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Baltimore, Md. (September 27, 2011) – A unique 155’ barge, or Mobile Test Platform, was dedicated into the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science research fleet. This unique barge will be used to test ballast water treatment technologies that would be employed to reduce the risk of introducing invasive species through the maritime shipping industry.  The dedication ceremony was led by Congressman Cummings (Maryland’s 7^th District) and included leadership from the US Maritime Administration, Maryland Port Authority, and UMCES.  

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Solomons, Md. (August 31, 2011) – According to recent research, published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series (Vol. 436), the oyster population in the upper Chesapeake Bay has been estimated to be 0.3% of population levels of early 1800s due to overfishing, disease, and habitat loss.

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A research effort designed to prevent the introduction of viruses to blue crabs in a research hatchery could end up helping Chesapeake Bay watermen improve their bottom line by reducing the number of soft shell crabs perishing before reaching the market. The findings, published in the journal Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, shows that the transmission of a crab-specific virus in diseased and dying crabs likely occurs after the pre-molt (or ‘peeler’) crabs are removed from the wild and placed in soft-shell production facilities.

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A team of scientists from the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology are launching an ambitious research project that uses DNA cloning and sequencing techniques to reveal the yet-to-be understood complexity of Chesapeake Bay microorganisms. The research team, led by UMCES@IMET scientist Dr. Russell Hill, hopes to use this information to develop new approaches to restoring the region’s iconic waterbody.

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Based on a comprehensive analysis of the latest scientific findings and new data, UMCES researchers Dr. Margaret Palmer and Dr. Keith Eshleman are leading a group of leading environmental scientists calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to stay all new mountaintop mining permits.

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