Spring 2021 Newsletter Virginia Institute of Marine Science Administration Names Vims Grad to White House Staff

Impact Incoming storm. ©D. Malmquist SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER VIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE ADMINISTRATION NAMES VIMS GRAD TO WHITE HOUSE STAFF In January, President-elect Joe with a Ph.D. degree from the School of Biden and Vice President-elect Marine Science at VIMS and a master’s Kamala Harris named Dr. Ike Irby as degree in public policy from the Public policy advisor in the Office of the Policy Graduate Program at W&M. Vice President. Irby, who earned joint He responded to the announcement graduate degrees from William & Mary in a tweet, writing, “Truly honored to and the Virginia Institute of Marine serve as Policy Advisor to the next Vice Science in 2017, previously served President, Kamala Harris. The climate as a senior policy advisor to Harris crisis is the challenge of our time, and in the U.S. Senate, covering climate, I look forward to continue fighting for >Then-graduate student Ike Irby poses environment, energy, transportation, climate and environmental justice, on the South Lawn during his 2014 White and infrastructure. the protection of our planet, and an House internship within the Office of Irby brings both a science and policy equitable future.” Science and Technology Policy. background to the nation’s capital, Continued on page 6 Photo: Ike Irby RECFISH MOBILE APP WILL GIVE ANGLERS A UNIQUE FIELD GUIDE Researchers at the available for streaming on on the date, location, and local fishing Virginia Institute of Marine the VIMS YouTube channel. regulations. Science are casting a wide Joining her was Recfish Before that can happen, the app- net in search of fish photos. team member and VIMS development team must train machine- Their immediate goal is to fisheries professor Dr. Eric learning software to recognize different use angler snapshots to Hilton. fish species, a process that requires lots train software to identify “We’re really excited of photos. “Right now,” said Kellogg, different fish species. Their about building out our “we’re working on training models to ultimate goal is to put that app,” said Kellogg. identify fish and that requires at least artificial intelligence into “Once finished, all you’ll 5,000 photos per species. The more a “RecFish” mobile app, need to do is open the photos we have, the more accurate the giving anglers a multi-use app and point your cell- models will be.” field guide right in their >Lisa Kellogg is the phone camera at a fish To help collect these images, pocket, and scientists founder of RecFish. and it will instantly tell the team has developed a website a collaborative tool for you the species, size, at recfish.org that makes it easy for studying recreational species. and approximate weight, and let you anglers to upload their photos. Kellogg RecFish founder Lisa Kellogg, a record that info to your logbook with said, “We want people to look through senior research scientist at VIMS, talked the touch of a button.” The app will their photos and upload anything about the genesis of the app during also instantly provide information on that has a fish in it, so that we can use a recent After Hours lecture now whether the fish is legal to keep based Continued on page 2 NEW OUTREACH ENDOWMENT HONORS VIMS DEAN AND DIRECTOR After seventeen years as dean of and past board members have given the William & Mary School of Marine cornerstone gifts in support of the Science and director of the Virginia effort. The John T. Wells Outreach Institute of Marine Science, John Wells Endowment will help underpin announced that he would retire at the VIMS’ public programs, which Wells end of June. During that time VIMS has enthusiastically supported and has enjoyed unprecedented growth advocated for during his tenure. and modernization, attracted top- “Reaching out and connecting rated students and faculty, provided people to the science is part of our essential support to Virginia’s maritime DNA at VIMS,” Wells told a group economy, and provided the highest of supporters recently. He believes level of research to benefit the marine that these connections increase environment. understanding and appreciation of the To honor his legacy, the VIMS marine environment and the importance >Dean and Director John T. Wells is Foundation Board voted to create an of VIMS’ research, which in turn benefits retiring after 17 years at VIMS. endowment in the retiring dean and the Chesapeake Bay, coastal oceans, director’s honor, and several current and estuaries world-wide. In a typical year the VIMS Outreach meaningful programs can continue program connects the science to in for years to come and will increase the excess of 25,000 people of all ages number of community members and and at no cost. These people connect decision-makers VIMS scientists and to VIMS research through Marine educators can reach with the institute’s Science