500 attend Marine Life Day at VIMS in Wachapreague

By Ethan Smith

A flooding delay didn’t prevent the public from flocking to VIMS’ Eastern Shore Laboratory (ESL) in Wachapreague on Saturday, September 21st for Marine Life Day, the lab’s free, annual open house. Within the waterfront Seawater Lab, William & Mary Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences researchers, students and volunteers introduced a record number of attendees to a broad spectrum of marine science experiences.

In  one corner, visitors could see a juvenile sandbar shark patrolling its temporary pool. Next to the shark was a dissection station, where Batten School Ph.D. student Miguel Montalvo and University of Chicago Ph.D. student Olivia Guerra spent all three hours of the event precisely deconstructing a billfish, teaching wide-eyed observers about fish anatomy.

Other exhibits included simulations for shark tagging and crab health inspections, sediment sieving, aquaria featuring local organisms and an array of microscopes revealing the microscopic world of marine ecosystems, among many other displays.

Yet the most popular station, judging by the youngest attendees’ exclamations, was the long touch tank that stretched through the middle of the lab space. There, brave participants could touch live scallops, oysters, sponges, urchins, crabs and more. 

“It was great. They loved the touch tank and the microscopes,” said Rebecca McNair, an attendee from Exmore who brought her three young children. “We came last year, but they’re older now and can take different things from it. We appreciate it, because they get to learn new things every year.” 

Now in its 11th year, ESL Director Richard Snyder is proud of how much the event has evolved over the years. “Marine Life Day started relatively small, but we pretty quickly brought it up to this level,” he said. “This is our premier public event for the year, and we put a lot of effort into setting up displays of all the living creatures.” 

Among the wide swath of topics represented, this year had a special focus on shellfish aquaculture, including various displays, exhibits and activities. “With shellfish aquaculture being such a contributor to the Virginia economy, I think it’s important to educate people on all aspects and angles of the industry,” said Castagna Shellfish Research Hatchery Manager Reba Turner Smith. 

Turner Smith and Nursery Manager Darian Kelley provide leadership in planning and executing Marine Life Day, along with their colleagues and other volunteers. “We’re a relatively small staff,” said Kelley, “but everyone is really focused and hands-on collecting the organisms, creating the displays and getting everything set up for the day.”