2021
H ARTE G ULF of the
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SCIENCE-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS
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BRIDGING BRIDGING POLICY POLICY AND AND SCIENCE SCIENCE FOR FOR A BETTER A BETTER GULF GULF OFOF MEXICO MEXICO
TABLE OF CONTENTS M E SSAG E F R O M T H E D I R E C TO R
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PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
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S TA F F A N D S T U D E N T N E W S
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G R A D U AT E S
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2021 BY THE NUMBERS
29-30
OUR DONORS
31-32
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HARTE OF THE GULF 2021
ANNUAL IMPACT REVIEW
Message from the
Executive Director
People — the right mix of skills, background, and desires of everyone on a team can make all the difference of whether you succeed or just plod along. I can say without a doubt that from the students to our staff and senior leadership, we have been fortunate to have a team in place here at the Harte Research Institute to weather a pandemic, face an epic freeze, and button up the building during threats of tropical storms. All the while advancing the science, developing solutions, training the next generation of impactful scientists, and collaborating with our partners to put all of this to work for the Gulf of Mexico. The last year has seen a large amount of impactful activity on the part of the HRI team, even given the challenging conditions that the world was facing. From outreach opportunities, dynamic projects, and change at the institute, I am continuously impressed at the work HRI is doing and where it is headed. In June we were honored to host a large group from Leadership Women Texas as we shared the important work we do producing the science that enhances our coastal resources and economies. The pivotal Great Red Snapper Count project is complete and the HRI-led team found that U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico are home to at least 110 million red snapper — three times larger than previous estimates! Our long-time Associate Director Gail Sutton retired and is focusing her next professional phase on helping start an oyster mariculture revolution in Texas, and prior Assistant Director Carmen Osier has stepped into that role bringing a strong research administration and accounting background that has helped secure millions in research and influential funding. As we come out of this COVID fog there is a lot to be hopeful for. Now more than ever I think people have a renewed sense of the importance of “place” — where we live, work, serve, and play. Maybe we are a little bit more attuned to the small things that can end up making a big difference, as well as working together towards solutions. Here at HRI we are continuing to expand our science-driven solutions™ towards implementation. Helping our partners make impacts in the communities they serve and continuing to engage our collaborators in Mexico and Cuba. 2022 will be busy here at HRI and we are all looking forward to it together.
DAVID YOSKOWITZ, PH.D.
SENIOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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HRI PROJECTS
THE GREAT
RED SNAPPER COUNT Discovers ‘Great’ Gulf Snapper Population
PROJECTS
The U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico are home to 110 million red snapper, about three times more than previously estimated, according to an unprecedented new population assessment led by the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at the Harte Research Institute. Previous estimates put the population at about 36 million red snapper — having an absolute abundance estimate may potentially change the way the Gulf of Mexico fishery is assessed by federal and state officials. The findings are contained in a more than 300-page report issued in March 2021 by researchers leading the Great Red Snapper Count, a three-year independent red snapper population assessment that brought together more than 80 scientists from 12 institutions of higher learning, with participation from state and federal agencies. The study was led by Dr. Greg Stunz, HRI's Endowed Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health. Through a competitive grant process, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, which administered the project, awarded $9.5 million in federal funds to the research team. With matching institutional funds, the project totaled $12 million. “We are thrilled to report on the results of the Great Red Snapper Count. A team led by the top fishery scientists from around the Gulf and beyond have been tirelessly working and have successfully determined the total number of red snapper in the region,” Stunz said. “The project is unprecedented in terms of scope, coverage, and methodologies, and could not have been accomplished without the generous support of the U.S. Congress and leadership from NOAA Sea Grant including valuable insights from an engaged steering committee. We are honored that this information will greatly expand our knowledge base of red snapper and are looking forward to rapid integration into management.” Red snapper is one of the most popular fish species in the U.S. Because the stock was once considered overfished, anglers saw dramatic reductions in both the fishing seasons and bag limits for decades. Challenges in obtaining abundance data on the number of red
snapper in the Gulf of Mexico were considered part of the issue, which prompted Congress to commission this independent study. While scientists found large numbers of snapper on previously well-known snapper habitats such as artificial reefs and natural banks, the Great Red Snapper Count made a major new discovery: what scientists called a “cryptic biomass” of red snapper in the Gulf. Red snapper are reef fish, and while they occur Gulf-wide, previous population counts had focused mostly on fishery data collected from known, popular reef and bank locations. The Great Red Snapper Count sought to better understand snapper population on the previously uncharacterized and unmapped bottom habitat that makes up the vast majority of the Gulf, where scientists have suspected there might be more fish going uncounted. What they found was that this previously unassessed habitat harbors extraordinarily high numbers of red snapper, far more than anticipated. How did they count a popular fish species spread out over thousands of square miles of open ocean? Well, it wasn’t quick or easy. Researchers across the Gulf recorded thousands of hours of video captured through state-of-the-art ROV camera-based surveys, conducted hydroacoustic surveys, and logged hundreds of boat hours on traditional sampling, tagging, and other fieldwork. They also engaged anglers in a tremendously popular high-reward tagging program, where tagged snapper were reported for a cash prize. Astonishingly, 30 percent of tagged fish were ultimately returned, demonstrating a high degree of stakeholder involvement in the project. It also showed catch-and-release can be a viable management tool in the industry.
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HRI Researchers Tackle the Human Impacts on Water Resources in Three New Projects Three new projects led by HRI researchers are examining the human drivers of water quality and quantity issues facing Texans. The projects are part of the Mitchell L. Mathis Program for Environmental Water Economics initiative that aims to study the socio-economic forces affecting water in the state. “Water is a natural resource that is both controlled by and necessary for our human populations. For it to be effectively, efficiently, and equitably managed as a natural resource, you have to include social and economic impacts,” said HRI Senior Executive Director Dr. David Yoskowitz, a socio-economic expert who leads the Mathis Program in partnership with the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. “Building upon the previous work supported by The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, which includes the Mathis Program, this work will begin to capture the socio-economic connection, impacts, and drivers to water, and hopefully begin to incorporate these aspects into decision making regarding water quality and quantity,” HRI Project Coordinator Kara Coffey said. “With our growing Texas population ever in need of more water resources, it is important to consider a holistic approach to water resource economics and social impacts and connect to the work already in place in the biogeophysical sciences, to continue toward science-driven solutions.”
PROJECTS
Freshwater Inflow Decision Tool: Co-production of a Water Flow Decision Tool to Support Resource Management HRI Lead Investigator: Dr. David Yoskowitz Partners: Robin Riechers and David Bradsby, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; Carla Guthrie and Caimee Schoenbaechler, Texas Water Development Board HRI Researchers: Christine Hale, Kara Coffey, and Dr. Diana Del Angel Grant: NOAA RESTORE Science Program This project will explore the feasibility of including social and economic data and information into a decision tool that will provide managers with a better understanding of the impact of water in all its uses, including environmental flow, and how to maximize environmental, social, and economic benefits while adapting to changing conditions over time. Freshwater inflow, the amount of water flowing into coastal estuaries, is critical to both ecological functions and ultimately human well-being.
To Understand the Socio-economic Drivers of Impaired Water in Texas HRI Lead Investigator: Dr. David Yoskowitz HRI Researchers: Kara Coffey and Mary Kramer Grant: The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation This project will build on questions about the potential economic impacts of nutrient-related pollutants in Texas surface waters, and suggestions that future research should focus on why water quality improvements have stagnated in Texas, including the socio-economic drivers. This work will pick up on that recommendation and examine socio-economic, policy, and management drivers in San Antonio/Guadalupe and Nueces/Rio Grande basins and adjacent bay systems. The project will develop the methodology, create the linkages, and build a GIS visualization of the likely socio-economic drivers through a co-production process that involves partners and stakeholders.
