October 2, 2012 — From shipwreck discoveries to sea turtles, Coast Day 2012 lectures will cover research and rescue efforts under way near Delaware’s shores.
Coast Day is set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 7, at the University of Delaware’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes, and all lectures will be in the Cannon Lab in Room 202.
The series kicks off at 1 p.m. with Mike Greco, fisheries scientist with the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, explaining “Bottom Trawl Surveys of the Delaware Bay.” Greco’s presentation will focus on the state’s stock assessment surveys used to monitor the status of important species populations and to maintain the health and productivity of the fishery.
At 2 p.m., Art Trembanis, UD assistant professor of geological sciences and oceanography, will discuss “Exploring the Wreck of the WR Grace.” Trembanis will recount his research group’s identification of a shipwreck caused by a hurricane that occurred more than a century ago near the coast of Cape Henlopen.
At 3 p.m., the lecture is “Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles of the Delaware Coast” with Suzanne Thurman of the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute. Thurman will speak about sea turtles and marine mammals and the conservation of these and other sea creatures.
“These lectures give Coast Day attendees a chance to delve into topics of local interest and ask questions about what’s happening in the field,” said event chair John Ewart of Delaware Sea Grant, which presents the event with UD’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment.
Coast Day is sponsored by DuPont Clear into the Future, Overseas Shipholding Group Inc., UTEC Survey Inc., WMDT-CW-3, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Read the full story in the Cape Gazette