Ocean Acidification Stakeholder Workshop: Aug. 11

July 15th, 2015

OceanAcidification

New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and North Atlantic Regional Team, or NART, will host an ocean and coastal acidification workshop August 11 for stakeholders in the Garden State.
This event is hosted by Stockton University, and is supported by NOAA James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory, Rutgers’ Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory and Aquaculture Innovation Center, and Delaware Sea Grant.

Who:  Peter Rowe of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, which is sponsoring the event; Wei Jun Cai of the University of Delaware; Beth Phelan of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Sandy Hook Lab, NJ; Judy Weis of Rutgers University; Daniel Cohen and Peter Hughes of Atlantic Capes Fisheries; Interim Dean Peter Straub of Stockton University’s School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

What: Ocean and Coastal Acidification Workshop – an opportunity to hear more about ongoing research into the impact of ocean acidification, which has hit West Coast fisheries hard and could become a threat to New Jersey’s industry.

Shellfish harvesting in New Jersey has grown from $98.65 million in 2003 to $159 million in 2012, according to NOAA figures.  Commercial fishing in general employed more than 50,000 people in 2012, and was worth $2.87 billion across all sectors.

Oceans become more acidic as the water absorbs more and more carbon dioxide, which strips the oceans of carbonate, a key shell-building nutrient.

“Research on ocean acidification and shellfish is just beginning here in New Jersey, and there are no indications of a serious problem at this time,” said Lisa Calvo, the New Jersey Sea Grant aquaculture specialist. “The question of how OA affects these industries is something that the workshop is meant to address,” along with environmental impacts.

When: Tuesday, Aug. 11 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Detailed agenda attached.

Where: The Board of Trustees Conference Room, Campus Center, Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway, N.J.

Multimedia: The event will have photography and video opportunities.

Media Access: For information, wi-fi accounts or other help on the day of the event, please call Maryjane Briant at 609-652-4593 or 609-335-3859.

The purpose of this workshop is for stakeholders — fishing, aquaculture, water quality and marine resources management and other non-governmental organization officials — to become better informed about ocean acidification. Scientists and officials want to learn from the stakeholders so they can develop an implementation plan for addressing ocean and coastal acidification in the Northeast.

To review the agenda, click here.

Get 20 facts about ocean acidification, click here.

The day will include an overview presentation on the state of the science of ocean and coastal acidification, presentations from local industry representatives, and breakout sessions to hear more about changes you are seeing on the water, and on what issues and problems scientists and officials should focus their attention in the near future.

The workshop is free, but space is limited to the first 50 people who register. To register, please fill out the below.