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The Marine Extension Program Seminar Series (MEPSS) provides stakeholders with the opportunity to learn about research and programs that are addressing issues related to New Jersey’s marine fisheries, aquaculture industries, and coastal marine resources. The seminars emphasize how people can get involved to make progress on local and regional issues, as well as education on recommended best practices and tools available for a diversity of applications. Additionally, these seminars provide an excellent venue for identifying issues and needs of stakeholders, and for cultivating partnerships among stakeholders, educators, and researchers.
Seminars are offered on an approximately monthly basis and are typically in HyFlex (i.e., hybrid and flexible) format so that people can participate live in-class or remotely via webinar. Most seminars are hosted at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County (1623 Whitesville Road, Toms River, NJ 08755). The listing below includes details about previous and upcoming seminars as a part of the Marine Extension Program Seminars Series.
If you would like to be added to our email list to receive announcements about future marine extension education programs, then please complete this online form or contact Kelly Jurgensen (Administrative Assistant, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County): kjurgensen@co.ocean.nj.us, 732-349-1152.
If you would like to register for an upcoming seminar, then please contact Kelly Jurgensen (Administrative Assistant, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County): kjurgensen@co.ocean.nj.us, 732-349-1152.
If you have any questions about previous or upcoming seminars, then please contact Dr. Douglas Zemeckis (County Agent III, Assistant Professor; Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean, Atlantic, and Monmouth Counties): zemeckis@njaes.rutgers.edu, 732-349-1152.
Previous and Upcoming Seminars
2024
| Date | Speakers, Affiliation, and Seminar Title | Flyer |
|---|---|---|
| June 3, 2024 May 23, 2024 April 24, 2024 | Danielle Brown, Rutgers University – “Humpback Whales Off New Jersey” Kris Ohleth, Special Initiative on Offshore Wind – “Offshore Wind Energy” Dr. Jason Adolf & Erin Conlon, Monmouth University – “Environmental DNA Ocean Monitoring” | |
2023
| Date | Speakers, Affiliation, and Seminar Title | Flyer |
|---|---|---|
| October 30, 2023 October 23, 2023 September 25, 2023 September 18, 2023 | Dr. Serpil Guran, Rutgers University – “Bioenergy” Dr. Douglas Zemeckis & Dr. Josh Kohut, Rutgers University – “Offshore Wind Energy” Dr. Dunbar Birnie, Rutgers University – “Solar Energy” Mr. Dave Specca, Rutgers University – “Historical Energy Use & Future Sources” | |
| June 26, 2023 May 22, 2023 April 24, 2023 | Bob Schuster, NJDEP – “Monitoring Coastal Waterways” Marina Jackson & Samantha Pfeffer, NJDEP – “Beach Monitoring & Watershed Ambassadors” Dr. Judith Weis, Rutgers University – “Microplastics” **These webinars are a part of the “All the Small Things…with Big Environmental Impacts” 2023 webinar series. Please visit the following link for more information and to register for these and other seminars in this series: https://go.rutgers.edu/smallthings | |
| March 20, 2023 | Dr. Keith Dunton – Monmouth University – “Atlantic Sturgeon Life History Within the Mid-Atlantic Bight” | |
| February 27, 2023 | Dr. Amy Schueller – NOAA – “Science to Support Management of a Fishery with Competing Interests: The Atlantic Menhaden Story” |
2022
| Date | Speakers, Affiliation, and Seminar Title | Flyer |
|---|---|---|
| November 21, 2022 October 24, 2022 September 26, 2022 | Jessica Conway – NOAA – “Planning For The Unplanned: Preparing For Marine Debris Response In New Jersey” Dr. Jon Miller – Stevens Institute of Technology – “Living Shoreline and Beach Nourishment” Dr. Tom Herrington – Monmouth University – “Beyond Recovery From Sandy: Setting The Stage For Future Community Resilience” **These webinars are a part of the “Weathering the Storm” Fall 2022 webinar series. Please visit the following link for more information and to register for these and other seminars in this series: https://go.rutgers.edu/Sandy | |
| August 29, 2022 | Dr. Nicole Fahrenfeld – Rutgers University – “Microplastics in our Waters: Sources and Fate” | |
| June 30, 2022 | Katie Morgan – NOAA – “Marine Debris in the Mid-Atlantic: Ongoing Efforts to Address a Global Challenge” | |
| May 23, 2022 | Dr. Paul Bologna – Montclair State University – “Jellyfish Dynamics in a Changing (Local) World” | |
| April 25, 2022 | Kiley Dancey – MAFMC and Dustin Leaning ASMFC – “Fishing for the Truth: How Biological and Fishery Data Inform the Management of Summer Flounder” | |
| March 28, 2022 | Dr. Mark Baumgartner – WHOI – “The Fate of North Atlantic Right Whales in an Increasingly Industrialized Ocean” | |
| February 24, 2022 | Danielle Blacklock – NOAA Fisheries – “NOAA’s Work to Foster Sustainable Marine Aquaculture” |
2021
| Date | Speakers, Affiliation, and Seminar Title |
|---|---|
| November 29, 2021 | Dr. Judith Weis – Rutgers University – “Status and Future of New Jersey Tidal Marshes in the Face of Sea Level Rise” |