Assessment of the Socio-economic Impacts of the Persistent Brown Tide Algal Blooms and Water Quality Degradation on Baffin Bay-Upper Laguna Madre (Texas) HRI Lead Investigator: Dr. David Yoskowitz Partners: Dr. Christa Court, University of Florida; Dr. Jim Lee, Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi; HRI Chair Dr. Michael Wetz HRI Project Coordinator: Kara Coffey Grant: Gulf of Mexico Alliance Gulf Star Program Harmful algal blooms, and brown tide, can have negative ecological and economic impacts, with evidence suggesting that climate change and anthropogenic effects are increasing the frequency and duration of these events. One system continuing to suffer from these types of events is Baffin Bay and the Upper Laguna Madre in Texas, which represents critical habitat for several economically and ecologically important fish species and is popular with recreational and commercial fishermen. Anecdotal evidence suggests these blooms have negative impacts on the estuarine food web, while anglers have reported poor fishing during blooms due to poor visibility. The goal of this project is to study the connection between water quality, and brown tide events, and the social and economic impacts of these events.
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HRIHRI Partnership Builds New Partnership Builds N Recycled Reef to Protect G Recycled Reef to Protect
“A lot of people love to eat oysters, but they often don’t realize what an important role they play in our environment.” – Gail Sutton, M.S. Former HRI Associate Director and co-founder of the Sink Your Shucks Program
Recycled construction materials and oyster shell are creating the foundation for new life in Aransas Bay thanks to a reef restoration project. HRI collaborated with various partners to create nearly 3 acres of restored oyster reef in the waters off Goose Island State Park in July 2021. Oysters are an important part of the coastal environment, improving water quality, providing habitat for fish and other species, and protecting shorelines from erosion. It is estimated that 90 percent of native oyster reef habitats have been lost compared to historic abundance, and contributing to that problem are unsustainable harvest and destructive dredging of oyster reefs. “A lot of people love to eat oysters, but they often don’t realize what an important role they play in our environment,” said Gail Sutton, former HRI Associate Director and co-founder of the Institute’s revolutionary oyster recycling program, Sink Your Shucks, which has spent the last 12 years collecting more than 2 million pounds of oyster shell from local restaurants and wholesalers and placing it back into the environment to create new reef habitat.
PROJECTS
w se Island State Park oose Island State Park
It’s necessary to provide a strong base for these reefs such as concrete, river rock, or limestone to allow the shell to better serve its purpose of attracting young oyster larvae to attach and grow. The cost of construction materials has gone up recently, however, and concrete to build new reefs was hard to come by. But when the Ed Rachal Foundation, a frequent HRI partner, found out about the predicament, it stepped in to donate nearly 3 million pounds of concrete, along with the labor to mobilize the materials. Other partners include Palacios Marine Agricultural Research, Inc., a research partnership with HRI, Derrick Construction Company, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Center for Coastal Studies at TAMU-CC. Over a period of several weeks, workers loaded the concrete barriers onto barges by crane. It took about four days to move all 210 barriers — at 40 feet by 2 feet, they each weigh about 14,000 pounds each. The barriers were placed end-to-end at a designated reef site staked out ahead of time. In waters six feet deep, they create four large mounds with space to allow water to pass between them. About 330,000 pounds of recycled shell was placed on top, and the cycle of reef building begins again. The reef will be monitored by HRI scientists and students after placement to study its performance over time, looking at the water quality, growth, and diversity of life of the reef. Long-term monitoring helps officials to ensure these investments in the environment are a success over time. 08
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HRI Analyzes Effects of Historical 2021 Freeze Event The historical freeze of February 2021 brought temperatures below freezing in south Texas for almost a week with low temperatures that have not been observed in the region since the late 1980s. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department estimated a minimum of 3.8 million fish were killed throughout the Texas coast as a result of the event and effects on other species and natural resources remain unknown. Researchers at HRI were eager to observe how our local ecosystems responded to this drastic environmental change through two funded projects.
Influence of an Extreme Cold Air Outbreak on Food Web Dynamics in Baffin Bay HRI’s Coastal Conservation and Restoration group conducted rapid response sampling to assess impacts on benthic macrofaunal prey and food web dynamics in the Baffin Bay ecosystem. During each sampling event, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration, and pH were measured at each station through the water column. Serpulid reef and soft sediment samples were collected to observe related fauna and black drum were also collected through partnerships with commercial and recreational fisherman for tissue analysis.
HRI Lead Investigator: Dr. Jennifer Pollack Partner: Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program
Impact of the 2021 Freeze Event on Baffin Bay Water Quality HRI’s Coastal Ecosystem Processes group conducted water quality sampling in Baffin Bay from summer to fall 2021 to monitor impacts of the freeze on water quality in Baffin Bay. The last freeze of similar magnitude, also resulting in an extensive fish kill, occurred in 1989 and was followed by a prolonged, multi-year brown tide event in Baffin Bay, possibly caused by excess nutrient inputs from decomposing organisms killed by the freeze, among other factors. Results of this study will be available in Spring 2022.
HRI Lead Investigator: Dr. Michael Wetz Partner: Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program
PROJECTS
Just One Call The catch of the lifetime can mean more than just a good fish tale. It just takes one phone call — and some scientists waiting on the other end of the line — to make your record catch contribute to a body of research that can ensure its sustainability for many lifetimes to come. Scientists with HRI’s Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation have formed a unique relationship with local docks, charter captains, and anglers in the Coastal Bend area. For several weeks in the spring, HRI sportfish researchers are on-call for science — and when a rare species is caught, such as the bluefin tuna, they pack up and run to take samples for their work and the work of scientists around the Gulf. Atlantic bluefin tuna are a migratory species that are highly-regulated under a rebuilding plan that allows extremely limited harvest by fishermen. Only a handful are allowed to be taken in season each year, depending on weight, under current quotas in the Gulf of Mexico. That means the opportunity to sample and study these fish and learn about their lives in the ocean is an incredibly rare opportunity for scientists. In spring 2021, Sportfish Center researchers took samples from two fish caught out of Port Aransas, Texas: A state record 19-year-old, 876-pound bluefin tuna brought into Fisherman’s Wharf and a 23-year-old, 706-pound bluefin tuna caught aboard the Dolphin Express out of Dolphin Docks. “The process all starts with a phone call from an angler or someone working at the local docks,” said Dr. Kesley Banks, Assistant Research Scientist with
the Sportfish Center who has conducted many of the sampling trips. “Anglers alert the researchers to the catch of a bluefin, and from there someone on the team will drop everything and go.” After getting permission to take samples from the fish from the angler, the fish is cleaned and the work begins. Researchers remove the otoliths — ear bones — from the fish, which can be used to age the fish and other samples are taken that will be shared, spreading the influence of a single fish Gulf-wide. “Since bluefin are so rare,” Banks said, “many researchers have standing requests with the Sportfish Center.” Taylor Garcia, director of operations at Fisherman's Wharf in Port Aransas, said partnering with the Sportfish Center researchers was a natural fit. “The wharf gives the Sportfish Center access to larger boats, experienced fishing captains, rare catches, and a lot more people fishing. The anglers at Fisherman’s Wharf are excited to interact with marine biologists, and to learn about fisheries science and conservation opportunities because they want to support the continued health and longevity of the sport they love.” “If we can provide access to these rare fish that are already caught, and make the angler care a little bit more in the process — that’s a great thing,” Garcia said. “We’re just trying to do our part and pursue conservation where we can, because we rely on the sustainability of the fishery to keep this business going.”
