Programs at CMAST

The Aquatic Animal Health group is led by Dr. Craig Harms, and performs investigations of marine mammal and sea turtle morbidity and mortality, identifies novel pathogens and parasites of aquatic animals, and conducts clinically-applied research aimed at improving health and welfare of captive aquatic animals.

The North Carolina Aquariums, the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Environmental Medicine Consortium (EMC) and Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) have a productive history advancing the field of aquatic animal health through diagnostic investigations, innovative therapeutics, and scientific publications to disseminate important findings.

The Coastal and Marine Toxicology Program in the Department of Biological Sciences works to understand how toxicants in coastal and marine environments impact the organisms that reside there.

The Shellfish Pathology Program in the Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, leads research, education, and extension programs focused on understanding and managing pathogen and disease impacts to shellfish aquaculture and fisheries.

The Marine Ecology and Conservation Program in the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Sciences, is dedicated to testing and applying concepts in ecology and conservation to effective management and restoration of coastal and marine fisheries and ecosystems.

Education Outreach activities provide educational experiences for both youth and teachers via hands-on workshops and programs based at CMAST, or delivered on school campuses.

The fisheries ecology group addresses the question, “What causes populations of fish to vary in size?” Increases in population size result from production of young fish, which we refer to as ‘recruitment’.

CMAST hosts the only horizontal, large bore, high field resonance imaging and spectroscopy magnet devoted to the in-vivo study of marine and aquatic biota in the U.S.

How can we monitor the health of marine organisms and how is health affected by changes in the environment? Answering this question is one of the goals of the Marine Metabonics Laboratory at CMAST.

NC State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology in Morehead City, NC enthusiastically supports undergraduate research – providing students with opportunities to design projects and gain rewarding research experiences.

The Seafood Laboratory in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences represents NC State’s long-standing commitment to the North Carolina seafood industry.

The Semester at CMAST program allows students to get their feet wet and hands sandy alongside top professional researchers and graduate students, offering them unprecedented exposure to all facets of marine science.

The Quantitative Fisheries Program in the Department of Applied Ecology leads research, education, and extension programs focused on providing quantitative scientific advice for fisheries management.