Connecticut Sea Grant

J.P. Vellotti harvests kelp grown near Pine Island in Groton on June 22. This is the first crop from the site as he and other growers work to develop processing and marketing networks for this sea vegetable.
A fishermen reels in a porgy off the rocks at UConn Avery Point on June 20. Porgy have become more abundant in Long Island Sound in recent years due to warming waters. Read about porgy and other local seafood in the new issue of (Wrack Lines.).
Clearing the channel: Nancy Balcom of CT Sea Grant, right, shovels out a tidal channel at Dodge Paddock in Stonington on June 18 as UConn student Adelaine McCloe, center, and recent UConn graduate Helena Ives, left, remove rocks. The Avalonia Land Conservancy preserve was becoming blocked, cutting off tidal flows into a recently restored marsh.
Juliana Barrett of CT Sea Grant anchors a plastic sheet placed over a former garden area at Dodge Paddock in Stonington on June 18. The plastic will remain through the summer to prepare the site for native grasses.
Essex Rotary Club volunteers prepare fillets during the annual Shad Bake at the Connecticut River Museum on June 2.
Shad fisherman John Smoloski shines a beam as he prepares to set his gill net on the Connecticut River in May.
The Thames River Heritage Park water taxi brought boatloads of passengers between Fort Trumbull, Fort Griswold and the downtown New London waterfront park for the Thames River Quest on June 2. (more info )
Thames River Quest participants look for clues at the ferry landing at Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park. (more info )
Thames River Quest participants look for clues at Fort Trumbull State Park. (more info )
Commercial fishermen practice getting into a life raft during safety and survival training sponsored by CT Sea Grant and Fishing Partnership Support Services. (more info)
Commercial fishermen take part in training to become certified drill conductors who run on-board safety drills. The fishing vessel Emma & Maria was used for the training. (more info)
Students from Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School worked with CT Sea Grant to plant beach grass as Esker Point Beach in Groton on April. 23. Photo: Juliana Barrett
Juliana Barrett of CT Sea Grant leads an exercise to develop an outreach project at a conference on coastal ocean acidification in the North Atlantic April 10-12. Forty academic, goverment and industry scientists attended. (more info)
Scientists at a coastal ocean acidification conference participate in an exercise to develop outreach projects.(more info)
J.P. Vellotti, left, pulls a kelp seed line out of the water during a tour of his kelp farm off Pine Island in Groton for the Connecticut Aquaculture Permitting Workgroup on March 28
Panelists answer questions about using low-impact development practices to control stormwater in a March 22 UConn Climate Adaptation Academy symposium. (more info)
Dunes like these at Waterford Town Beach have helped protect against erosion from the four nor'easters this March.
Rockweed, a common brown algae on the Connecticut coast, covers rocks along the shore at UConn Avery Point.
Jake Madden collects a water sample from the Mystic Waterwater Treatment Plant for a testing project that could open new areas to shellfish farming. (more info)
Ed Stilwagen, owner of Atlantic Clam Farms, shows some of the clams harvested from beds he leases in Greenwich harbor.
The shell of a hard clam, a native species that is a main aquaculture crop in Connecticut, lies on a beach amid slipper shells.
Brant swim off the rocky shore at UConn Avery Point in late February.
J.P. Vellotti unwinds seaweed seed string from a spool onto a long line anchored in an area he's leasing off Pine Island in Groton. He expects to harvest the kelp, planted on Feb. 9, in May.
The first-place Quahog Bowl team from Ledyard High School, left, and the second-place team from Glastonbury High both applaud Ledyard's win in the Feb. 3 contest at UConn Avery Point. (more info)
Early results of research on sand lance larva show they are particularly sensitive to higher levels of carbon dioxide. (more info)
A fishermen reels in a porgy off the rocks at UConn Avery Point on June 20. Porgy have become more abundant in Long Island Sound in recent years due to warming waters. Read about porgy and other local seafood in the new issue of (Wrack Lines.)
About 40 members of shellfish commissions from Greenwich to Stonington attended the 14th annual meeting of shellfish commissions hosted by CT Sea Grant Jan. 13 at The Sound School in New Haven. (more info)
Roger Bowgen of the Greenwich Shellfish Commission, far left, asks a question to Tessa Getchis, aquaculture extension specialist, during CT Sea Grant's annual meeting of shellfish commissions on Jan. 13 in New Haven. (more info)
After the blizzard: geese fly over UConn Avery Point after the Jan. 4 nor'easter brought 10 inches of snow and frigid temperatures to the campus.
Winter marsh: Salt marshes like those at the Barn Island Wildlife Management Area in Stonington were among coastal habitats assessed in new research on resiliency. (more info)
A pair of hooded mergansers swims in the Thames River in New London harbor on a late December day.
Solstice sailing: A sailboat passes Ledge Light on Dec. 21 offshore from the UConn Avery Point campus.
