EcoCheck 2008 Summer Review

EcoCheck summer review websiteEcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership) recently released the 2008 Summer Review via the EcoCheck website. Summer conditions in 2008 were variable. Despite high flows providing nutrient inputs in early spring, mainstem anoxic waters were average. There were several significant harmful bloom events and fish kills. Additionally, water clarity continued to be poor this year. Summer conditions were compared to the ecological forecasts of dissolved oxygen, Microcystis blooms, and Prorocentrum blooms that were made in June 2008. As in previous years, ecological forecasts had variable success.

Research to improve management of Atlantic menhaden in Chesapeake Bay - newsletter

Menhaden NewsletterFrom both an economic and ecological standpoint, Atlantic menhaden are one of the most important fish species in Chesapeake Bay. Concerns over localized depletion and a need for improved understanding of the ecological role of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay led the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to identify research needed to improve menhaden fisheries management. This newsletter provides the status of some of the resulting research projects.

Regional report card project initiated

Report card teamReport cards are increasingly being used by community organizations to assess and communicate the health of their local waterway. IAN/EcoCheck staff are taking the lead in an effort to promote synergies and uniformity among these efforts, with an aim to make report cards widely used and comparable. Staff from a variety of organizations recently met at the Annapolis Synthesis Center to start addressing issues from data analysis through to design and layout of report cards. In addition, IAN/EcoCheck will also produce two new report cards this year, one for the MD Coastal Bays and a second for the Severn River. Organizations involved in the project include: Chesapeake Bay Trust, MD Coastal Bays Program, Patuxent, Severn and West/Rhodes Riverkeepers, and the Chester River, South River and Sassafras River Associations.

TRADE-OFF! board game undergoes beta testing

Playing TradeOffIn October, IAN staff and interns, with partners at SeaWeb, unveiled their trial version of an ecosystem-based management (EBM) board game named "TRADE-OFF!" at two different venues: a SeaWeb EBM workshop in Washington, DC and a Packard Foundation Initiative Grantee workshop in Pescadero, CA. Players adopted stakeholder roles and on a coastal ecosystem board, played human activity cards and used financial, social, and environmental currencies to negotiate with each other for compatible activities. The game was designed to be used in workshops to assist stakeholders in recognizing the multiple objectives and interconnections between biodiversity and human uses. The game trials elicited some creative and vigorous negotiations.