When The Times first reached Rick Karney on Nov. 18 to follow up on a rumor that he was retiring as the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group (MVSG) director, he was, appropriately, at an International Conference on Shellfish Restoration in Charleston, S.C., to present the MVSG’s pioneering work on the use of invasive phragmites for nitrogen reduction.
The phragmites project is one of a long list of innovative ventures Mr. Karney, renowned shellfish biologist and founder of MVSG, has overseen in his 41-year tenure as director — from setting up the nation’s first public solar shellfish hatchery in the early 1980s to new pilot programs that are studying the viability of kelp farming and mussel farming in Vineyard waters.
On Jan. 1, 2017, he will transition to MVSG director-emeritus.
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