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2010
2015 & beyond
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Rapid growth
VIMS is established
1943 n W&M’s new graduate program in aquatic science confers its first master’s degree. Lab scientists guide students in lab and field research.
School of Marine Science
1961 n W&M reorganizes programs in “aquatic biology” and creates the School of Marine Science (SMS).
1940 n William & Mary professor Donald W. Davis founds VIMS’ predecessor, the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory in Yorktown.
First PhD 1968
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The SMS grants its first doctoral degree.
1962 n The General Assembly renames VFL the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and designates VIMS as an independent state institution.
Back to W&M
1979 n VIMS returns to the administrative umbrella of W&M and its scientists are accorded full faculty status at the College.
Eastern Shore Laboratory
1962 n The Eastern Shore Laboratory opens at Wachapreague. Shellfish aquaculture soon becomes a major focus.
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1970s
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1990s n VIMS’ fleet comprises 40 research vessels, including the 65ft Bay Eagle and 44ft Langley.
High-tech labs
1997 n Chesapeake Bay Hall opens with labs equipped for research in advanced genetics, microbiology, toxicology, geochemistry, and other program areas.
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1995 n Reports circulate of a Pfiesteria toxin that kills fish and possibly harms human health. Scientific evidence for a toxin is sketchy, but public concern rises.
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Cloudy water
1960s n Water quality deteriorates further as development fills in wetlands and industrial chemicals contaminate waterways. Damaged seagrass beds appear.
Agnes
1972 n Runoff and sediments from Tropical Storm Agnes heavily damage baygrasses during summer growth period.
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Growing influence
Science for the Bay
1960s n VIMS advises Stratton Commission planning on coastal initiatives. Institute scientists help mold the National Sea Grant and Coastal Zone Management programs.
1940s n VFL scientists launch research on Bay oysters, clams, finfish, and blue crabs, plus studies of the Bay’s physical and chemical features.
Policy impacts
1970-1972 n Institute scientists begin serving on regional resource policy and management groups. VIMS’ studies provide the scientific foundation for the Virginia Wetlands Act of 1972.
Branching out
1947-1950s n VFL biologists consult and teach courses at the Chesapeake Biological Institute. Annual surveys of fish stocks begin, and research on finfish and blue crabs expands.
Sharks
Kepone® danger
1975 n Institute chemists discover Kepone® in James River sediments. The research helps drive state, federal, and worldwide bans on the insecticide.
1973 n VIMS’ Shark Research Program begins. It will yield the world’s longest-running data set on shark ecology, and helps guide the first U.S. management plan for sharks, in 1993.
1990s n VIMS-led studies confirm the presence of DDT, PCBs, and other contaminants in marine settings ranging from Chesapeake Bay to Antarctica.
t Striper rescue
Chesapeake Bay Agreement
1983 n Virginia signs the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement, drawing on VIMS research showing excess nutrients as the main source of declining Bay water quality.
Crabby queries
Isabel
2003 n Hurricane Isabel hits the Bay. Shorelines and near-shore communities suffer major flood damage.
Research Reserves
Restoration breakthroughs
1990s-2000s n VIMS researchers develop a disease-tolerant triploid native oyster. Seagrass restoration efforts are a globally heralded success. Striped bass stocks rebound to sustainable levels.
Dead zones
1995 n VIMS benthic ecologists document low-oxygen zone in the Bay and hundreds around the globe, spurring research worldwide.
1991 n VIMS becomes administrative and research headquarters for Virginia’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Mid-2000s n Blue crab harvests plunge due to weather shifts, disease, and overharvesting.
Red tides
2010 n Blooms of harmful algae are linked to falling water quality due to excess nutrients.
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1985-1990s n VIMS fisheries scientists confirm overfishing as the cause of the striped bass decline in Virginia waters. Virginia closes the fishery in 1989. VIMS launches a new striper tagging effort.
Shellfish studies
1980s-1990s n ESL clam aquaculture methods are adopted worldwide. Institute oyster studies focus on disease resistance and potential impact of non-native species.
