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CZM's Marine Habitat Fellowship
By Anne Donovan
From August 2002 to May 2004, Megan Tyrrell worked as a fellow at CZM,
thanks to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
(NOAA) Coastal Services Center, which sponsors coastal management fellowships
for post-graduate students interested in working on coastal issues at
the state level. Megan, CZM's fourth fellow, focused on three major projects
with the overall goal of helping to improve marine habitat management
in Massachusetts.
- Data mining to identify information or maps related to marine habitat, including data on sediment grain size, bathymetry, and abundance of benthic invertebrates and fish in selected areas of the state. These data have been added to Massachusetts Ocean
Resources Information System (MORIS), a GIS database for marine resource
managers.
- Writing components of a statewide marine habitat management plan, including a benthic habitat mapping strategic plan, and a guide to the marine habitats of the region. The mapping plan, the guide to marine habitats, and other introductory habitat-related documents will be components of the new marine habitat section on CZM's website.
- Coordinating an interagency marine habitat working group, which includes members of state and federal environmental agencies, fisheries managers, environmental organizations, fishermen, and marine policy experts. The goal of the group is to increase communication
among those working on marine habitat related issues within the state and to provide guidance on the creation of the marine habitat management
plan.
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Boston, MA 02114