Dr. Marc Turano has been a Mariculture and Blue Crab Specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant since 2001. His program involves both extension and applied research. His extension efforts focus on hybrid striped bass production, the blue crab fishery, soft crab production, and larval oyster settlement. Dr. Turano also administers the Blue Crab and Shellfish Research Program, a state-funded competitive grant program for applied research. This program offers a unique opportunity to work with commercial fishermen, fish and shellfish culturists, and regulatory agencies. Prior to joining Sea Grant, Dr. Turano worked as an extension agent and marine aquaculture specialist at Brunswick Community College. He expanded the extension outreach program at Brunswick from three counties and five farms to include eight counties and thirty farms. He is a member of the North Carolina Aquaculture Conference committee, a board member on the North Carolina Shellfish Growers Association, and serves on the advisory board for the Carteret County Community College Aquaculture Program.

     Jay Styron has worked with oceanographic programs at UNCW for the past 18 years. He started his career with UNCW’s NOAA funded National Undersea Research Center where he worked out of Key Largo, FL as well as Wilmington, NC. In 2008, Jay changed careers within the University and is now the Director of Marine Operations. In 2006, Jay started Carolina Mariculture Co. in Cedar Island, NC (which is where he grew up). Carolina Mariculture Co. specializes in off-bottom oyster production for the half shell market. The primary goal of Carolina Mariculture Co. is to produce high quality seafood while not being detrimental to the environment. Carolina Mariculture Co. is a member of Carteret Catch, a grass roots organization devoted to promoting local seafood.

     Heather Stoker worked part-time with the BEL at the Center for Marine Science (UNCW) for four years as a lab and field technician. During her last year with the BEL, Heather assisted Troy Alphin and Sharon Tatem in organizing and coordinating volunteers for the Oyster Spat Monitoring Program. Heather currently works part-time as a supplemental instructor for Cape Fear Community College, leading study and discussion groups for Marine Studies classes, including Marine Biology, Marine Vertebrate Zoology and Marine Invertebrate Zoology. In addition, Heather works as a contractual biologist for the NC State Sea Grant Division. Last year, she worked with North Carolina crabbers on two Sea Grant research projects for the Blue Crab Research Program. This entailed first hand interactions with crabbers, data management, and report writing. Heather continues to conduct research for NC Sea Grant on two new blue crab projects for which she co-wrote the grant proposals. On the personal side, Heather has been photographing and writing about the animals in her first salt water tank (from a naturalist’s perspective), and plans to start kayaking and become fluent in French.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Spat Rack Design

Jim Swartzenberg - J & B Aquafood

SPAT-TERED Logo Design

Melissa Mitchell

Database and Web Design

Timothy Henkel, PhD