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MATAGORDA BAY
TAMU-CC Researchers Secure
$1.6 MILLION for
Matagorda Bay Mitigation Projects Marine researchers from TAMU-CC and HRI received over $1.6 million in grants to restore the health and water quality of several local Texas bay ecosystems, and conduct research that will help stave off future environmental problems in these important coastal estuaries. The Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust (MBMT) was created as part of a federal Clean Water Act settlement in San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper and S. Diane Wilson, vs. Formosa Plastics Corp., Texas and Formosa Plastics Corp., U.S.A. HRI and TAMU-CC projects were part of a group of eleven chosen for funding during a 2020-2021 proposal award. The projects were all granted to researchers participating in HRI’s partnership with the NOAA Education Partnership Program’s Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (CCME), which has the goal of educating students from underrepresented groups in coastal and marine ecosystems education, science, and policy. The new projects will provide valuable real-life ecosystem research opportunities to several CCME graduate students, enhancing their education and training opportunities. Dr. Paul Montagna, HRI Chair for HydroEcology and institutional lead for CCME, said the MBMT program not only created opportunities to train the next generation of Texas marine researchers, it was also serving a historically neglected ecosystem on the Texas coast. “This new program will benefit coastal communities by putting a focus on the ecosystems comprised of San Antonio, Lavaca, and Matagorda Bays, which have been underserved in the past,” Montagna said.
PROJECTS
The HRI/TAMU-CC projects include: Dr. Jeremy Conkle, TAMU-CC Associate Professor of Chemistry, “Mercury and Plastic in Commercial and Recreational Fisheries in Lavaca, Matagorda, and San Antonio Bays: Risk Assessment and Interaction between the Two Contaminants”— $499,917 Lavaca Bay is a probable source for plastic and mercury, which can be transported to surrounding bays. This study will investigate the prevalence of plastic, measure mercury concentrations, and calculate the selenium:mercury molar ratios in commercial and recreational fisheries (e.g., red drum, black drum, spotted seatrout, shrimp, blue crab, oyster) in Lavaca, Matagorda, and San Antonio Bays.
Dr. Greg Stunz, HRI Endowed Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health, “Colorado River Delta Ecosystem Assessment: Gathering Key Baseline Data to Guide Future Habitat Restoration in Matagorda Bay” — $495,991 This project will complete a comprehensive ecosystem assessment of the Colorado River Delta to develop a comprehensive ecological baseline of the system for future comparison and planning, and design and implementation strategies for habitat restoration aimed at maximizing freshwater inflow and water quality during extended drought. The project involves mapping all benthic habitat, evaluating marsh habitat, quantifying juvenile finfish and shellfish distributions, describing coastal bird habitat use, and a hydrological assessment.
Dr. Michael Wetz, HRI Chair for Coastal Ecosystem Processes: “A Research and Monitoring Program to Mitigate the Impact of Harmful Algal Blooms on the Matagorda Bay and San Antonio Bay Ecosystems” — $478,882 Since 2008, shellfish harvesting in Matagorda Bay and San Antonio Bay has been closed numerous times due to the presence of harmful algal blooms (HABs), an overgrowth of certain algal species that can cause negative environmental impacts. Fish kills have also occurred as a result of HABs. The goal for this project is to implement a HAB monitoring program in Matagorda and San Antonio Bay using high frequency water sampling and an automated, real-time HAB sensor.
Dr. Paul Montagna, HRI Chair for HydroEcology, “Long-term Trends in Lavaca-Colorado and Guadalupe Estuaries” — $159,055 Earlier research found that the abundance, biomass and diversity of seafloor dwelling marine species was declining from 1988-2008 in the Lavaca-Matagorda Bays System. This study will examine if this is still happening and why, completing a time series through 2019 in the Lavaca-Colorado and Guadalupe Estuaries and examining monitoring data since 1991 from the Formosa discharge in Lavaca Bay. 12
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New Web Tool Helps Communities Learn the Economic ‘Value’ of Their Environment In September 2020, HRI’s Socio-Economics group redesigned and re-launched BlueValue.org, a new searchable database that connects users with legitimate scientific data and research about the economic and personal value of the coastal and marine ecosystems in which they live and work in one simple web tool. “It is so important to have access to data and information that can help in decision-making, research, and just plain curiosity about the value people place on the natural things that are important to us,” said Dr. David Yoskowitz, HRI Senior Executive Director. “BlueValue is that place and we wanted to make it accessible and easily understood by everyone.”
Our coastal communities are facing new challenges, including population growth, climate change, and natural disasters that put unprecedented pressure on our natural ecosystems. Better understanding the benefits and uses that we humans gain from our natural environment — what we call ecosystem services — can help us to understand their role in our human communities and help us to make better decisions about how to manage our resources. The goal of BlueValue is to offer quick and easy access to ecosystem values in numbers, and it houses literature from around the world that users can download, cite, bring to meetings and share with others.
bluevalue.org
PROJECTS
GRIIDC Surpasses
3,000
Datasets by L. Asirvidam
A pandemic, hurricanes, tropical storms — through it all HRI’s Gulf data repository program GRIIDC has continued to curate and publish important datasets entering the cycle of scientific discovery. Because of the hard work from all involved (researchers, administrators, data managers and software developers), they celebrated surpassing 3,000 datasets in the GRIIDC repository in summer 2021. Born from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill with the purpose of managing and storing scientific data from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative program, GRIIDC has since amassed an ocean of scientific data from researchers from all over the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. Data types include biological, physical, chemical, imaging, video, modeling, acoustics, and more! All of this data is publicly available for download on the GRIIDC website.
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EVENTS
Women Leaders from Across Texas Learn About Environment, Economy at HRI
Women leaders from across the state of Texas with Leadership Women Texas gathered at the Harte Research Institute in June 2021 to learn about connections between our Gulf of Mexico environment and the economy. Leadership Women Texas is a professional leadership program that takes women leaders chosen from different professional backgrounds across the state of Texas to visit four Texas cities in a year. They choose two major market cities in Texas, a coastal or border community and a rural community, to get a glimpse of the diversity of issues in the state. “Our biggest piece of advice for women leaders wherever they are in their journey is to step outside their own box,” said Heidi K. Murray, Chief Operating Officer with Leadership Women. Murray said they included Corpus Christi in their program this year to educate the women on the Gulf of Mexico’s role in Texas’s economy. “It’s really important for women to know what is happening in the Gulf because it affects every part of Texas,” Murray said. “It impacts our weather, our coastlines, and the economics of the state with the port here.” HRI hosted a two-day program that walked the women through how one popular commercially fished species, the oyster, can have a huge influence on our environment and economy. HRI has been on the cutting edge of reef restoration and oyster ecology in recent years, running a more than decade-long successful oyster recycling program and providing the science needed to back legislation that allows oyster aquaculture for the first time in the state of Texas. The Institute welcomed the group with an oyster-themed dinner at Water Street Oyster Bar in downtown Corpus Christi. Brad Lomax, founder of Water Street Restaurants and friend of the Institute, spoke with the women about the potential future of oyster aquaculture in the state of Texas and why he’s getting into the business. The next day, the group visited the Institute where they heard presentations then walked through 15-minute hands-on demonstration booths, manned primarily by students, relating to different aspects of oyster ecology. “When you think about oysters you think about how much folks enjoy them, but you don’t think about all the work and research that goes into getting them from the Gulf, keeping our environment healthy, and getting them to your plate every day,” said Tashara Parker, a journalist in Dallas and a member of the 2020 Leadership Women Texas class. The booth stations gave the students a chance to work on their outreach skills and interact with women leaders. “It is so important to promote women in STEM and to know the future of Gulf of Mexico science is in these women students is right up our alley,” Murray said.
