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Baird Assumes Helm of National Sea 

 Grant Program 



An ocean scientist, educator and 

 businessman has been named the new 

 director of the National Sea Grant 

 College Program, part of the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce's National Oceanic 

 and Atmospheric Administration 

 (NOAA). 



Ronald C. Baird assumed his new 

 position with Sea Grant June 3, after 

 completing his tenure as vice president 

 of university relations at Worcester 

 Polytechnic Institute. 



"Baird' s experience in business 

 and education, as a scientist and 

 college administrator, makes him 

 uniquely qualified to lead Sea Grant, 

 whose continued success in helping to 

 protect and preserve our marine 

 environment hinges on a solid working 

 partnership among business, govern- 

 ment and the university research 

 community," says NOAA Administra- 

 tor James Baker. 



At Worcester Polytechnic, the 

 nation's third oldest college of 

 engineering and science, Baird is 

 responsible for the university's 

 external relations, including its news 

 service, development office, corporate 

 relations, alumni programs and 

 university publications. He helped 



24 MAY/JUNE 1996 



develop the school's first comprehen- 

 sive corporate relations program and, as 

 an adjunct professor in the Department 

 of Biology and Biotechnology, has 

 maintained an active research program. 



Before joining Worcester Polytech- 

 nic, Baird was director of research at 

 Geo-Marine Inc., an engineering 

 consulting firm in Dallas, Texas. From 

 1990 to 1995, he was a member of the 

 National Sea Grant Review Panel, a 15- 

 member, independent citizens advisory 

 committee. 



Baird received his B.S. in zoology 

 from Yale University, his M.A. in 

 zoology from the University of Texas at 

 Austin and his Ph.D. in biological 

 oceanography from Harvard University. 



"In an era of limited resources and 

 global environmental challenges to 

 coastal resources, the products of an 

 active industrial, academic and govern- 

 ment research partnership will be 

 absolutely critical to our ability to 

 manage coastal resources on a sustain- 

 able basis," Baird says. "Sea Grant is 

 just such a partnership, with a track 

 record of achievements. Being part of 

 an enterprise whose goal is the health 

 and well-being of our invaluable coastal 

 resources is a challenge I welcome." 



Hybrid Striped Bass Manual and 

 Video Available 



A new cash crop is drawing the 

 attention of farmers, fishermen and 

 investors throughout the Southeast. But 

 this crop is grown in the pond, not the 

 field. 



Hybrid striped bass — a cross 

 between striped bass and white bass — 

 are now harvested in farm ponds from 

 Maryland to Texas. The hybrid is 

 hardier and faster-growing than its 

 parents, offering farmers a marketable 

 fish worth $2.50 a pound after 18 

 months of growth. 



Interest in the culture of hybrid 

 striped bass for food began in the late 

 1970s. Sea Grant programs in North 



Carolina and South Carolina began 

 sponsoring research into the pond 

 production of hybrid striped bass in 

 1979 and 1981, respectively. Research- 

 ers refined the culture techniques, and a 

 project funded by the National Coastal 

 Resources Research and Development 

 Institute (NCRI) allowed the scientists 

 to transfer the technology from the 

 laboratory to commercial production. 



Now, more than 6 million pounds 

 of hybrid striped bass are grown each 

 year, and a third of that production 

 occurs in ponds. 



To help potential aquaculturists and 

 investors understand the complexities of 

 hybrid bass production in ponds, North 

 Carolina Sea Grant and NCRI have 

 developed a how-to manual and video 

 describing the process. 



The video and manual describe 

 broodstock collection, hatchery tech- 

 niques, fingerling production, grow-out, 

 harvesting and marketing. Information 

 is provided about pond preparation, 

 water quality, disease control and feeds. 

 And the manual provides economic 

 information for investment and operat- 

 ing costs as well as potential profits. 



The video and manual are available 

 from Sea Grant. Together, they cost 

 $30. Separately, the manual is $10 and 

 the video, $25. To order, write North 

 Carolina Sea Grant, Box 8605, N.C. 

 State University, Raleigh, NC 27695- 

 8605. Or call 919/515-2454. 



Rhode Island Sea Grant 

 Responds to Oil Spill 



The worst oil spill in Rhode 

 Island's history occurred in January 

 after stormy seas caused the tugboat 

 Scandia and its barge to run aground on 

 the state's south shore. Before workers 

 were able to stop the flow of oil, almost 

 a million gallons leaked from the barge 

 into Block Island Sound. Rhode Island 

 Sea Grant researchers and outreach 

 specialists responded immediately. 



Within hours, a Rhode Island Sea 



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