On Tuesday, Feb. 25, 14 representatives of state, federal, and non-profit representatives met in Charleston, SC to discuss collaborative support of shellfish sanitation in the southeast U.S. states.

The goal of the meeting was to allow state representatives to share their shellfish sanitation mission, best practices, and challenges and hear from NOAA line offices on existing collaborative projects and the potential for future support. The half dozen action items ranged from the sharing of GIS resources amongst states and federal partners to the full evaluation, distribution, and integration of NOAA precipitation data to state shellfish sanitation efforts. The idea of future meetings was unanimously supported by state participants. A full report of the meeting and action items will follow.