EVENTS
Partnering for Coastal Resilience Community volunteers of all ages and backgrounds have long played an integral role in HRI’s Sink Your Shucks oyster recycling program, especially at oyster shell bagging and reef building events. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, group capacity at the spring 2021 event had to be limited, so program patron Gulf Coast Growth Ventures offered a solution. On April 10, 2021 Gulf Coast Growth Ventures sent a group of employees to volunteer at a private bagging event at Goose Island State Park to help create new oyster reef in St. Charles Bay. HRI’s Coastal Conservation and Restoration lab was onsite to walk the volunteer group through interactive stations to learn about oysters and bay environments and prepare them for the task ahead. It was a great day for Texas oyster reef restoration, and HRI looks forward to future events that can be open to the public once again. HRI is grateful to its corporate partners in environmental stewardship for their philanthropic and volunteer support of initiatives like Sink Your Shucks. For more information on corporate partnership opportunities with the Harte Research Institute, please contact Katie Iverson at 361.825.2066 or katie.iverson@tamucc.edu.
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Ecosystem Science & Modeling Lab Part of Gulf of Mexico Autonomous Glider Project by TAMU College of Geosciences
In the Fall of 2021, one hundred miles off the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico, a 10-foot-long yellow autonomous glider is riding waves as it patrols the perimeter above the NOAA Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. It is collecting water quality data related to ocean acidification, which is essential to monitoring the long-term survival of the sanctuary’s unique coral reef ecosystem, and transmitting it to a research team that includes Texas A&M University System scientists. The Texas A&M University Liquid Robotics WaveGlider SV3’s 90-day deployment — the first of its kind in the U.S. — is part of a multi-institutional collaborative project funded by NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Office Ocean Acidification Program. Project partners include the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University’s Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG), the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System, Liquid Robotics, and the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The principal investigator leading the project is Dr. Xinping Hu, chair for Ecosystem Science and Modeling at the Harte Research Institute and associate professor in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
The WaveGlider’s mission has been bumpier than expected. It has survived two named hurricanes — Ida and Nicholas — since Texas A&M GERG scientists deployed it into the Gulf of Mexico August 13th 2021. This feat shows the important role that autonomous systems can play in collecting invaluable ocean data — even in the face of extreme weather events, the research team said. “Our lab has been working with the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary since 2013 collecting seawater carbonate data,” Hu said. “But sample collections have been mostly on a seasonal basis and rely on the sanctuary’s research vessel, the R/V Manta. The WaveGlider offers an excellent opportunity for us to continuously monitor this area for an extended period of time with unprecedented temporal resolution. We can’t wait to see what the on-board sensors will reveal for the entire deployment.” The deployment was a one-of-a-kind experience for those students and graduate students, and the importance of their work is clear, the scientists said: if the Flower Garden Banks sanctuary is not protected from ocean acidification, its corals and entire ecosystem are in danger.
EVENTS
TAMU-CC Presents Debut of Children’s Film Opera ‘Olivia’s Ocean’
Dr. Ellen Denham, TAMU-CC professional assistant professor of Music, visited with Dr. Larry McKinney, then-senior executive director of HRI, at a mixer between the College of Liberal Arts and several HRI staffers in fall 2019. When the conversation turned to oyster farming, the notion of an “oyster opera” was born. “After the mixer, I reached out to my colleague, Dr. Ross Bernhardt, who is a wonderful composer and professor of Music. Ross and I met with Larry and with Gail Sutton, HRI associate director, last spring and pitched the idea of a children’s opera sharing the message of ocean sustainability,” Denham said. “They gave us some great info on a problem where individuals have a chance to make an impact — keeping trash out of the ocean — which has led to the creation of ‘Olivia’s Ocean.’” Written for an all-ages audience, the storyline revolves around Olivia, a 13-year-old girl living in Corpus Christi who loves to go fishing on her grandfather’s boat. Through a series of adventures, Olivia learns valuable lessons about ocean sustainability and about herself. Bernhardt’s score features original compositions influenced by many different musical styles, including classical, funk, pop, and even a circus waltz. On World Oceans Day, June 8, 2021, the premiere of “Olivia’s Ocean” was released virtually. The opera was directed by Daewon Kim, TAMU-CC assistant professor of Media Production, Producer Scott Thurman, TAMU-CC assistant professor of Media Production, and a small team of media production students. “Olivia’s Ocean” featured text by Denham and music by Bernhardt. The production included nine student vocalists and three student instrumentalists performing in the production - an additional music student served as a production assistant. All four scenes of the opera were filmed in the Performing Arts Center by Kim and his student team of two camera operators, two camera assistants, and an assistant director. McKinney, who is now the Chair for Gulf Strategies at HRI, said he was won over by Denham and Bernhardt’s excitement about the project. “When Ellen and Ross came to me with their idea, their enthusiasm sold me on the idea and the rest, as they say, is history” McKinney said. “Olivia’s Ocean” is able to be viewed on HRI’s YouTube channel.
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DR. JEN BROWN S TA F F & S T U D E N T N E W S
Dr. Jen Brown is the Joe B. Frantz Associate Professor of History at TAMU-CC. She is an environmental historian interested in the history of fisheries, animals, conservation, and natural resource policy. Brown is the writer, producer, and narrator of The Gulf Podcast, which was produced with support from HRI. Brown will work with HRI Chair for HydroEcology Dr. Paul Montagna on his project to write a new version of the book Freshwater Inflow to Texas Bays and Estuaries, recording oral histories and documenting the history of freshwater inflow management in Texas.
FELLOWS
Harte Research Institute Announces Inaugural HRI Fellows Three Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi researchers were selected for two-year appointments with the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies as a part of its inaugural HRI Fellows program. The program, which selected scholars from across disciplines at TAMU-CC, promotes transdisciplinary research projects at HRI and the University.
Each researcher was nominated for their appointment by a current HRI chair, with whom they collaborate on a shared project that combines their expertise, and each is provided with seed money by HRI to support their collaborative project. The program was designed to enhance engagement between HRI and TAMU-CC researchers. “The HRI Fellows bring expertise that expands our reach and the applications of what our science can do here at HRI. This program will build bridges with the rest of the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi community,” said HRI Senior Executive Director Dr. David Yoskowitz.
DR. SHANNON FITZSIMMONS-DOOLAN Dr. Shannon Fitzsimmons-Doolan is an applied linguist and an Associate Professor of English at TAMU-CC who specializes in applied corpus linguistics, language policy, language ideologies, and content-based instruction. Fitzsimmons-Doolan will work with HRI Chair for Coastal Conservation and Restoration Dr. Jennifer Pollack to examine perceptions of habitat restoration before and after ecological disasters by studying the language used in public communications, and looking at whether that language can shed light on stakeholder perceptions and decision-making processes.
DR. WEI XU Dr. Wei Xu is an Assistant Professor of Marine Biomedical Science in the Department of Life Science at TAMU-CC. His research focuses on the environmental impacts on the toxicities of marine pollutants to humans and marine organisms. Xu will work with HRI Chair for Ecosystem Science and Modeling Dr. Xinping Hu to investigate the environmental impacts on bivalve shell formation during larval development. This research will contribute to the restoration of bivalve habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and oyster aquaculture in Texas.
STAFF & STUDENT NEWS
Visiting Fulbright Scholar Applies Lessons from Gulf of Mexico to Argentinian Artificial Reef Park Dr. Fausto Firstater, a researcher from Escuela Superior de Ciencias Marinas (UNCo) in northern Patagonia Argentina, and CONICET, the National Scientific and Technical Research Council Argentina, joined HRI’s for Gulf of Mexico Studies’ Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation in the summer of 2021 to research artificial reef structures in the Gulf of Mexico, and bring those lessons home to an artificial reef park project that’s currently underway in his home country. Firstater, a marine ecologist focused on community ecology, came to HRI and the TAMU-CC campus as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar, and he spent three months in Texas studying how the structural complexity of Gulf artificial reefs impacts the diversity and abundance of fish communities living on them. He partnered with Dr. Greg Stunz, HRI Endowed Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health, whose lab has done extensive research into the role artificial reefs play as fisheries habitat. “We are pleased to host Dr. Firstater through the Fulbright Scholar program. The program offers a great opportunity for scientists from around the world to work together and learn from each other’s experiences in our home countries,” Stunz said. “These exchanges allow us to make new discoveries and advance our scientific knowledge. Not only will Dr. Firstater learn about our artificial reef science here in the Gulf of Mexico, our teams at the Institute will benefit greatly from his knowledge and skillsets.”