| October 25, 2021 | Laura Diederick and Karen Greene – NOAA Fisheries – “U.S. Seafood: Good for You, Good for the Economy, Good for the Planet” |
| August 30, 2021 | Dr. Jennifer S. Walker – Rutgers University – “Rising Seas on New Jersey’s Coasts” |
| August 2, 2021 | Dr. Keith Dunton – Monmouth University – “Biology of Prohibited Coastal Sharks of New Jersey” |
| June 28, 2021 | Dr. Thomas “Motz” Grothues – Rutgers University – “Ecology and Fisheries Use of Sand Features Off New Jersey and New York” |
| May 24, 2021 | Dr. Travis Miles – Rutgers University – “Hurricanes and the Mid Atlantic Cold Pool: How Our Regional Ocean Can Protect Coastal Communities” |
| April 26, 2021 | Dr. Katie Drew – Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission & Emilie Franke – Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission – “Striped Bass Management: Hooked on Science” |
| March 29, 2021 | Linda Barry – NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife & Samantha MacQuesten – NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife – “Horseshoe Crabs in New Jersey: An Ancient Species in Modern Times” |
| Feb. 22, 2021 | Dr. Camilla T. McCandless – NOAA Fisheries – Narragansett Lab – “Cooperative Shark Tagging Program: Citizen Science Supporting Research to Inform Management” |
2020
| Date | Speakers, Affiliation, and Seminar Title |
|---|---|
| Nov. 30, 2020 | Dr. Kenneth Able – Rutgers Univerity – “Beneath the Surface: Understanding Nature in the Mullica Valley Estuary” |
| Oct. 26, 2020 | Christopher Constantino – NJDEP Division of Coastal Engineering – “NJDEP’s Division of Coastal Engineering and its Beach Nourishment Projects” |
| Sept. 28, 2020 | Dr. David Bushek – Rutgers University & Dr. Ximing Guo – Rutgers University – “Shellfish Biology, Restoration, and Aquaculture Innovation” |
| May 21, 2020 | Dr. Josh Kohut – Rutgers University – “A Unique Corner of Our Global Ocean: The Oceanography of the Mid-Atlantic Bight” |
| April 14, 2020 | Kris Ohleth – Ørsted – “Offshore Wind is Coming to the United States: An Update for New Jersey” |
| March 2, 2020 | Peter Clarke – NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife – “Overview of New Jersey’s Artificial Reef Program” |
2019
| Date | Speakers, Affiliation, and Seminar Title |
|---|---|
| Dec. 9, 2019 | Dr. Olaf Jensen – Rutgers University – “Understanding the Origins and Growth Rates of Juvenile Striped Bass in Small Rivers and Coastal Bays in New Jersey” |
| Oct. 28, 2019 | Beth Sharack – NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center – “Our Plastic Society: Research on the Presence of Microplastics in Shellfish” |
| Sept. 23, 2019 | Virginia Wheatley – New Jersey Department of Health – “When Vibrio Strikes: Raw Shellfish Illness, Response, and Prevention” |
| June 24, 2019 | Dr. Amy Williams – Stevens Institute of Technology/New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium – “A Killer in the Waves: The Truth about Rip Currents and Sharks” |
| April 29, 2019 | Dr. Grace Saba – Rutgers Univerisity – “State of Coastal and Ocean Acidification in the Mid-Atlantic” |
| April 3, 2019 | Jeff Dement – American Littoral Society – “Tales Tags Tell: 54 Years of Fish Tagging with the American Littoral Society” |
| Feb. 25, 2019 | Jennifer Hoey – Rutgers University – “A Framework for Talking About Climate Change” |
| Jan 28, 2019 | Matt Campo – Rutgers University Karl Vilacoba – Monmouth University “Mapping the New Jersey Coast and Beyond: The Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal” |
2018
| Date | Speakers, Affiliation, and Seminar Title |
|---|---|
| Dec. 10, 2018 | Dr. Joe Brodie – Rutgers University – “Offshore Wind Energy off New Jersey: Where We Are Today” |
| Oct. 29, 2018 | Lisa Auermuller – Rutgers University – “Increasing Resilience Along New Jersey’s Coastal Zone” |
| Oct 2, 2018 | Dr. Jon Hare – NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center – “Fisheries in a Changing Climate” |
| Sept. 25, 2018 | Dr. Douglas Zemeckis – Rutgers University – “Estimating and Reducing the Discard Mortality Rate of Black Sea Bass in Deepwater Recreational Fisheries” |
| Feb. 22, 2018 | Dr. Jason Morson – Rutger University – “Could Slot Limits Achieve a More Sex-Balanced Harvest in the Recreational Summer Flounder Fishery?” |
| Jan. 16, 2018 | Dr. Paul Jivoff – Rider University – “Blue Crabs in Barnegat Bay” |
2017
| Date | Speakers, Affiliation, and Seminar Title |
|---|---|
| Dec. 7, 2017 | Michael Acquafredda – Rutgers University – “Diversifying the New Jersey Aquaculture Sector by Developing Culture Techniques for the Atlantic Surfclam (pissula solidissima)” |
| Oct. 30, 2017 | Dr. Douglas Zemeckis – Rutgers University – “Overview of Tagging Technologies Used to Study Fish Behavior and Migration Patterns” Dr. Jeffrey Kneebone – New England Aquarium – “Battery Powered Research: Using Electronic Tags to Study Popular Recreational Sportfish Species in the Northeast U.S.” |
| Oct. 23, 2017 | Dr. Douglas Zemeckis – Rutgers University – “Overview of Tagging Technologies Used to Study Fish Behavior and Migration Patterns” Cristiana Bank – University of Massachusetts – “Results from Monkfish Research-Set-Aside Tagging Studies: Implications for Management and Assessment” |