SOMERSET COUNTY, MD — The 11th National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions Education and Science Forum began Tuesday in Somerset County. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is hosting the biennial event for the second time.
UMES campus is home to one of four NOAA Cooperative Science Centers currently operating. Under the direction of Dr. Paulinus Chigbu, research at the Living Marine Resource Science Center (LMRCSC) focuses on fisheries and sustainable aquaculture.
Hosting the 2025 NOAA Forum is an opportunity for students like Kayland Huckaby, a third-year Ph.D. student, to present their own research to industry experts.
"The only way that we know how to prepare communities and to manage the fish that we depend on is if we have the information to make good decisions," Huckaby said.
Huckaby is researching the diets of four types of fish prevalent in Gulf waters and how changes in oceanic conditions impact the supply of marine-life-reliant industries. Although her research is targeted in the Gulf, Huckaby said there are potential practical applications for fisheries on the Eastern Shore.
University President Dr. Heidi M. Anderson said that UMES is uniquely situated among the very coastal communities facing the climate challenges the NOAA conference is addressing.
"When you think about this particular area, the Delmarva area ... that becomes even more important," Dr. Anderson said. "The point of it is to make sure we transform those communities."
UMES Boat Captain Christopher Daniels regularly brings LMRCSC students on the water to conduct their research. Daniels, who comes from a legacy of watermen on Deal Island, said local fisheries deal with the everyday impacts of environmental changes.
"The whole game is you've got to make adjustments. Everything changes," Daniels said. "But now you're seeing some really dramatic changes."
Daniels said that warming waters, rising sea levels and invasive species have altered the way watermen can conduct their business. He said that researchers need to communicate their findings to watermen in the context of practical application to have a tangible impact on the coastal communities of the Eastern Shore.
"You really need to talk to the language they can understand," Daniels said. "One of the problems, barriers I see is that they use a lot of scientific words instead of common words.
Environmental changes are altering marine life populations in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic waters. Daniels said he wants institutions like UMES to go beyond answering why things are changing and educate watermen about opportunities to adapt their livelihoods to the environment.
"Educating the commercial fishermen," Daniels said. "I'd really like to see the institutions or universities really try to put on programs that teach these watermen that there are other avenues, other businesses that could be available."
The conference continues on Wednesday and Thursday with more student presentations and speakers from the other NOAA Cooperative Science Centers.