After working with the Sportfish Center team, Firstater is taking his research home to Argentina, where he is working with Parque Submarino Las Grutas, the largest underwater park of its kind in South America. There, local officials are sinking ships to create a series of artificial reefs that will recruit diverse species of fish and other marine life, attracting divers and promoting eco-tourism in the region. “When you build these artificial reefs it’s like you’re building an island in a place where you had nothing before. It starts to be colonized and attracts a diversity of life, including fish,” Firstater said. He added that part of creating artificial reefs with a purpose in mind means you must understand how they attract and sustain marine life, and how diverse communities of fish interact with the reef. Working with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Sportfish Center at HRI has played a large role in understanding the way the reefs attract and create abundance in important fish species in the Gulf of Mexico, and have also looked at best practices for creating permanent artificial reef structures. Firstater said he was excited to tap into the resources and expertise of HRI directly related to his project, and explore the many other types of work underway at the Institute. “I was very happy to work with Dr. Stunz, and learn as much as I could about the Harte Research Institute,” Firstater said. 20
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Associate Director Gail Sutton Retires After 20+ Years at HRI After more than 20 years of service, Gail Sutton retired from her position as HRI Associate Director for Institutional Initiatives, Finance and Administration on August 31, 2021. Gail was unique in that she had been with HRI since its founding in 2000. Hired by co-founder and former Assistant Director Dr. Wes Tunnell, Gail originally began at HRI as a Business Coordinator. She managed the Institute’s budget, facilities, and administrative staff as HRI grew into a multimillion-dollar research institute with a staff of hundreds, engaging in countless other duties along the way, from planning conferences and directing marketing efforts, to helping to get a successful oyster restoration program off the ground. Gail moved into a new position as Director of Operations at Palacios Marine Agricultural Research, Inc., a subsidiary of the Ed Rachal Foundation, where she leads efforts to get their new oyster hatchery operations off the ground.
Carmen Osier Takes the Reins as Associate Director Fall 2021 brought big changes at HRI as Carmen Osier assumed a new role as HRI’s Associate Director as of September 1. Carmen, HRI’s former Assistant Director, is a U.S. Navy veteran, CPA, and former TAMU-CC central office of research grants administrator. A conscientious and thoughtful manager of both her staff and the Institute’s finances, she joined the Institute’s staff in 2017 to assist in overseeing HRI’s budgeting, accounting, and administration services.
STAFF & STUDENT NEWS
HRI's Dr. Greg Stunz Receives Texas A&M Regents Professor Award For his accomplishments in research and conservation, and his dedicated service to the University, Dr. Greg Stunz, HRI Endowed Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health, received the Texas A&M University System’s 2019-2020 Regents Professor Award – the highest honor bestowed upon faculty by the Texas A&M University System.
“I am thrilled the Board of Regents is recognizing me for this prestigious award,” Stunz said. “It is truly an honor to be included in the company of distinguished Regents Professors that have made such exemplary accomplishments on behalf of the Texas A&M System.” Stunz also serves as Director of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at HRI, which was forged in 2012 in a unique partnership with the Coastal Conservation Association. Stunz joined the TAMU-CC campus in 2002, after previously serving in positions at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University at Galveston, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He was brought into HRI in 2007 as one of its founding chairs and has led the Institute’s fisheries research efforts. Among other accomplishments, Stunz was the lead investigator on the Great Red Snapper Count, led efforts to study artificial reefing practices in the Gulf, and the Sportfish Center, under Stunz, leads the largest shark tagging program in the western Gulf of Mexico, bolstered by a unique citizen science program that engages shark fishermen across the Gulf in tagging sharks, giving them a stake in conservation. Stunz was instrumental in creating the Texas A&M System’s Marine Biology Interdisciplinary Program, which linked together schools across the System to provide a unique graduate program to students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in marine biology. Stunz is engaged with numerous boards, panels, and scientific advisory committees from the local to national levels, including serving as a sitting councilperson on the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council, the governing body that oversees fisheries management in the Gulf.
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HRI Director Appointed to Aquarium Board of Trustees Dr. David Yoskowitz, Senior Executive Director at the Harte Research Institute was appointed to the Board of Trustees at the Texas State Aquarium beginning in 2021. Since its inception, HRI has partnered with the Texas State Aquarium on events and exhibits, contributing research and knowledge to the aquarium’s Saving Sharks exhibit, which features information about shark conservation and shark tagging and tracking. HRI also contributed scientific knowledge to the aquarium’s Caribbean Journey expansion. Dr. Wes Tunnell, HRI founding member and former Endowed Chair for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, served as an adviser on the expansion, providing aquarium officials with his first-hand expertise of the unique ecosystem, supplying his books and papers on the Yucatan, Quintana Roo, and Sian Ka’an, which are featured prominently. Yoskowitz said the Texas State Aquarium has been a strong community partner for HRI and TAMU-CC, doing complimentary work that advances messages about the conservation needs of our marine and coastal environments in the Gulf of Mexico and their important role in our lives on shore. The Institute looks forward to continuing that partnership for many years to come.
Kate Shlepr Receives Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Kate Shlepr M.S., Research Assistant and doctoral student in HRI’s Conservation & Biodiversity laboratory, was named a finalist for the esteemed John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship from the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program. Starting in January 2022, Shlepr is spending a year with federal agencies in Washington, D.C. completing her fellowship. Since 1979, almost 1,500 fellows have completed the program, becoming leaders in science, policy, and public administration roles. Knauss finalists are chosen through a competitive process that includes comprehensive review at both the state Sea Grant program and national levels. Selected finalists will receive hands-on experiences transferring science to policy and management during their fellowship.
STAFF & STUDENT STAFF NEWS & STUDENT NEWS
Mexican Geosciences Researcher Dr. Abigail Uribe-Martínez Comes to HRI on Furgason Fellowship Visiting scholar and Furgason Fellow Dr. Abigail Uribe-Martínez spent three weeks at the Harte Research Institute in the summer of 2021 working and studying with members of the Institute’s Coastal and Marine Geospatial Sciences Lab under HRI Endowed Chair Dr. James Gibeaut. Uribe-Martínez, a GIS and biostatistics professor at the Autonomous University of Carmen located in Campeche, Mexico, came to the U.S. as a part of the Institute’s Furgason Fellowship program, which sponsors Gulf of Mexico research activities by scholars located in Mexico and Cuba. Uribe-Martínez spent her time at HRI learning about the lab’s work and capabilities and building the groundwork for a series of projects that will study coral reefs and coastal habitats in the southern Gulf of Mexico through the analysis of high-resolution imagery. “There is much we can learn through collaboration with our colleagues in Mexico, and Dr. Uribe-Martínez brings notable experience and scientific expertise in understanding how our coastal environments bind us around the Gulf of Mexico,” Gibeaut said. Uribe-Martínez specializes in using remote sensing and GIS to study the habitat distribution of wetlands, mangroves, seagrasses and other
important marine and coastal habitats. She’s studied how critical species like sea turtles interact with those habitats and also looked at the vulnerability of critical species and habitats to coastal hazards like oil spills. The Mexican researcher said she was excited to spend time working at HRI because there are only a few teams working in geosciences in her region, and she hopes to bring knowledge about new technology and techniques back to her institute. A motivating factor behind the Furgason Fellowship is to promote increased partnerships between Cuban, Mexican and U.S. scientists, and to encourage the exchange of data and ideas. “A lot of the problems in our environments are pretty similar, but there is a big lag in the geosciences where I am located in the Yucatan peninsula, HRI is on the cutting edge of a lot of research in the Gulf of Mexico,” she said. The Furgason Fellowship program was established by Ed Harte and Joe Hornblower in honor of Dr. Robert Furgason, President Emeritus of TAMU-CC and founding Executive Director of the Harte Research Institute. The endowment funds teaching and research fellowships at HRI from Mexican or Cuban universities as well as the funding of conferences, workshops, and symposia on subjects related to the Gulf of Mexico.
