Fort Johnson Seminar Series

Seminar Schedule 2025

• January 13

  Jason Doll - Francis Marion University

  Great Pee Dee River Striped Bass

  Abstract: Striped Bass Morone saxatilis has been a historically important sport fish
  in the Pee Dee River system and continues to be a popular target species by many
  recreational and charter anglers in the winter. However, very little is known about
  their life history in this system. Early genetics work suggests that there is no unique
  Pee Dee River population but rather a mixed ancestry from the Santee-Cooper and
  Cape Fear/Roanoke Rivers. Spring electrofishing surveys in 2017 and 2018
  suggested the population was small and a new stocking program was established
  in 2019. This presentation will discuss three projects that have occurred through
  collaborations with Francis Marion University and SCDNR Freshwater Fisheries.
  The first project identified movement patterns of stocked phase 2 fish in their first
  year at large. Here we identified potential nursery areas and locations that should
  be protected to encourage successful recruitment. The second project describes
  the movement of adults over multiple years. This individual based model found that
  movement patterns vary considerably across individuals and not all adult fish
  migrated upriver in the spring when spawning typically occurs. The final project is
  ongoing and will discuss efforts to estimate the population size of Striped Bass in
  the Great Pee Dee River.

• January 27

  Aubrey Anthony - Resilience Coordinator, South Carolina Aquarium 

  RICE in the Lowcountry: Citizen Science as a Vehicle for Climate Resiliency

  Living in the Lowcountry, we're all well-acquainted with one aspect of our changing climate—rising tides and the flooding that comes with them. We all have flooding stories that occupy our minds each & every King Tide, but many don't know what to do about it.  The South Carolina Aquarium's resilience coordinator, Aubrey Anthony, will lay out how the SCA's Resilience Initiative for Community Engagement, or RICE, aims to combat this dilemma by employing citizen science, as well as incorporating local culture, to connect community members with the tools to facilitate solutions-based conversations around climate resilience.

   

• February 3

  Joseph Ryan - Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida

  What comb jellies can tell us about cell types in the last common ancestor of animals

  Comb jellies (ctenophores) branched off from the rest of animals around 850 million years ago. This long history of independent evolution has led to a wide set of unique features at the level of tissue, cell, and genome. Much interest has been focused on this uniqueness and some have pointed to these differences as evidence for convergent evolution of features like neurons, muscles, mesoderm, etc. This seminar focuses on shared characteristics with other animals and makes the case that the last common ancestor of animals had neurons.

• February 10

  Chris Bradshaw - Associate Research Scientist, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

  Conversion factors for select species along the Atlantic Coast and select commercial goings on.

  This seminar begins with an overview of Florida’s trip ticket program focusing on where they’ve been, where they are, and what the future holds for them. This discussion is followed by a description of work in the Atlantic on commercial conversion factors. Conversion factors turn a landed product, gutted fish, back into whole fish to make comparisons easy amongst states and sectors. These factors are of an advanced age and in need of updating. Along the Atlantic, participating states sampled Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic sharpnose shark, snowy grouper, American eel, and blue crab. Samples of snowy grouper and Atlantic sharpnose shark were used to make gutted-to-whole weight conversions, and samples of other species were used to make conversions from count to weight in pounds.

• March 3

  Nick Castillo - NOAA NCCOS

  Pharmaceutical contaminants in marine systems: Assessing risk to fish, humans, and exposure pathways.

  This study investigated the incidence and spatial extent of pharmaceutical exposure in marine sportfish, the potential for pharmacological and health effects in fish, pathways of exposure across multiple environmental compartments, and the potential for human exposure via consumption of fish. Pharmaceutical burden was assessed in the recreational sportfish bonefish (Albula vulpes) throughout South Florida and the Caribbean Basin and in red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) from 9 estuaries across Florida, analyzing for ~100 different pharmaceuticals. The potential risk of pharmacological effects was determined by comparing pharmaceutical concentrations to a metric of effect based on the human therapeutic plasma concentration (HTPC). Indices of health in red drum (e.g., biochemical and histological state) were quantified and related to measured pharmaceutical concentrations. A multicompartment approach identified pathways of pharmaceutical exposure in bonefish through analysis of bonefish prey items, water, and sediment, and assessed differential distribution across bonefish internal tissues. Last, the potential for human exposure via consumption of red drum was determined by comparing concentrations to recommended pharmaceutical human daily doses. Across all fish sampled, a total of 53 different pharmaceuticals were detected in 100% of bonefish (mean of 6.3) and 93% of red drum (mean of 2.1), with concentrations exceeding the HTPC metric of effect in 48% of bonefish and 26% of red drum. Relationships between pharmaceutical exposure and biochemical analytes in red drum indicative of liver injury, electrolyte imbalance, and stress were identified. Pharmaceutical concentrations in red drum muscle were low, with a maximum of 0.002% of a recommended human daily dose per serving. Pharmaceutical number, concentration, and composition was unique across environmental compartments, and prey was identified as a potential source of exposure in bonefish. Collectively, this research highlights an important component of water quality for consideration in conservation, fisheries management, and wastewater treatment reform, assesses the possibility of negative repercussions in exposed fish, and explores alternative methods to assess exposure and effect in marine biota.

