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The Island View
Monthly Newsletter
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Dear Shoals Community,
I felt so much excitement for a group of students as I sat listening to why they had enrolled in one of our new courses: Marine Parasitology and Disease. They were sharing their understanding of the importance of parasites in the world and their thirst for more knowledge. As I listened to one student after the other declare their love for tapeworms and flatworms, I thought, "Wow, these students have come to the right place!" They are about to immerse themselves in seven days of parasite science with two world-class faculty members who have spent years
–
much of it right here at SML
–
studying these very creatures.
This is what SML is all about! Students diving deeply into a topic they are excited about, with expert guides, surrounded by likeminded students, with no distractions (...well, maybe the occasional whale or seal sighting is a distraction, but a worthy one!).
The SML educational experience is the kind that makes information stick, fosters a community of peers, and shows students a real future for themselves in science.
The very next day, I was working with our Seabirds & Plastic Pollution Internship to conduct a dissection on a naturally-deceased gull when we found a parasite. Of course we immediately ran the parasite across the island to the Marine Parasitology and Disease students, who were thrilled to be "gifted" a tapeworm! We all laughed, having hand-delivered one of that course's favorite parasites for examination.
Teamwork like this happens all the time at SML because we live in such a close community and quickly
learn
what each other is interested in. The seabird scientists benefitted from a mini-lecture about the parasite, and we educated the parasitologists about the seabird. What a rich and dynamic learning environment!
One student recently wrote about her course experience: “I won’t ever forget the two weeks we spent on Appledore Island. We learned so much about the world, about science and the ocean, and we laughed so hard that our stomachs ached.”
This is Shoals!
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With deep appreciation and warm wishes,
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Jennifer Seavey, Ph.D.
Kingsbury Executive Director
Shoals Marine Laboratory
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Exploring the Estuary event TONIGHT, Thurs. June 21
st
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If you live in the Seacoast NH/ME area and have this evening free (Thursday, June 21st), please join SML at Creek Farm in Portsmouth, NH for an estuary walk with a focus on shoreline plant species. Guided by SML faculty member and coastal ecologist, Dr. Gregg Moore.
Date:
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Time:
5:30-7:00pm
Location:
Creek Farm, 400 Little Harbor Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801
Free and open to the public! Light refreshments will be served.
This event is the first in a 3-part series called "Land, Air, and Sea" that is co-sponsored with the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
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The 603 Challenge Results! We did it!
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June 3-8th was an exciting week for SML as we participated in UNH's 603 Challenge fundraising campaign to increase support for SML scholarships and take advantage of generous bonus funds tied to our own internal goals as well as university-wide goals.
We are thrilled to share that we received
110 individual donations
during the 603 Challenge, totaling $9,844.33! And that's not all! When we reached our internal goal of 50 donations (which was double the number of donations we'd received in previous 603 Challenges), SML supporter
Catherine Keenan boosted our total by $5,000.
Then, because SML achieved 2nd Place in the 'University Programs' category, we earned another $1,000 bonus, bringing our new total raised to
$15,844.33!
Plus, UNH's 603 Challenge Underwriters provide additional match money which is still being tallied, so our total will further increase when those amounts are revealed.
This was our most successful 603 Challenge ever, on the heels of our most successful Cornell Giving Day campaign ($10,400 raised on March 20, 2018).
We are so grateful for the support we've received so far this year and hope to continue this amazing momentum.
YOUR generosity makes the SML experience possible for so many deserving students... our future scientists!
Thank you!
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Supporting Sustainable Fishing in the Shoals Kitchen
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There are plenty of fish in the sea! …
or are there?
By Cameron Heins (SML Head Chef)
Sustainability is a difficult concept to achieve in any setting, let alone on a seasonally-run island in the Gulf of Maine. Fish provide us with a blank canvas of opportunity to support the challenge of ecological balance.
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Each year as the world’s population increases the threat of overfishing becomes more prominent. One of the best ways to start correcting overfishing is
technique
. That is why the SML kitchen chooses to support Capt. Tim Rider and New England Fishmongers (NEFM). The technique Tim uses on his vessel F/V
Finlander
is hook-and-line. This is an ideal technique for sustainable fishing because there is limited by-catch, hook-and-line does not harm the habitats on the ocean floor like a bottom trawl would, and any fish that is not to-size can be promptly thrown back in the ocean. It’s hard work but worth the additional effort.