Day, After Hours lectures, high-quality, unbiased science. campus tours, videos, and local civic Anyone interested in helping to meetings. Even in these days of social create a lasting legacy of connecting distancing, VIMS Outreach is creating marine science with communities can and sharing digital content that is visit impact.wm.edu/wells to make a engaging people from across the gift in support of VIMS Outreach and >Wells joins former Supreme Court United States and around the world. in celebration of the dean & director’s Justice and W&M Chancellor Sandra Day The John T. Wells Outreach contributions to VIMS and the marine O’Connor for a tour of the VIMS campus Endowment will make certain that environment. in 2007. RecFish mobile app will give anglers a unique field guide, continued from page 1 them as part of the model training.” “Anglers collect more data than any Their initial focus is on fishes of the fisheries biologist ever could,” he Chesapeake Bay, but their long-term said, “because they’re covering such a plans include expanding coverage to large area, including places that aren’t the U.S. East Coast and beyond. sampled scientifically.” The team is particularly interested In addition to Kellogg and Hilton, in photos of less common species and the app-development team includes species that people rarely photograph. VIMS researchers Sarah Muffelman “There are 270 resident species in and Jennifer Dreyer; Dharmesh Chesapeake Bay,” said Hilton, “from Trivedi, Harshil Shah, and their staff at > When complete, the RecFish app will common fishing targets such as striped the machine and deep learning firm provide anglers with a species ID, length bass, croakers, and flounder to more DXFactor; and Rob Quartel, Innovation and weight, date and time, legality, and a unfamiliar species such as stargazers Advisor to VIMS Dean & Director Dr. choice of detail in terms of catch location. and sea robins.” John Wells. Kellogg and her project team App development was jumpstarted appreciate that participating anglers by support from the Dean & Director’s projects we are looking to foster.” may not want to share the whereabouts Innovation Fund at VIMS, established “The Dean and Director’s Innovation of their secret fishing spot. “You’ll be in 2018 by the Joan and Morgan Fund encouraged us to think outside able to share your exact location, which Massey Foundation and the Nunnally the box and come up with this concept has the greatest value for scientists, but Charitable Trust. in the first place,” said Kellogg. The if you’re uncomfortable with that, you “The goal of the Innovation Fund National Fish and Wildlife Foundation can submit your data just by tributary is to provide support for research has provided additional funding for segment—upper, middle, or lower York and education activities that foster app development, and a wide range of River, for instance—or with no geo- innovation and economic productivity management agencies and NGOs have reference whatsoever.” at VIMS,” said Wells. “What Lisa and expressed support. Kellogg expects Hilton noted that the app will her team are doing with their RecFish the app to be available to the public by also aid with basic fisheries science. app is a great example of the kinds of the end of 2021. 2 2020 TRENDS TOWARD SEA-LEVEL RISE ACCELERATION Sea level “report cards” issued approach that includes evidence for annually by researchers at the Virginia the recent acceleration in the rate of Institute of Marine Science add further sea-level change at many U.S. tide- evidence of an accelerating rate of sea- gauge stations, and stress their use level rise during 2020 at nearly all tidal of relative sea-level measurements— stations along the U.S. coastline. changes in water level relative to the The team’s web-based report cards land surface on which people live project sea level to the year 2050 and work. The relative sea-level rise in based on an ongoing analysis of tide- Virginia and other East and Gulf coast gauge records for 32 localities along areas is due to both rising water and the U.S. coast from Maine to Alaska. sinking land. The analysis now includes 52 years of Sea-level rise has now been >Coastal flooding is of growing concern water-level observations, from January accelerating at all U.S. East Coast across Tidewater Virginia and in other 1969 through December 2020. The coastal areas worldwide. stations since 2014. Prior to that year, interactive charts are available on stations south of Cape Hatteras had the VIMS website at www.vims.edu/ recorded little or no acceleration. sealevelreportcards. models—we may be moving towards “Today,” said Boon, “sea level is The project’s founder, VIMS the higher projections.” Mitchell has accelerating faster at many of these emeritus professor John Boon, said partnered with Boon to generate the southern stations than at some stations “The year-to-year trends are becoming report cards each year since 2017.

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