• March 24

  Julia Byrd - Citizen Science Program Manager, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

  Strengthening Fisheries Management through Citizen Science: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Approach

  The U.S. South Atlantic region has many long-standing data needs and limited resources to collect data for federally managed marine fish stocks. Fishermen in the region have indicated they want to be more involved in data collection used to manage their fisheries. This led to the development of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Citizen Science Program. Projects developed through the Program must fill a data gap and address management needs; complement existing programs; have intentional design; and have collaboration between scientists and fishermen. We will provide a brief overview of the program’s development; share how projects are selected and developed; and highlight current projects and application of their data.

• April 7

  Caroline Morris - Southeast Regional Coordinator, NOAA Marine Debris Program

  NOAA Marine Debris Program: Overview and Efforts in the Southeast

  NOAA Marine Debris Program's Southeast Regional Coordinator Caroline Morris will give an overview of the program and its efforts in the Southeast region, and present on prevalent marine debris issues in the region. These include storm debris and emergency response, abandoned and derelict vessels, derelict fishing gear, and consumer debris.

• April 21

  Anders Goksøyr - Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Norway

  Whales and Polar Bear in a Petri Dish: Decoding Marine Mammal Toxicology Through in Vitro and in Silico Approaches

  VIRTUAL ONLY

  Marine mammals are central components of ocean biodiversity and sentinels of marine ecosystem health. Their high energy intake is often accompanied with high intake of lipophilic contaminants with bioaccumulating and biomagnifying properties, and this is especially the case for top predators such as the killer whale (Orcinus orca) and polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Today, these animals face escalating threats from marine pollution, climate change, and other human activities. Their captivating diversity make them attractive study objects, but both ethical and logistical constraints restrict their use in many forms of experimental research. Thus, novel approaches are essential for advancing this field of research. Both legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) are endocrine and/or metabolic disruptors, and can disturb animal physiology, growth, and reproduction as well as immune function, and hence impair overall health of individuals and populations. To date, only a small number of studies have given mechanistic insights in contaminant responses in marine mammals. In recent years, we have established alternative approaches to overcome these hurdles using in vitro and in silico methods. Here, I will present the background of this work and where we are after more than 40 years since I started out as a biochemistry graduate with a very special summer job.

• April 28

  Susan Richardson - Arthur Sease Williams Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of South Carolina

  Capturing a more complete picture of PFAS and uncovering important unknown contaminants in drinking water

  Disinfection by-products (DBPs) and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are two high profile contaminants of concern in drinking water. Several DBPs are currently regulated by the U.S. EPA and others are being considered. EPA also recently announced its new regulation for 6 PFAS in drinking water. Part 1 of this seminar will detail results from a recent study where we identified an entirely new class of DBPs – halocyclopentadienes – in drinking water treated with chlorine or chloramine. One of these, hexachlorocyclopentadiene, is now the most toxic of all DBPs studied. Gas chromatography (GC)-high resolution mass spectrometry (MS) and a very sensitive timeof-flight mass spectrometer were key to their discovery. Part 2 will detail our development of two new Total Organic Fluorine (TOF) methods to more comprehensively capture PFAS, as well as the application of one of these new methods to map PFAS hotspots in South Carolina. These combustion ion chromatography methods report the lowest detection limits to-date (0.1 µg/L and 0.3 µg/L) for extractable organic fluorine and adsorbable organic fluorine methods, respectively, as well as higher recoveries for a larger number of PFAS compounds (43), including legacy PFAS and new PFAS replacements. Using these new TOF methods, substantially higher TOF values were measured in industrial wastewater, river water, and air samples compared to liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (LC-MS), demonstrating how TOF methods provided a more comprehensive measurement of the total PFAS present, capturing known and unknown organic fluorine.

• May 5

  Tom Mullikin - Director, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

  Normative Canopy: Law and the Atmospheric Commons in the Anthropocene

  As the Earth’s macroatmospheric systems undergo rapid and unprecedented change, the urgency for coherent, equitable, and enforceable global legal frameworks becomes increasingly vital. This lecture explores the evolving legal constructs that govern international responses to a changing global climate, analyzing how treaties and international law seek to regulate anthropogenic impacts on the climate. It highlights the critical intersections between environmental science, geopolitics, and legal accountability, with a focus on the roles of state actors, transnational corporations, and supranational institutions. Special attention is given to the limitations of current legal mechanisms and the necessity of effectively addressing the micro-manifestations of the global phenomenon through enforceable obligations. Understanding this legal architecture is essential not only for policymakers and advocates but also for scientists, educators, and global citizens seeking to navigate and influence the planetary future.