SOLOMONS, MD (August 13, 2013)--The Chesapeake Biological Laboratory rededicates the Fisheries Research Complex in honor of Eugene Cronin, the lab’s second director and passionate advocate for health of the Chesapeake Bay, on August 20 at 2 p.m. The complex, in which ecological and toxicology research is conducted, will officially be renamed the L. Eugene Cronin Laboratory.
“Gene Cronin was associated with the lab since his days as a graduate student in the 1940s, and served as our second Director from 1955-1977. We feel his legacy in everything we do today,” said current Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Director Tom Miller.
The building will be rededicated by Cronin’s widow, Alice Cronin, who lives in Annapolis. Also attending will be his two sons David (Annapolis, MD) and John (Invermere, British Columbia, Canada) and their families.
Cronin (1907-1998), named the “Admiral of the Chesapeake” by Governor Harry Hughes, was an estuarine ecologist who conducted groundbreaking research on the biology, ecology and fisheries of blue crab. His work on the reproductive biology of blue crabs is still considered to be the reference work.
He developed strong working relationships with Chesapeake Bay watermen and established the first fishery-dependent survey of the weight and characteristics of crabs caught in the Bay. One of the first to realize the importance of the involvement of watermen in fisheries management, he worked with them to sample all the crabs landed on the first Monday of the month at picking houses throughout the Maryland waters of Chesapeake Bay. Cronin also played a large role in the establishment of the joint state and federal Chesapeake Bay Program.
Located where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory is the oldest publicly supported marine laboratory on the East Coast. Founded in 1925, it has long been a national leader in fisheries, environmental chemistry and toxicology, and ecosystem science and restoration ecology. From developing successful fisheries management plans and breaking new ground in understanding how chemicals move between the atmosphere, sediments, and water to renowned work on nutrient dynamics and the food web, the lab is developing new scientific approaches to solving environmental management problems that face our world.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science unleashes the power of science to transform the way society understands and manages the environment. By conducting cutting-edge research into today's most pressing environmental problems and training the next generation of environmental scientists, we are developing new ideas to help guide our state, nation, and world toward a more sustainable future. From the mountains to the sea, our five research centers include the Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, the Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore, and the Maryland Sea Grant College in College Park. www.umces.edu
# # #