Sea Grant Welcomes New Reef Fisheries Fellow
For immediate release
Contact: Scott Baker at 910-962-2492 or msbaker@ncsu.edu.
Greyson Webb is the new South Atlantic Reef Fish Extension and Communication Fellow. She will work with Sea Grant programs in the Southeast and with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
“We’re excited to work with Greyson,” says Scott Baker, fisheries specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant. “With a background in journalism, Greyson is eager to perform outreach in the angling community and design a plan of work that advances anglers’ understanding of our reef fish science and management challenges.”
Webb earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in sustainability from the George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, D.C. With the Environmental Conservation Corps at the Sustainability Institute, she collaborated with government agencies and nonprofits to enhance coastal resilience, restore habitats, and safeguard vulnerable areas.
“I am honored and beyond excited to step into this role as the Reef Fish Extension and Communication Fellow with Sea Grant and the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council,” says Webb. “Not only is this fellowship an amazing personal opportunity to combine my skills, interests, and passions, but it’s also an incredible chance to contribute to an exploratory project centered on collaboration, trust-building, and positive change in our fisheries.”
Webb also worked as a digital communications team lead for the Institute for International Economic Policy. She gained editorial experience at Charleston Magazine and has been involved with various student publications, including the GW Hatchet at GWU and Legend in Charleston, S.C. She was editor-in-chief at Legend and the South Carolina Scholastic Journalist of the Year in 2019.
The South Atlantic Reef Fish Extension and Communication Fellowship is a collaborative effort of Sea Grant programs in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Webb’s experience in communications will be an asset as she serves as a liaison among fishers, scientists, and managers on issues of reef fish management.
“The Sea Grant Reef Fish Fellowship has been incredibly valuable to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, from the Best Fishing Practices Initiative to the Council’s Citizen Science Program to our general outreach initiatives,” says Christina Wiegand, a social scientist on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. “Not only has the partnership allowed us to expand our outreach capacity, but it has brought in new perspectives, allowing us to continually update our outreach efforts in new and exciting ways. We’re so excited to have Greyson on board and looking forward to seeing the new direction she takes the Fellowship.”
Funding for the fellowship is part of a multi-region, multi-state reef fish extension and outreach programming effort to support sustainable fisheries through communication. The program’s goals are to translate the science coming from counts of great red snapper and greater amberjack and provide information on this work’s process, discoveries, and implications.
Webb will work on projects that advance stakeholder understanding of reef fish issues and management, including advances in research related to red snapper, greater amberjack, and other managed reef fish species.
“As a Charleston native, the communities and conservation issues I’ll be engaging with hold a very special place in my heart,” says Webb. “I hope the efforts I put forth over the duration of this fellowship play a positive role in bridging the gap that exists in the world of fisheries to produce shared progress for our fishermen, scientists, management, and, of course, our marine ecosystems.”