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Dr. Kesley Banks Named CCA-Corpus Christi's Conservationist of the Year HRI Assistant Research Scientist Dr. Kesley Banks was named Conservationist of the Year by the Corpus Christi Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association of Texas. The award was made during the chapter’s 42nd Annual Banquet on Thursday, July 29, 2021, at the American Bank Center. Banks is well known in the local angling community for her work in sportfish conservation and her research into the movement, habitat use, and population connectivity of popular Gulf of Mexico shark species and other pelagic and highly migratory sportfish. She has worked closely with shark anglers in service of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation’s popular shark tagging program, which employs a variety of different tag types to track sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. She’s appeared on a number of local radio shows, news programs and in print talking about her work with sharks and the important role sharks play in a healthy Gulf. She graduated from TAMU-CC in December 2019 with a doctorate in marine biology under the mentorship of Endowed Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health Dr. Greg Stunz. Banks’ dissertation focused on movement patterns and habitat use for fishery species of varying life history strategies, including red snapper and shortfin Mako sharks.
Dr. Larry McKinney Honored with CCA Lifetime Achievement Award Former Senior Executive Director Dr. Larry McKinney was presented with a lifetime achievement award from the Corpus Christi Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association of Texas in October 2020. Dr. David McKee, a retired veteran marine biology professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and environmental vice president of the CCA-Texas Corpus Christi Chapter, said the group has been giving their lifetime achievement award for 10 years to outstanding individuals with “illustrious careers in conservation” and McKinney more than qualified. “Dr. McKinney’s lifelong goals mesh with our conservation goals – it was an easy choice,” added Jay Gardner, chair for CCA-Texas’ Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow Committee. McKinney retired from his leadership role at HRI in August 2020 after 12 years of service. He now serves as HRI Chair for Gulf Strategies, helping to sustain and grow the Institute’s capacity to provide science-driven solutions to Gulf of Mexico problems under the new leadership of Dr. David Yoskowitz. McKinney previously served 23 years at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), where he became the agency’s youngest ever division director, and eventually the longest tenured director, before he retired in 2008 to move to HRI. At TPWD, McKinney was a key architect in building the agency’s Resource Protection Division, Endangered Species, GIS and Legal Programs. He oversaw all outreach and education programs for many years, eventually being named Senior Director for Aquatic Resources and Director for Coastal Fisheries. McKinney said the CCA’s honor meant a lot to him due to the assistance he’d had from its leaders in implementing important conservation initiatives, even when they weren’t flashy or popular, like those relating to freshwater inflows issues. Dr. Kesley Banks, an HRI Assistant Research Scientist, nominated McKinney for the award. She said he deserved the honor for his “commitment to our oceans and marine life. His life’s work and record speaks for itself.”
STAFF & STUDENT NEWS
HRI’s Terry Palmer Honored as Outstanding Doctoral Student Dr. Terry Palmer was named the 2021 Outstanding Doctoral Student by TAMU-CC’s annual Outstanding Graduate Awards offered by the College of Graduate Studies. Palmer is an Assistant Research Scientist in HRI’s Coastal Conservation and Restoration Lab and was a doctoral student in the Coastal and Marine System Science program at TAMU-CC, graduating in Summer 2021. After attaining his master’s degree in marine science from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006, Palmer spent more than a decade working in marine research labs at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas and at HRI. He spent 12 years traveling to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, to engage in marine and terrestrial environmental monitoring — work that inspired his dissertation project, which was titled “The effects of human occupation on marine ecosystems in Antarctica.” Palmer’s mentors and peers called him an accomplished researcher and down-to-earth person who acts as a tireless mentor to his fellow students. Palmer is often the first to volunteer his help to others, and was described by his colleagues as a genuinely nice person who doesn’t seek the spotlight in spite of all his talents and accomplishments. “Terry really is what epitomizes being an outstanding graduate student,” said Dr. Jennifer Pollack, HRI Chair for Coastal Conservation and Restoration and chair of Palmer’s dissertation committee. “His leadership in the lab, his leadership in developing scientific ideas and projects, but also his leadership with the undergraduate and graduate students is really just unparalleled.” Palmer has a diverse range of research interests and has authored more than 30 publications over his career. Most of his research examines the impacts of human activities on water quality and benthic organisms. In the Coastal Conservation and Restoration Lab he is actively involved in the lab’s work, including comparing the ecosystem functions of oyster restoration types, and comparing food webs on oyster reefs and offshore oil and gas platforms. “I appreciate everyone who helped make this happen and took the time to write letters of support for me,” Palmer said. He added that the award was possible mostly because “I work with good people and that makes my job and my academic work better. I’ve had good teachers, good advisors, and good colleagues.” 26
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G R A D U AT E S
HRI DOCTORAL GRADUATES Terry Palmer, Ph.D.
PhD Coastal and Marine System Science Coastal Conservation & Restoration
Terry Palmer completed his Ph.D. in Coastal and Marine System Science under Dr. Jennifer Pollack, HRI Chair for Coastal Conservation & Restoration. His dissertation work was based in Antarctica and analyzed how the presence of research stations has unintentionally caused localized pollution in nearby environments, adding to the stress of climate change taking place in Antarctica. Terry is now an Assistant Research Scientist at HRI working with the Coastal Conservation & Restoration lab, with research interests focused on studying the effects of anthropogenic changes on water quality and benthic organisms.
Diana Del Angel, Ph.D.
PhD Coastal and Marine System Science Socio-Economics
Diana Del Angel completed her Ph.D. in Coastal and Marine System Science under Dr. David Yoskowitz, HRI Executive Director. Her dissertation focused on the socio-economic effects that sea level rise and storm surge can have on coastal communities. Diana's research interests include understanding coastal environmental change, exposures to coastal hazards, and coastal management approaches. Diana is now a Postdoctoral Research Associate at HRI working with the Socio-Economics and Geospatial Sciences groups.
Melissa McCutcheon, Ph.D.
PhD Coastal and Marine System Science Ecosystem Science & Modeling
Melissa McCutcheon completed her Ph.D. in Coastal and Marine System Science under Dr. Xinping Hu, HRI Chair for Ecosystem Science & Modeling. Her dissertation work investigated the temporal and spatial variability in carbonate chemistry in estuaries in the northwestern Gulf. Melissa’s studies have been focused on science education and the use of science in ecosystem management and policy. Melissa is now a Natural Resource Specialist for the Texas General Land Office managing grants and working on development of coastal environmental policy for the state of Texas.
Emma Clarkson, Ph.D.
PhD Marine Biology Coastal Conservation & Restoration
Emma Clarkson completed her Ph.D. in Marine Biology under Dr. Jennifer Pollack, HRI Chair for Coastal Conservation & Restoration. Her dissertation explored the potential of utilizing free, publicly available datasets from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to examine estuarine faunal-habitat associations at multiple spatial scales in Texas estuaries. Emma’s scientific work includes coastal habitat quality and distribution, fisheries ecology, and resource management. Emma is now a Team Lead in Corpus Christi with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries Division.
