UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science & Technology

Our own PhD student Lindsay Graff is one of two U.S. scientists to receive a 2026 Small Grant from the Save Our Seas Foundation!

🦈 Her project titled "Stress Test: what’s the impact of US recreational fishery capture on prohibited sharks?" will measure how capture stress affects the survival of white, dusky and sand tiger sharks in U.S. waters, focusing on the rod-and-reel recreational fisheries. She will generate guidelines to reduce handling stress, improve survival and strengthen recovery efforts for three of the Atlantic’s most threatened shark species.

Lindsay joins SMAST faculty Dr. Lauran Brewster and Dr. Melissa Cronin, as well as her mentor Greg Skomal, who are all past recipients of the Save Our Seas Foundation Small Grant.

SMAST graduate student Sierra Richardson's thesis research was featured today in an article from the Cape Cod Times! The article highlights how collaborative research by scientists and fishers can lead to better data on valuable species like monkfish.

Cape Cod fishermen take science offshore to count monkfish Cape Cod fishermen have been helping scientists track monkfish. Here’s why it matters for the fishery, the fish, and your seafood plate.

After an internship on an oyster farm in Juneau, Alaska, Liz Roros knew she wanted to learn more about the systems that produce our seafood. So, she came to the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at UMass Dartmouth.
As a new graduate student, Liz is investigating how climate change affects the health and abundance of commercially important fish populations.
Recently, she and fellow SMAST graduate student Lexi Baumgartner presented their research at the Graduate Climate Conference, an event organized for and by graduate students. The conference brought together researchers studying different aspects of climate change, from pollution to extreme weather.

Hope everyone’s staying warm and taking breaks in between all the shoveling! While spring still might feel really far away, we are excited to announce a SMAST Alumni Seminar Takeover on Tuesday, April 22nd, from 12:00-4:00 pm at SMAST East! In recognition of Earth Day, this event will highlight the impactful work SMAST alumni are doing in marine science and conservation! The afternoon will feature keynote presentations from Dr. Megan Winton from 🦈 and Grace Jensen from .ocean 🌊 🌀! There will also be a series of shorter lightning talks from other exciting alumni, followed by a social mixer in downtown New Bedford! RSVP using the QR code in the post! DM if you have any questions! Hope to see you there! 🐟

SMAST alumnus Filipe Pereira PhD '23 is now an assistant professor at UCSD Scripps Institution of Oceanography!
Filipe was the first person in his family to go to college. He taught himself English in order to study in the U.S., where he completed his PhD in the dual-degree program between UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) and the University of São Paulo’s Oceanographic Institute (IOUSP).

His research interests include physical-biological interactions, mesoscale and submesoscale dynamics, and plankton ecology.

Congratulations, Filipe!

📷:

🎉 Congratulations to PhD candidate Kamran Walsh, 1 of 4 people in the nation to receive a 2025 NOAA Fisheries-Sea Grant Fellowship in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics!
These fellowships are among the most prestigious national awards for PhD students conducting quantitative research in fisheries and marine ecosystem-based management.

Kamran joins Max Grezlik (2023), Amanda Hart (2020), Robert Wildermuth (2018), Megan Winton (2017), Benjamin Galuardi (2011), & Dan Goethel (2010), as SMAST students who have received these fellowships.

https://brnw.ch/21wZj2v

Last week, SMAST students, staff, and faculty attended the annual Southern New England Chapter winter meeting at . There, they presented their exciting research, learned about groundbreaking work being done in our region, and met other students and fisheries professionals. What a great way to start the New Year!

Join us in welcoming Melissa Cronin, director of the Shared Seas Lab to SMAST! Dr. Cronin, along with graduate student Isabella Garfield, are exploring how industrial fisheries interact with coastal communities and endangered ray species.
Read more:

New lab at SMAST focuses on fishing communities and manta ray conservation National Geographic explorer Melissa Cronin leads the Shared Seas lab at SMAST

Thanks to a grant from MassCEC, SMAST is teaming up with the New Bedford Port Authority to identify ways to support safe, sustainable coexistence between the fishing and wind industries.

UMassD-SMAST partners with New Bedford Port Authority to study the effects of wind energy areas on commercial fishing operations The partnership is supported by a $419K grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

SMAST students and Dean Kevin Stokesbury recently attended Massachusetts Seafood Day at the State House, where they networked and discussed ongoing UMassD SMAST fisheries research with fishermen, conservationists, chefs, policymakers, and other scientists. It was a valuable day of learning about important work being done by the state to promote sustainable fisheries management while increasing the visibility of fishermen and other individuals connected to the seafood industry.

Pictures from Left to Right:
Pic 1 – Dr. Kevin Stokesbury and students Andie Painten, Ashwin Panicker, and Bella Travers
Pic 2 - SMAST and Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey
Pic 3 – SMAST and Massachusetts State Representative Tony Cabral 
Pic 4 – Jake Kritzer (Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS)), Daniel McKiernan (Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries), Massachusetts State Senator Bruce Tarr, Dean Kevin Stokesbury, Beth Casoni (MA Lobstermen’s Association)

New research from SMAST's newest assistant professor Dr. Melissa Cronin!

Scientists and fishers have teamed up to find a way to save manta rays Thousands of at-risk manta and devil rays become accidental bycatch in tuna fishing nets every year. A simple sorting grid could help save them.