This technique, in combination with the way NEFM treats their fish (bled, gutted, brined), results in a high quality product that chefs desire. Using whole fish is a great concept for a sustainable kitchen because it enables us to utilize all of its parts: flesh for meals, bones for stock, collars for snacks, and eyeballs for scaring students.
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Supporting sustainable fishing also creates the foundation for a great relationship with our local fisherman, which in my opinion is extremely important and a tradition I am proud to continue in the SML kitchen. Tim Rider and his crew endure very long days, just like the Shoals staff. Passion and mutual respect are the two ingredients that not only form a great relationship, but also keep us afloat on the stormy seas of the restaurant and fishing industries. When F/V
Finlander
hand delivers their whole fish to us – directly to the Appledore Island dock just a few hours after the fish are hauled aboard – Tim and I meet, share a cup of coffee together and enjoy each other’s company. We are not just business associates, we are friends fighting the same battle to elevate sustainable, local food.
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Sustainability Internships Powered by Unitil
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The 2018 Shoals Sustainability Program is proudly 'Powered by Unitil'. SML is so grateful for this expanded support!
Unitil Corporation is a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England. Unitil and SML have enjoyed an excellent relationship over the past 15 years, with the energy company aiding in the summer sustainable engineering program on Appledore Island. This year, Unitil is deepening its role in the lab’s undergraduate internships by expanding upon preexisting program funding, and also providing mentorship to both engineering interns as well as a communications intern.
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New Study on Changing Seas
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SML alumni working with Dr. Jennifer Dijkstra at the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at UNH recently published a study that highlights small-scale impacts of changing waters off Appledore Island.
By observing the behavior of cunner, a fish in the wrasse family, in the algal "forests" around the Isles of Shoals, this study found that as the seaweed ecosystem changes, so too does fish behavior.
“Our results suggest that the refuge-seeking behavior of the cunner may be affected by the ongoing shift we have seen in our
earlier studies
of the increased dominance of the
Dasysiphonia japonica
in the southern Gulf of Maine,” says Dijkstra, referring to the introduced low-lying red algae spreading rapidly through New England. “By losing their preferred refuge, the tall canopy-forming kelps, cunner were left with little option but to use the lower invasive seaweed turfs, which could give them less protection.”
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The SML alumni who co-authored this study include, Brandon O'Brien, a UNH doctoral student, Kristen Mello, a research technician at UNH, and Amber Litterer, who is currently working with SML's Tern Conservation Program on White and Seavey islands.
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Reunite on Appledore during
Alumni & Friends Weekend!
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Our annual SML Alumni & Friends Weekend will take place
Friday, August 24 - Sunday, August 26, 2018
!
Join Shoalers across all five decades of SML courses and programs, including alumni, faculty, staff, researchers, community supporters, and friends. Enjoy a low-key weekend to relax and connect (or reconnect!) with others who care about SML as much as you do. Family members are welcome! Introduce your loved ones to the magic of Appledore, and show them the island and laboratories that have generated so many wonderful memories.
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Come experience SML's innovative public programming this summer! Each of our
public programs
is
all-inclusive
, and their unique themes
reflect SML's mission to educate visitors about the island environment and sustainability.
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Appledore Island
Writers' Retreat
August 20 – 24, 2018
Join writers Rowan Jacobsen and Mary Elder Jacobsen for a week of place-based writing. Learn why Appledore's stunning seascapes and rich heritage have inspired artists for more than a century. Make time to read and listen to writing by others, take notes and thumbnail sketches for your own ideas, do some independent writing, and share work with one another. Appledore has a vignette waiting to be written around every bend.
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Take a Bite Out of Appledore: An Eco-Culinary Retreat
September 1
–
3, 2018
Foodies rejoice! Escape to the island during Labor Day Weekend. For the fourth year in a row, Chefs Evan Mallett and Sam Hayward will bring their award-winning culinary talents to the Shoals kitchen. Paired with the ecological expertise of SML scientists and renowned ethnobotanist, John Forti, you will develop a sense of place that is rooted in our understanding of and deep appreciation for local, sustainable cuisine.
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Follow us on social media:
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Shoals Marine Laboratory is a joint partnership between
Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire.
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