GRADUATES
HRI GRADUATES 2021 FALL 2020 SEMESTER
Jill Thompson-Grim MS Marine Biology Fisheries and Ocean Health Sandeep Jilla MS Computer Science Geospatial Sciences
SPRING 2021 SEMESTER
Melissa McCutcheon PhD Coastal and Marine System Science Ecosystem Science & Modeling Maxwell McClure BA History Administration Jasmine Caillier BS Marine Biology HydroEcology
SUMMER 2021 S E M E ST E R
Diana Del Angel PhD Coastal and Marine System Science Socio-Economics Terry Palmer PhD Coastal and Marine System Science Coastal Conservation & Restoration Emma Clarkson PhD Marine Biology Coastal Conservation & Restoration 28
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NUMBERS HARTE RESEARCH INSTITUTE’S 2021 BY THE
85
10
RESEARCH PROJECTS
RESEARCH AREAS
$12,478,043 IN RESEARCH EXPENDITURES
NUMBERS
F U NDING
NUMBERS
EXTERNAL
$25,122,357
SOURCES
FOR 2021
ENDOWMENT
$4,966,137 L E G I S L AT I V E
$118,121 TA M U - C C
$682,326
GROWTH
$31M
I N O P E R AT I N G B U D G E T
2 0 2 1
$29 M 2 0 2 0
$26 M $20 M
$25 M 2 0 1 8
2 0 1 9
2 0 1 7
$13 M $11 M 2 0 1 4
2 0 1 6
$11 M 2 0 1 5
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T H A N K YO U TO A L L O F O U R
DONORS “For scientific researchers, charitable donations are enormous engines of new opportunities, of starting in directions that wouldn’t have been possible to fund by conventional sources.” -Leroy Hood, MD, PhD, Co-Founder of the Institute for Systems Biology
Dr. Mark R. Besonen Dr. Charles K. Blend Renee Borenstein John and Ellen Carlson
THANK YOU
Coastal Conservation Association of Texas Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cohen
HRI is grateful to all our friends and partners who provide support by way of philanthropic gifts, grants, and in-kind donations. Your generosity broadens our capacity to build an ecologically and economically healthy Gulf, now and into the future. Thank you.
Drs. Richard A. and Mary Ann Davis Martha and Charles H. DeCou Dell Computer Corporation Edwin S. Dodds Dr. Sylvia A. Earle ExxonMobil Foundation Dan and Ruth Flournoy Kristi Fluker Dr. Dale E. Gawlik Dr. James C. Gibeaut George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation The Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation Heather Hirsch Dr. Vivian Ho KWigglers Living Exhibits, Inc. Logan K. Lyda
DONORS
Dr. Paul Montagna
Lance Robalin, Sr. and Lance Robalin, Jr.
The O'Donovan Family Foundation
Ms. Cynthia Robalin
William L. Ohmstede Carmen F. Osier Ben Paschal
Dr. John “Wes” Tunnell, Jr. Jesse and Christine Cancelmo
Port Aransas Billfish Pachanga LLC
Bill Yoskowitz
Robin Riechers
Peggy Brown
Ruth Bowman Russell Jack Scholl SeaWorld San Antonio Jonathan Streich Gail and Michael Sutton Gerri and James Tunnell
Contributions from donors listed below were given in memory of Steve Truchon, dear friend and colleague of HRI, and will establish the Stephen Truchon Endowed Fellowship in Marine Ecology.
Kathy Tunnell
Nahjan Amer Nordin
Carliane Johnson
George C. Vaughan
Nuraini Arsad
Nicholas King
Dr. David W. Yoskowitz
Thomas Ayers
William Kovach
Kristen Young
Donovan Bodishbaugh
Jennifer Kriczky
Charles W. Zahn, Jr.
Matthijs Bonte
Matthew Lahvis
Jennifer L. Bothwell
Dr. Donald P. Lewis
Viktoria Broje
Lorenzo Mandias
Koen Broker
Buzz and Jean Martin
Louis Brzuzy
Maura and John Meek
Andrew Cameron
Charles Milliger
Christine Carberry
Jillian Mueller
Drew Carey
Elizabeth Mura
Ali Chowdhury
Joe and Alison Opolski
Peter Conwell
Harry Posey
Will Harte’s 70th birthday
Philip Dorn
Heather Ptak
Judy and Stephen Alton
Palmer and Janet Duff-Lewis
Joanne Robinson
Stephen Edwards
Gertjan Roseboom
Chemary Esis
Sarah Scott
Elizabeth Fairchild
Dr. Mathijs Smit
Emma Fitzgerald
Elizabeth Truchon
GN Fokkema
Mark Truchon
Laurent Fragu
Raymond Valente
TRIBUTE GIFTS In Honor Of Dr. Robert R. Furgason Sam L. Susser Will Harte and the Harte Family Capital Counsel LLC
Katie Barton Iverson Gail W. Lovelace
In Memory Of Maggie Bains Cecilia Blackwell Bridges
William Gala
Jason Vogel
Erin Caroline Donalson Bonnie and John Derkits Drew and Alyson Donalson Kirsten S. Smith
Patrick Gwinn
Linda Weijers
Amy Hackett
Andrew Wellbaum
Miranda and Bruce Henning
Karen Westley
Bob Higgins
Mitchell Winkler
Robert Wesley McLain Corpus Christi Country Club Craig Dameron David and Brenda Hasenzahl Julie and Michael McNeil Michelle Moffitt Sam L. Susser Walker and Associates Marilynn and Michael Yankee
Hunt Howell
Charles Wood
James Hughes
Dr. David W. Yoskowitz
Sarah Hughes
Linda Ziccardi
Lucinda Jefferson This Yearly Impact Review recognizes gifts from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021. Every effort has been made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If, however, an error has been made, please accept our most sincere apologies and notify Katie Iverson at katie.iverson@tamucc.edu and we will correct our records. 32
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of shaping of shaping science science in the in the GulfGulf
FoundedFounded through through one of the one most of the generous most generous gifts evergifts for the everTexas for the A&M Texas A&M University University System, Mr. System, Edward Mr. H. Edward Harte’s H.$46 Harte’s million $46desire million todesire make to a difference make a difference for the Gulf for the of Mexico Gulf ofsparked Mexico sparked the establishment the establishment of a newof kind a new of institute kind of institute at at Texas A&M Texas University-Corpus A&M University-Corpus Christi that Christi looks that at coastal looks atand coastal marine andissues marine in issues a in a holistic way. holistic Thatway. spark That grew spark intogrew a flame intoten a flame yearsten later years after later theafter Deepwater the Deepwater Horizon oil Horizon spill allowed oil spill HRI allowed to demonstrate HRI to demonstrate its capabilities its capabilities to the world. to the HRI world. HRI continues continues to grow in to expertise grow in expertise and influence and influence across the across Gulf the of Mexico Gulf ofand Mexico and beyond. beyond. Guided by Guided a distinguished by a distinguished AdvisoryAdvisory Council led Council by Dr.led Sylvia by Dr. Earle, Sylvia theEarle, the foundational foundational team –, Dr. team Robert –, Dr.Furgason, Robert Furgason, Dr. Wes Tunnell Dr. WesJr., Tunnell and Gail Jr., and Sutton Gail Sutton set aboutset making aboutEd making Harte’s Edvision Harte’s a reality. vision aThey reality. began Theytobegan assemble to assemble endowedendowed chairs, staff, chairs, andstaff, students, and students, secured secured funding, funding, designeddesigned and completed and completed construction construction of the HRI of building, the HRI building, and laid the and groundwork laid the groundwork for the Institute for the Institute to to become become an international an international player for player Gulf of forMexico Gulf ofresearch Mexico research and engagement. and engagement. In 2008, In the 2008, Institute the Institute brought brought on a newon executive a new executive director, director, Dr. LarryDr. McKinney, Larry McKinney, who finished who assembling finished assembling the endowed the endowed chairs originally chairs originally conceived conceived by the Advisory by the Advisory Council, Council, formalized formalized the the HRI Model, HRIand Model, builtand on abuilt strong on afoundation strong foundation to to respond respond to issuesto facing issues the facing Gulf the of Mexico Gulf ofinMexico in the wakethe of Deepwater wake of Deepwater Horizon oil Horizon spill. In oil spill. In 2020, Dr.2020, DavidDr. Yoskowitz David Yoskowitz took the took helmthe from helm a from a retiring McKinney retiring McKinney and began andthe began next the phase next ofphase of HRI. His unique HRI. Hissocio-economic unique socio-economic expertiseexpertise and and background background will allowwill theallow HRI Model the HRI toModel be fully to be fully engagedengaged across the across Gulf the to advance Gulf to advance the vision the of vision of an ecologically an ecologically and economically and economically sustainable sustainable Gulf Gulf of Mexico. of Mexico. The Institute The Institute has grown hasfrom grown 37 staff from and 37 staff students and students with a $2.9 with million a $2.9budget millionin budget 2008 to in 2008 154 staff to 154 andstaff and studentsstudents and a $31and million a $31budget millionin budget 2021. The in 2021. The timeline to timeline followto can follow only can highlight only highlight the the extraordinary extraordinary growth of growth HRI since of HRI its since originits in origin 2000. in 2000. Fully implementing Fully implementing the HRI Model the HRI is Model at the is center at theofcenter of the Institute’s the Institute’s past andpast future and success future in success advancing in advancing its its mission, mission, yielding results, yieldingand results, making andamaking positive a impact. positive impact.
