New Bedford, Mass. – On Monday, October 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the Woods Hole Research Center will host a conference entitled, “Ocean Acidification and Southern New England” at the Waypoint Event Center, Fairfield Inn and Suites, New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Fossil fuel emissions pump more carbon dioxide into our atmosphere every day. One quarter of these emissions are absorbed by the ocean causing it to acidify, which could have profound and irreversible effects. Shellfish growers in the Pacific Northwest have already been impacted through declining oyster harvests linked directly with ocean acidification and fishermen and aqua-culturists across the globe are asking, “Who’s next?”
The Ocean Acidification and Southern New England Conference will jumpstart the search for solutions for our region by bringing together coastal resource users, planners, ocean acidification experts, stakeholders and other concerned citizens. The goal of the conference is to find common ground among these groups concerning the risks to our region from ocean acidification. The conference will begin with a discussion on what is known about ocean acidification. Dialogue will follow that explores regional stakeholders’ concerns regarding aquaculture, shellfish and fishing industries. It will wrap up with what local opportunities New England has to offset the effects of ocean acidification through policy and legislative options. We hope to agree on a route forward to protect and prepare the region for possible impacts, and increase understanding of the need to reduce fossil fuel emissions and adopt renewable energy systems
The conference will be held on Monday, October 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Waypoint Event Center, Fairfield Inn & Suites, 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740. Seating is limited and registration is required by October 10. Please RSVP to Wendy Kingerlee at 508-444-1526 or email Wendy at wkingerlee(at)whrc.org.
This conference is sponsored by: The Woods Hole Research Center, the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the UMass- Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Ocean Conservancy, the Horizon Foundation, the Davis Conservation Foundation, the QLF-Sounds Conservancy & the Cape Cod Five Foundation.
Contact: Eunice Youmans, Director of External Affairs 508-444-1509 or email at eyoumans(at)whrc.org.
