Are you curious about what scientists are studying in the Barnegat Bay and what they’re finding? Then join us this summer for a new webinar series, Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist. Learn about their research and ask them your questions during these interactive sessions.
Ask a Barnegat Bay Scientist webinars are free and provided via WebEx Events. They will be every other Tuesday at 7:00 pm in July and August. The live sessions will be an hour long with time for questions. To join the webinars, you’ll need either a computer, tablet, or smartphone with speakers. With presenter permission, a link to a video recording of each webinar will be available here after the webinar.
Webinar Registration
Registration is required. Details about the webinars are provided below. To register for a webinar, click on the title to complete and submit the registration form. If you have any questions about the webinars or how to register, please contact Karen Walzer at kwalzer@ocean.edu.
July 14: Don’t Harass the Seagrass!
(View the recording)
July 28: Tuckerton Oyster Reef
(View the recording)
August 11: Fisheries in Barnegat Bay: Overview of the Biology, Assessment, and Management
(View the recording)
August 25: The Turtle Truth About Barnegat Bay’s Diamondback Terrapins
(View the recording)
Webinar Details
July 14: Don’t Harass the Seagrass!
(View the recording)
Is it (sea)grass or is it a (sea)weed? Barnegat Bay is home to both! Learn about the important communities these plants support and services they provide, the current status of Barnegat Bay seagrasses, and how you can help protect them. Dr. Elizabeth Lacey, a Stockton professor who runs the Barnegat Bay Seagrass Monitoring Program, will share her extensive knowledge of seagrasses.
July 28: Tuckerton Oyster Reef
(View the recording)
For the past four years, Stockton University has worked with the Barnegat Bay Partnership, Jetty Rock Foundation, Long Beach Township and Parson’s Mariculture to plant oysters on the Tuckerton Reef, a four-acre site in lower Barnegat Bay. Dr. Christine Thompson, an Assistant Professor of Marine Science at Stockton, will speak about this valuable habitat and how this project “plants” oysters on the bay bottom and monitors their success and habitat for other species. Learn more about this project here.
August 11: Fisheries in Barnegat Bay: Overview of the Biology, Assessment, and Management
(View the recording)
The recreational and commercial fisheries in Barnegat Bay harvest many different finfish and shellfish species, which all have their unique biological characteristics and differing fisheries management plans. Dr. Douglas Zemeckis will provide an overview of the most popular species caught in Barnegat Bay, such as summer flounder, striped bass, bluefish, hard clams, and blue crabs. Dr. Zemeckis works as the Marine Extension Agent for Rutgers Cooperative Extension serving Ocean, Atlantic, and Monmouth Counties with a focus on fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal resource management.
August 25: The Turtle Truth About Barnegat Bay’s Diamondback Terrapins
(View the recording)
Dr. John Wnek will talk about his 19 years of diamondback terrapin research and conservation on the Barnegat Bay. He will discuss ways people can help with terrapin conservation and citizen science activities. He will also talk about habitat enhancement initiatives and share the diamondback terrapin research plan for the bay. Dr. Wnek has worked with this species at various Barnegat Bay locations since 2002. He was supervisor of science and research at the MATES School in Manahawkin until his recent retirement. He continues to coordinate Project Terrapin, directing terrapin research on the bay, and is also a research coordinator with Save Barnegat Bay’s Student Grant Program.
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