The Book That Sparked A Movement
1995 Sylvia Earle's Sea Change Sea Change: A Message to the Oceans was more than Dr. Sylvia Earle’s autobiography of three decades of undersea exploration and advocacy for the world’s oceans — it was also the inspiration for the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. After being given the book by his son Will, Ed Harte was inspired to make a difference in the Gulf of Mexico
1995
2000 Ed Harte's Monumental Donation to Establish HRI On September 19th, 2000, Ed Harte donated $46 million to establish a new research institute at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi to focus on the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Harte, philanthropist and former owner of Harte-Hanks, Inc., and the Corpus Christi Caller-Times newspaper, worked with Dr. Robert R. Furgason, then president of TAMU-CC, to establish the endowment to include research chairs, graduate research fellowships, and an operating budget.
2000
Dr.Wes Tunnell Named Associate Director Dr. Wes Tunnell, TAMU-CC Biology Professor and founder of the Center for Coastal Studies is named HRI Associate Director. In that role he led the strategic planning effort to State of organize HRI and design the HRI Knowledge building. of the Gulf of
HRI Building Opens for Business
First Annual State of the Gulf Summit
Dr. Furgason secured $15 million from the State of Texas to build a 57,000 square foot facility for the Harte Research Institute on the TAMU-CC campus.
Held in Corpus Christi, Texas, the March summit brought together world-renowned scientists with leaders of government, business, industry, conservation and resource management to plan for the long-term sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico.
Mexico Workshop
2001 2001 HRI Advisory Council Formed
2003
2005
2002 GulfBase.org Created GulfBase.org came online in October as a searchable and sortable website for all Gulf of Mexico researchers and research institutes. The GulfBase website was significantly updated in 2017 and continues to grow its database.
2006 2005 Dr. Robert Furgason Named Executive Director
Dr. Larry McKinney Named Executive Director
Biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico Published
Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation Established
Texas OneGulf Center of Excellence Designated
Edited by Dr. Wes Tunnell, a series of five books published by TAMU Press was created to update our knowledge of all aspects of the Gulf of Mexico.
The Coastal Conservation Association provided initial funding of $500,000 to create the CSSC. The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents recognized the Center in November and named Endowed Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health, Dr. Greg Stunz as director.
An HRI-led consortium of nine leading marine institutes in Texas, Texas OneGulf is designated by Governor Perry as the first of six such centers in the Gulf of Mexico. The Center is the only one that funds research in all designated disciplines named in the federal RESTORE Act.
2008 2007 First Trinational Workshop The Trinational Initiative was an effort to advance collaboration and conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean among the three countries that border the Gulf: Cuba, Mexico, and the United States.
The Gulf of Mexico Student Workshop on International Coastal and Marine Management (SWIMM) Launched and Led By Dr. Rich McLaughlin
2010
2009 2009 Sink Your Shucks Oyster Recycling Program Gail Sutton, Dr. Jennifer Pollack and Dr. Paul Montagna came up with idea to recycle oyster shell from local restaurants into new reefs. Working with school children and other volunteers, over two million shells have formed 25 acres of new reef and still growing. The program continues today.
2010 Deepwater Horizon The largest marine oil spill in history, caused by an explosion of a BP-operated oil rig off the coast of Louisiana released nearly 5 million barrels of oil before being capped five months later. HRI was a part of the scientific research conducted to assess the damage.
Third Annual State of the Gulf Summit
2012 2011 Second Annual State of the Gulf Summit
2014 2013 GRIIDC Established The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC) was formed to serve as the Gulf's most significant data source on the science developed from Deepwater Horizon and is led by Dr. Jim Gibeaut
2015 2014 HRI Endowed Chair Dr. David Yoskowitz Serves as Chief Economist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Shark Week Takes a Bite HRI is featured on the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week for the first time and has been a frequent participant since. Dr Greg Stunz and his crew of staff and students tagged sharks and studied leaping Makos to the amazement of millions of viewers.
Fourth Annual State of the Gulf Summit
2015 2016 EcoHealth Metrics Report Card Launched More than 40 scientists from across the Gulf came together at HRI to launch a new initiative to assess the health and well-being of the Gulf of Mexico. The March workshop developed Gulf EcoHealth Metrics and devised a framework for future evaluations.
2017
HRI Signs Agreement with Cuba National Aquarium
Oyster Mariculture Legislation Passed
The first of several formal agreements with Cuban research and conservation organizations, this first agreement opened the door for a sustained effort to engage with Cuban counterparts. Agreements with the University of Havana followed.
HRI Chair for Marine Resource Development Dr. Joe Fox led efforts to establish oyster mariculture for Texas. The first permit was issued in May 2021 for a farm in Copano Bay.
2017
2017 International Chairs Established at HRI Two new International Chairs for Coastal and Marine Studies in Mexico and Cuba were named: Dr. Silvia Patricia González Díaz, University of Havana and Dr. Fernando Nuno Dias Marques Simões, National Autonomous University of Mexico-Merida.
Thinking Deeper 2018-2028 Strategic Plan Released
2018 2018 Three New Chairs for HRI New TAMU-CC President Dr. Kelly Miller showed the University’s support for the success of HRI in advancing research by funding three new chairs for the Institute: Dr. Joe Fox, Dr. Jennifer Beseres Pollack and Dr. Michael Wetz. They immediately brought new energy, students and research funding to advance the HRI vision.
Two New Chairs for HRI Dr. Dale Gawlik, Endowed Chair for Conservation and Biodiversity and Dr. Xinping Hu, HRI Chair for Ecosystem Science and Modeling join HRI. As HRI’s first waterbird expert and oceanographic chemist they brought new skills and perspectives to the Institute.
2020
2019 2019 Texas Coast Report Card Created An answer to how healthy is the Texas coast now has an objective and science-based answer: a “B-”. The best of Texas’ marine scientists evaluated fisheries, oysters, seagrass, birds, and water quality of the upper, middle, and lower coast to help inform resource managers and the general public as to the state of the coast. It will be repeated in 2023.
2020 Dr. David Yoskowitz Named Senior Executive Director
2021 Director’s Council Established The Harte Research Institute Director’s Council was established in the fall of 2021 with the goal of providing advice to the senior executive director on operational and strategic decisions.
HRI DIRECTORS
COUNCIL
Continuing our mission to achieve an ecologically and economically sustainable Gulf of Mexico for future generations
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