Top Stories

2018 VIMS Media Recap
VIMS was all the buzz in 2018

The 165 journal articles authored or co-authored by VIMS researchers in 2018 were talked about around the world. Here are the 15 that received the most "buzz."

Oyster aquaculture limits disease in wild oyster populations

A study initiated by Dr. Ryan Carnegie of VIMS reveals that oyster aquaculture can limit the spread of disease among wild populations of the tasty bivalve. The findings counter long-held beliefs that diseases often spread from farmed to wild populations.

R/V Virginia
VIMS welcomes new research vessel

The 93-foot R/V Virginia will allow scientists to monitor and study Chesapeake Bay and its marine life more effectively, and expands VIMS’ research footprint into the open waters of the coastal Atlantic.

2018 Hypoxia Report Card
VIMS issues annual dead-zone report card for the Chesapeake Bay

Annual model-based report on low-oxygen conditions in the Bay during 2018 indicates a total volume of “hypoxic” waters very similar to the previous year, but with a sharp drop in hypoxia during late July due to mixing by strong winds. The duration of hypoxia in 2018 was greater than in recent years.

Juvenile striped bass maintain average abundance in Virginia waters in 2018

Researchers with VIMS' long-term survey recorded 10.72 young-of-year striped bass per seine haul in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay during 2018, similar to the historic average of 7.77. The 2018 year class represents the group of fish hatched this spring that will grow to fishable sizes in three to four years.

Bay Nettle
New study helps explain recent scarcity of bay nettles

Comparing environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay to the abundance & distribution of its jellyfish populations over two decades helps explain how our rainy spring led to fewer bay nettles this summer, and raises concerns that a predicted shift toward wetter springs may harm the Bay ecosystem.

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VIMS announces winners of 2018 Photo Contest

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has announced the winners of its 19th-annual photo contest, recognizing the most noteworthy images captured by VIMS faculty, students, and staff while conducting research in the field and laboratory.

StormSense wins 2018 Government Innovation Award

Collaboration among VIMS, local cities, the Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency, and other partners uses networked water-level sensors to help localities prepare for flooding from storm surge, rain, and tides.

Global Plankton
VIMS scientist helps lead NASA-funded ocean expedition

Professor Deborah Steinberg is a chief scientist for a major NASA-funded research expedition that is using data from ships and satellites to better understand and predict the fate of carbon dioxide in the ocean.

Epizootic Shell Disease
Research reveals link between warming and lobster disease

New findings reveal that earlier springs and hotter summers in the northeastern U.S. are making resident lobsters increasingly susceptible to epizootic shell disease, a condition that has depleted the southern New England population and severely impacted the local lobster fishery.

York River Salinity
Recent rains impact Chesapeake Bay, marine research

Unusually fresh waters have impacted everything from algal blooms to fish distributions, oyster mortality and disease prevalence, the conduct of lab experiments, and the incidence of low-oxygen dead zones.

Great White Shark
Shark Survey encounters two great white sharks

Rare sightings are only the 5th and 6th great whites encountered during the 45-year history of VIMS Shark Longline Survey and are likely related to unusually cool waters.

Coral
Coral study reveals surprising twist

A new study puts a surprising twist into our understanding of how corals react to ocean warming and acidification and may offer an early warning system for warmth-induced coral bleaching events.

Snakehead
VIMS adds first James-drainage snakehead to Fish Collection

The first northern snakehead found within the James River drainage has now been deposited in the Nunnally Ichthyology Collection at VIMS, where it will be used to train and educate biologists and the public.

2017-18 Awards
VIMS announces winners of annual awards

Each year the VIMS community gathers to recognize exemplary performance by faculty, staff, and students. Learn about this year's honorees.

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Hershner receives Environmental Leadership Award

Candidates are nominated by members of Virginia’s environmental community, and judged on the basis of their vision, expertise, commitment, integrity, communication skills, accomplishments, and diplomacy.

VIMS dedicates new building

Donald W. Davis Hall—the first LEED-certified building on VIMS’ Gloucester Point campus—will centralize and upgrade research and office space for a number of existing programs.

Orth receives VA Outstanding Scientist Award

VIMS professor Robert “JJ” Orth has been named one of Virginia’s three Outstanding Scientists for 2018 by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Richard Conti of the Science Museum of Virginia.

Icy Tributary
Where’s the water, and why the ice?

In an era of sea-level rise and global warming, almost two weeks of low tides and chilly temps has raised a host of questions, as well as concerns among vessel operators and oyster growers. VIMS professors help explain the apparent contradictions.

2017 Media Recap
VIMS was all the buzz in 2017

The 134 journal articles authored or co-authored by VIMS researchers in 2017 were talked about around the world. Here are the 15 that received the most "buzz."

Green Fee Lights
Green fee award helps shine light on VIMS

The latest grant from W&M's Committee on Sustainability will reduce electricity usage and improve working conditions on our Gloucester Point campus.

Coral
Study urges global-change researchers to embrace variability

A new review article presents evidence that argues for a more nuanced approach to the design of global-change experiments—one that acknowledges and purposefully incorporates the variability inherent in nature.