Attorney Edward Cassella talks about the legal challenges facing towns with roads flooded by sea level rise during the "Legal Issues in the Age of Climate Adaptation II" workshop on Dec. 15. (more info)
A flock of brant gather on the rocks offshore from CT Sea Grant offices.
Attorney Jane Stahl, center, leads a group discussion about legal issues of flood and erosion control structures during a "Legal Issues in the Age of Climate Adaptation II" workshop on Dec. 15.(more info)
The R/V Lowell Weicker, used by CT Sea Grant researchers, is docked at the UConn Avery Point campus on a snowy December day.
Anoushka Concepcion, top left, CTSG assistant aquaculture extension educator, leads a meeting of federal and state regulators with Long Island Sound kelp farmers on Dec. 14 to streamline gear permitting issues. (more info)
A nuclear-powered submarine accompanied by a tug boat enters the Thames River, just offshore from CT Sea Grant offices, on Dec. 11, heading for the Naval base in Groton.
November sunset at UConn Avery Point, where CT Sea Grant is based.
A key resource available to Sea Grant researchers at UConn’s Avery Point campus, the R/V Connecticut is readied for a 24-hour Long Island Sound mapping cruise Nov.28, the first research trip since the vessel was expanded 14.5 feet.
Oysters harvested from Long Island Sound are brought to the docks Norm Bloom & Son in Norwalk on Nov. 15.
Juliana Barrett of CT Sea Grant, left, talks with Beth Sullivan of the Avalonia Land Conservancy about the living shoreline at the Dodge Paddock preserve in Stonington.
UConn marine sciences students search for invasive Asian shore crabs for a research project. Guides and fact sheets about Long Island Sound's invasive species are available from Sea Grant.
Kelp grows in a tidal area near the Sea Grant offices at UConn Avery Point. Sea Grant's work has helped with the establishment of four commercial kelp farms in Long Island Sound.
Royal measure: a royal gramma being raised in an CT Sea Grant-funded aquaculture project is sized.
Riley Mazula and Alex Picardi visited Sea Grant's booth at Avery Point's 50th anniversary celebration Oct. 15.
Cheryl Cappioli, left, is one of 37 students completing Coastal Certificate training by Long Island Sound Sea Grant's Judy Preston.
Teachers at a Long Island Sound Mentor Teacher workshop at Hammonasset Beach State Park on Sept. 26 drag in a seine net as Diana Payne, Sea Grant educator coordinator, looks on.
Kristin DeRosia-Banick of the state Bureau of Aquaculture checks a cage of oysters before lowering it into the Mystic River on Sept. 14 for a testing project.
Recently retired CT Sea Grant Communications Director Margaret "Peg" Van Patten, right , receives Communications Service Award at national extension and communications leaders meeting in Astoria, OR, Oct. 4-6. Next to her is Associate Director Nancy Balcom.
Juliana Barrett, associate extension educator at Sea Grant, teaches a new class at the UConn Storrs campus called, "Climate Resilience and Adaptation: Municipal Policy and Planning."
Research Coordinator Syma Ebbin, center, works with students in the EcoHusky Club planting a rain garden at UConn Avery Point on Sept. 15.
Extension Educator Tessa Getchis examines seed oysters with Jill Plant of Connecticut Cultured Oysters.
Associate Director Nancy Balcom teaches a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points class to 20 seafood handlers Sept. 12-14.
Prof. Penny Vlahos, left, works with marine sciences graduate students Allison Byrd, center, and Allie Staniec on samples of water collected from Long Island Sound during a Sea Grant-funded research cruise on Aug. 24.
UConn Prof. Zofia Baumann shows one of the silversides from Mumford Cove that will be dissected and studied in her lab at the Avery Point campus as part of a Sea Grant-funded research project into how mercury levels affect the growth of fish and bivalves.
Gunnar Hansen, a UConn marine sciences graduate student, holds one of the clams he dug from Mumford Cove in Groton in August for a Sea Grant-funded research project on how mercury levels affect the growth of fish and bivalves.
Anoushka Concepcion, left, assistant aquaculture extension educator at CT Sea Grant, package seaweed samples grown at a site in Branford before they are sent to a state testing lab. The work is part of a project to establish water quality and other parameters for commercial seaweed farms.
Sea Grant Awards Funds for Three New Research Projects for Long Island Sound. (more info)
UCONN scientists work to predict and prevent possible outbreaks of illness from Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Photo Credit: CDC, more info)
Connecticut Beaches and Dunes: A Hazard Guide for Coastal Property Owners (more info)
Long Island Sound Mentor Teachers (LISMT) assist their peers in incorporating Long Island Sound content into curricula within the scope of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, more info)
Sea Grant Week 2016: Celebrating Sea Grant's 50th anniversary of serving the nation with science-based solutions in the coastal and Great Lakes states (more info)
UCONN researchers work with teachers and students in Connecticut to improve coastal literacy (more info)
J.P. Vellotti harvests kelp grown near Pine Island in Groton on June 22. This is the first crop from the site as he and other growers work to develop processing and marketing networks for this sea vegetable.

