st looks back

Sea Technology, Feb 2008

February Issue

25 Years Ago

1983. A task force authorized by the Maryland legislature studied the impact of oystering with scuba methods in the Chesapeake Bay after oystermen using traditional harvest techniques expressed concern over possible depletion of the species....Researchers at Battelle in Houston, Texas, developed a computer program for analysis and design of offshore pipeline risers in the hopes of improving the reliability of riser system operations... .The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas increased the number of bluefin tuna that could be caught in the western Atlantic.

15 Years Ago

1993. President Bill Clinton named Dr. John H. Gibbons to head the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy....The U.S. Coast Guard proposed a plan to require inspections of commercial fishing vessels after the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act of 1988 required a study be conducted to examine safety problems on these ships....The National Science Foundation awarded the Virginia Institute of Marine Science a $ 150,000 grant to maintain its fish collection, a source of historical data on the fish of the Chesapeake Bay.

10 Years Ago

1998. Researchers worked to develop a probiotic strategy for managing disease in aquacultured fish. The team identified helpful and harmful bacteria in the bodies of aquacultured larval summer flounder with the aim of establishing large populations of beneficial bacteria and managing bacteria that posed a potential threat....National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists detected intense seismic activity on the seafloor about 300 miles off the Oregon coast, indicating an ongoing volcanic eruption. It was the most intense such event since the agency had begun monitoring....Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) joined 1,600 marine scientists and conservation biologists from 60 countries in calling for immediate action to protect the marine environment in an international statement.