Two CMASTers awarded CCA NC Scholarship

CCA NC Scholorship Chairman Bill Mandulak presented the 2016 CCA NC Scholorship recipients last week on behalf of the CCA NC Scholarship Committee. NCSU Center for Marine Sciences and Technology Graduate School Student Brendan Runde was presented a scholarship in the amount of $1500 in support of his projects involving the reduction of discard mortality of gray triggerfish and the use of devices to reduce discard mortality in deep water fishes. Commenting on why Runde was selected Mandulak said, “The recreational angling community can certainly relate to the continuing pressure on our bottom fish and recognize the importance of exploring ways to reduce mortality from barotrauma.”

NCSU Graduate Student Steven Lombardo was also awarded a $500 scholorship to further his education at CMAST. Steven was chosen for his studies of the spawning habitat of river herring. “CCA NC has long been a champion of the restoration of river herring in North Carolina and have fought to protect the limited remaining stock for over a decade”, Mandulak said in making the selection. “We had a lot of outstanding applicants this year and certainly wish we could help them all. CCA NC is happy to be able to continue a long tradition of financial support for graduate studies that support our mission of coastal resource conservation in North Carolina.”