Sen. Murphy introduces bill to spur living shoreline projects

June 19, 2018

Federal funding for projects that protect shorelines using natural materials and environmentally friendly designs could soon be available to coastal communities through legislation introduced June 19 by Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy and California Sen. Kamala Harris.

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More than 150 people take part in Thames River Quest

June 5, 2018

The Thames River Quest, three treasure hunt-style hikes sponsored by Connecticut Sea Grant, the Thames River Heritage Park and The Day, drew 151 participants from towns throughout southeastern Connecticut and beyond on June 2.

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Annual clam clinic: a popular way to spend a rainy Saturday

May 23, 2018

Despite rainy weather, about 100 people turned out for the Fairfield Shellfish Commission’s Annual Clam Clinic on May 19.

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Sea to table: fish, shellfish & sea vegetables from local waters

May 18, 2018

The Spring-Summer 2018 issue of Wrack Lines focuses on local seafood, from newly abundant species to old favorites. Read how restaurants and markets are offering local seafood, availability of fish, shellfish and kelp, the experiences of a first-time clammer and some great recipes by Connecticut chefs.

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Take a Thames River Quest hike June 2 to learn about history, ecology

May 14, 2018

The Thames River Quest, a free, three-part, treasure hunt-style educational hike, has been created by Connecticut Sea Grant and the Thames River Heritage Park as a new, unique offering for Connecticut Trails Day on June 2. Registration for the hike is now open at: http://www.thamesriverheritagepark.org/quest.

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Safety training helps fishermen survive in a dangerous job

May 11, 2018

Chris Fowler knows the perils of his occupation as a commercial fisherman, consistently ranked one of nation’s the most dangerous jobs. So a year after he began catching skate, whiting, squid, flounder and fluke from a vessel docked in New London, he took a day off from fishing to equip himself with the skills he needs to survive an accident at sea.
He was one of 36 commercial fishermen and state agency personnel who took part in a daylong safety and survival training course on May 10 sponsored by Connecticut Sea Grant, Fishing Partnership Support Services, the U.S. Coast Guard and UConn-Avery Point.

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Long Island Sound resource inventory moves toward completion

May 10, 2018

Despite 300 pages of data, maps and listings of the ecological resources and human uses of Long Island Sound, the inventory created as the foundation for the first-ever marine spatial plan for the estuary isn’t yet complete. At least that’s the view of two of the speakers at the public hearing May 8 on the draft version of the Long Island Sound Blue Plan Resource and Use Inventory.

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Preliminary proposals sought for 2019-2021 Long Island Sound research

May 9, 2018

Connecticut Sea Grant and New York Sea Grant announce the Long Island Sound Study extra-mural research program. The intent of this program is to fund research that will support the management of Long Island Sound and its resources.

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Students get real-world experience helping towns meet climate challenges

May 1, 2018

UConn students in the “Climate Resilience and Adaptation: Municipal Policy and Planning” class this spring had real-world experiences helping towns meet the challenges of rising sea levels and more frequent and intense storms, After spending the fall semester learning how climate change is impacting local communities, they spent the spring semester applying what they learned in individual towns.

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New resource will aid residents with hurricane preparations

May 1, 2018

When the annual hurricane season peaks next fall, residents of four shoreline towns in Connecticut are expected to have access to a new resource to help them better prepare for a coastal storm emergency.

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