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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
1940
SPECIAL PULL-OUT SECTION
VIMS has seen dramatic change and growth since 1940. Remove this map and foldout timeline to appreciate the global scope of our current research and to explore milestones in our history.
By the Numbers VIMS
25.4
Oyster eggs spawned by ABC since 1998
247
Technical and administrative staff
3
VIMS draws students from countries colored in teal.
128,000 49 19 Specimens in the Nunnally Ichthyology Collection, encompassing 247 families of fishes
4,700
International Partners
Acres of seagrass restored to Virginia’s coastal bays
Worldwide Research Locations
Square feet of research facilities on the Main Campus, including associated offices
2 01 5 B U D G E T
Number of campuses, including the Gloucester Point Main Campus, the Eastern Shore Laboratory at Wachapreague, and the Kauffman Aquaculture Center on the Rappahannock River
Global Map
Scientific faculty
Approximate percentage of annual budget from competitive grants and contracts
Fish and invertebrates processed by the juvenile trawl survey between 1955 and 2013
80,000
Vessels in the research fleet, including 4 measuring 26’ or more
Volumes in the Hargis Library, plus more than 70,000 pages of scientific reports
School of Marine Science
Chesapeake Bay Map VIMS Main Campus, Gloucester Point
75 9 1,000+ 40 1:1
VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory, Wachapreague
Male/female ratio in 2015
VIMS Kauffman Aquaculture Center, Topping A sampling of major research locations throughout Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.
180,000+ million
VIMS scientists conduct research and collaborate with colleagues around the world, and our student body likewise has an international flair. We have formal partnerships with ocean research institutes in five other nations.
Time & Space
BILLION
Science for the Bay, Impact for the World
For more information on the following topics, please go to our website links below: International Partners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vims.edu/intl_partners Bay and Worldwide Research sites. . . . . . . . . . . . vims.edu/global_research
PhD and MS degrees awarded as of 2015 commencement
Number of years VIMS has offered graduate-level marine science education
VIMS graduate students selected for Knauss Marine Policy fellowships since 1979
Recipients of joint degree from VIMS and W&M’s Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy since 1997
97 Current full-time students