposals were funded each year by the LMRCSC for a total of 55 proposals from 2006 to 2011.

The research projects at the Center were intended to meet the mission of NOAA Fisheries: “Stewardship of living marine resources through science-based conservation and management and the promotion of healthy ecosystems”. The TAB and NOAA scientists’ involvement ensured that the LMRCSC has a strong linkage with the mission of NOAA: “To understand and predict changes in Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation’s economic, social and environmental needs”.

Highlights of the results obtained from some of the completed TAB projects are presented below. The project on the use of DNA markers to evaluate US fishery management areas and effective population size of monkfish, Lophius americanus, demonstrated the existence of three genetic groups of monkfish which show no spatial correlation to the management areas. This suggests that there is no geographic isolation among the three genetic groups and that the monkfish population may not be a unit stock. This has important management implications. The development of in-situ assessment and observation methods for black sea bass, a commercially important species, will allow for better understanding of the meaning of trap CPUE and how it relates to fish abundance, which will allow managers to interpret CPUE and landings data with greater accuracy. Furthermore, a major objective of NMFS is to develop alternate feeds for aquaculture. The study dealing with taurine as an ingredient in the development of fish free diets is helping to establish the minimum taurine requirement, to assess its effects at different inclusion levels for many commercially important fish species, and to determine the quality and acceptability of fillet from fish produced with diet to which taurine has been incorporated. Taurine plays a major role in allowing the reduction and elimination of fishmeal from fish diets. Thus results from this study are useful for greatly enhancing the ability of the aquaculture industry to increase global fish production. Finally, the study on temperature preferences of Atlantic croaker under normoxic and hypoxic conditions has yielded some preliminary data that are useful for evaluating the effects of anthropogenic stressors and habitat degradation on habitat use and residency of scianids.

LMRCSC research resulted in several presentations at scientific meetings, and publications in peer-reviewed journals. From September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2011, LMRCSC students and faculty made 601 presentations (oral and poster) at scientific meetings (434 of which were co-authored by students), and published 161 articles in refereed journals, and book chapters, 61 of which were authored or co-authored by students or graduates of LMRCSC. Through its research activities in living marine resources the Center is addressing NOAA Fisheries mission goal, to: “protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through an Ecosystem Approach to Management”.

A total of $16,634,422.56 was collectively awarded in grants which directly impacted Center activities. These funds enhanced LMRCSC research through support of its faculty and students and by development/enhancement of infrastructure.

In support of Goal 3, to generate a pool of scholars entering the field of marine science, 60 – 96 graduate and undergraduate students were supported and trained in NOAA core sciences each from 2006 to 2011.

To enhance the practical education of students in the marine sciences, faculty conducted research funded by LMRCSC that involved both graduate and undergraduate students as active research participants. Students participated in research projects at their home institutions, NOAA laboratories, and at partner institutions. These efforts provided opportunities for students to network with and gain experience from outstanding fisheries scientists. Students also benefited from their participation in the projects through hands-on research experience, completion of theses or dissertations in partial fulfillment of their degree requirements, by receiving stipends and scholarships, and through travel awards to attend conferences. From 2007 to 2011, the 10 day annual LMRCSC winter research cruise was used to train 46 students in fisheries and marine sciences, including field sampling procedures, and to support projects conducted by faculty and graduate students in the northwest Atlantic shelf of the United States.

The Center also conducted K-12 educational activities through, for example, the SSU Coast Camp, the Upward Bound Marine and Estuarine Science Program at UMES, the South Florida Shark Program at RSMAS, and the Eastern Shore Restoration and Education Program (ESREP) at UMES, which collectively impacted more than 1,000 students each year.

Several LMRCSC students secured employment after the completion of their degree programs, or received scholarships or fellowships for graduate studies. Notable among them are Ayeisha Brinson (Ph.D, RSMAS) who is employed as an Economist at NOAA Headquarters, Silver Spring, MD, Larry Alade (Ph.D., UMES) a Fishery Biologist at NOAA NEFSC Woods Hole, MA, Jose Reyes-Tomassini (Ph.D., IMET) a Fishery Biologist at NOAA NWFSC, Manchester, WA., and Joel Llopiz (Ph.D., RSMAS) who is a Post-doctoral Research Associate at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institure.

The foregoing suggest that the LMRCSC educational, research and outreach activities are addressing three of the five essential activities NOAA has identified as being important for the success of its mission: (i) “developing, valuing, and sustaining a world-class workforce”, (ii) “ensuring sound, state-of-the-art research”, and (iii) “promoting environmental literacy”.

Established in October 2001, the Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center (LMRCSC) was created as a cooperative agreement between NOAA Educational Partnership Program, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), Delaware State University (DSU), Hampton University (HU), Savannah State University (SSU), the University of Miami (UM/RSMAS) and the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB) now known as University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (UMCES-IMET). UMES is the lead institution. The mission of the Center is to conduct research congruent with the interests of NOAA Fisheries and to prepare students for careers in research, management, and public policy that support the sustainable harvest and conservation of our nation's living marine resources. After the first five years of funding, the LMRCSC successfully competed for a new center award for the period of 2006 to 2011.

For the period September 1, 2006 to August, 31, 2012, the following tasks were accomplished in support of the goals and objectives of the LMRCSC:

The Center institutions achieved this objective through:

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