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54 st / September 2015 www.sea-technology.com ISCO Created for Coastal Management The U.K. National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and the University of Liv- erpool have entered into a new strate- gic partnership creating the Institute for Sustainable Coasts and Oceans (ISCO). ISCO is a collaborative venture that brings together marine scientists, social scientists, engineers, and economists to meet the challenges of a changing ocean and a changing coastal popula- tion. It will provide the improved con- nectivity between experts in these dif- ferent felds and, through world-class research, will provide the knowledge needed to deliver sustainable manage- ment of the coast and coastal seas. The NOC and the University of Liv- erpool have collaborated successfully for many years, particularly in the areas of ocean climate and sea level rise; ob- servations and computer modeling of complex shelf systems; and marine re- newable energy. ISCO will develop that research base further, building wider stakeholder partnerships, with the goal of becoming an internationally rec- ognized center of excellence for joint research with an emphasis on societal impacts. "One-third of the world's population lives in the coastal zone, and coastal seas are vital for transportation, food and energy production, tourism, and leisure," said George Wolff, head of the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Liverpool. Study on Parrotfsh Role in FL Keys' Reefs With the help of a nearly $10,000 grant awarded by education partner Mote Marine Laboratory, Jacksonville University (JU) researchers are studying how parrotfsh may be helping or hurt- ing the coral reefs so critical to marine life in the lower Florida Keys. Marine Science Professor Dan Mc- Carthy and two of his graduate students are examining whether reefs fourish when more parrotfsh are around to eat the algae that can cause coral bleach- ing, or whether certain species of par- rotfsh feeding on the live coral itself might also damage them. During the research, expected to wrap up at the end of summer 2016, they will also look at whether coral transplants survive best depending on how and where they are placed on the reefs, and on whether or not they are protected from predatory fsh by mesh cages. Federal Funding Available For Fish Habitat Projects The Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) is requesting proj- ect applications to restore and conserve habitat necessary to support coastal, estuarine-dependent, and diadromous fsh species along the Atlantic Coast. Federal funding available under the National Fish Habitat Action Plan through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice will be used to support the top- ranked proposals. Projects should be geared toward meeting ACFHP's protection and resto- ration objectives described in its Con- servation Strategic Plan. The maximum amount available for an individual project is $50,000. These funds can only be used for on-the- marine resources