Toxins go global
2010 n Bay water quality shows only slight improvement. EPA mandates a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment.
2000s & beyond n Stormsurge damage and flooding focus attention on impacts of climate change and rising sea level on shorelines and coastal communities.
1997 n VIMS researchers find mycobacteriosis in Bay stripers. Later monitoring shows 70% of striped bass are infected.
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Mandate for change
Mycobacteriosis
Troubled fisheries
1949-1950s n Overharvested oyster stocks face new threats from disease. Dermo appears in 1949. MSX, first detected in Delaware Bay, reaches the lower Chesapeake in 1959.
2007 n A new, 71,000sf research facility provides lab and office space for VIMS’ Aquaculture and Breeding Technology Center and SAV Program, among others.
Rising seas
1990s n Contaminants and excess nutrients continue eroding the Bay’s health. Wild oyster harvests fall to less than 5% of historical highs.
1980s n Bay striped bass stocks are in sharp decline, as are several populations of mid-Atlantic sharks. Harvests of native oysters continue to plummet.
Andrews Hall
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Crisis points
Loss of wetlands in the Bay region now amounts to millions of acres.
2005 n The Kauffman Aquaculture Center opens, a venue for advanced genetic research on oysters and culturing of oyster seed for reef restoration.
Far-reaching fleet
Pfiesteria controversy
Dermo and MSX
1900-1930s n Human sewage seriously pollutes Bay waterways. People blame tainted oysters and water for outbreaks of food poisoning and typhoid. Eelgrass beds start to thin.
1984 n A new 40,000sf building houses administrative offices, Marine Advisory Services, the Hargis Library, McHugh Auditorium, and other facilities.
Wetlands worries
1940s n Suburbs develop around Bay towns and cities. Increasing use of fertilizers and pesticides worsens water pollution.
People & pollution
Watermen’s Hall
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Post-war development
1850-1890 n Industrialization begins. New forms of vessels and gear boost seafood catches. By the mid-1880s annual oyster harvests top 20 million bushels.
Oyster aquaculture
© W. Vogelbein
First master’s degree
VFL to VIMS
2015 n VIMS marks 75 years of research, education, and advisory service. The School of Marine Science confers its 1,000th graduate degree.
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Gulf oil spill
2010-present n Federal agencies tap VIMS scientists and alumni to study spill’s impacts on marine life and environments.
Polar science
2000s n VIMS polar research kicks into high gear with programs in the Arctic and Antarctica. Studies target basic ecology, environmental toxins, and climate change.
Pfiesteria explained
2002 n Institute studies prove that Pfiesteria organisms kill fish not by releasing a toxin, but by feeding on their skin. There is no danger to human health.
21st century science
Wetlands success
2008 n EPA recognizes VIMS’ Center for Coastal Resources Management as a national leader in wetlands research and management.
2000-present n Advanced electronics, modeling, and other technologies are mainstays of VIMS research, from studies of fisheries and environmental science to impacts of sea-level rise and global climate change.
© L. Nys
1950 n VFL relocates to Gloucester Point and 6,400sf Maury Hall, named for Matthew Fontaine Maury, the “Father of Modern Oceanography.”
75 years & counting
1960s n Brooke Hall (7,618sf) opens in 1960, followed by Davis Hall (3,868sf) in 1962 and Byrd Hall (20,000sf) in 1969.
© S. Salpukas
First real campus
Technological change
Science & Policy Milestones
2000
© D. Boesch
1700-1800 n Towns, small ports, and wharves dot Bay shores. Land clearing increases the flow of sediments into the Bay and its tributaries.
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© C. Davis
Colonial Chesapeake
1990
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© Chesapeake Bay Program
Pre-1940s
1980
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Interactive version available at vims.edu/timeline
Environmental Milestones
1970
© M. Rhodes
Help us celebrate our 75th anniversary by exploring milestones in the history of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Chesapeake Bay, and the coastal ocean.
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1960
© D. Grubbs
Institutional Milestones
1950
© VIRGINIA INSTITUTE of MARINE SCIENCE | 2015
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