Updated October 2013

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Sea Grant 101Science Serving America’s Coasts

Athelstan Spilhaus" I have suggested the establishment of ‘sea-grant colleges' in existing universities that wish to develop oceanic work . . . These would be modernized parallels of the great developments in agriculture and the mechanic arts which were occasioned by the Land-Grant Act of about a hundred years ago . . . Establishment of the land-grant colleges was one of the best investments this nation ever made. That same kind of imagination and foresight should be applied to exploitation of the sea." – Science, 1964

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Sea Grant’s Mission

“Enhance the practical use and conservation of coastal, marine and Great Lakes resources to

create a sustainable economy and environment”

What is Sea Grant?

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States

Industry

300 partner

Institutions

33 University-based programs

• “One Sea Grant” – a federal-university partnership supporting NOAA’s mission

• National, regional, and local priorities• Local and regional implementation

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• Sea Grant provides integrated research, and outreach for decision-makers

• Sea Grant provides a bridge between government, academia, industry, scientists and citizens

What is Sea Grant?

Sea Grant’s Niche• Sea Grant provides relevant

and timely information– Research based on urgent needs of

coastal managers and residents– Place-based science

• Sea Grant gets information to users– Outreach network puts research

results to use

• Sea Grant is well respected & consistent– Permanent, full-time extension

agents

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Sea Grant & NOAA

• Engagement with universities – applied to oceans, coasts, Great Lakes

• Stable national infrastructure –600 permanent university employees on the ground in every coastal county in the U.S.– Draws on more than 3,000 scientists, engineers,

law and policy specialists, public outreach experts, educators and students from more than 300 institutions

• Support for 350-400 research projects annually – about 1000 graduate students and 300 research FTEs

• Connects 4500+ partner organizations each year

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Sea Grant’s BudgetFY2012 – $62.2MFY2013 – $57.3M

FY2014 – TBD ?

FY2014 Request House SenateOverall Total 72.2 64.5 72.2Base 57.7 57.7 57.7Aquaculture 4.5 6.0Resilience Research 4.5 2.3 4.5STEM Education -4.0 -- --Grand Challenge 10.0 -- 4.0

Sea Grant Funding

• Required state program match- 2:1

• NOAA’s investment of $62M yields a $160M+ program (FY12)

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Sea Grant Funding

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Sea Grant Outreach:Extension

400+ Sea Grant Extension Agents Cover the Coasts

Sea Grant Extension

Goal: Effect environmental and/or socioeconomic change through outcome-based education

Network is unique within NOAA:

• 425 agents & specialists– University employees – 75%

Masters, 25% PhD– Most are community-based

• NOAA has ~750 outreach personnel, including Sea Grant

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What Makes Sea Grant Extension Effective?

• Non-advocacy– Presents alternatives &

provides all viewpoints• University-based educators

– no regulatory function• Connected to key coastal

clientele– trust developed through 40-

year history• Flexible programming

– responsive to local user needs

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Sea Grant Outreach: Education

• Goal: Enhance environmental literacy and workforce development

• The Sea Grant Educators Network promotes this through:

– Curriculum development– After school programs– Teacher continuing education– Summer programs

• Fellowships – Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships– Sea Grant / NMFS Marine Resource Economics

& Population Dynamics Fellowships

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Sea Grant Outreach: Communications

• Goal: Convey science based information to target audiences through a variety of mediums

• The Sea Grant Communications Network:– Works with researchers, educators & extension

agents to provide accurate and timely information on coastal and marine issues

Sea Grant Publications

Publication Type Print Titles: 41,505 total

Reprints (journal articles, book chapters) 19,004

Technical Reports 3,400

Conference Proceedings 1,298

Handbooks/manuals 988

Videos/DVDs 330

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Sea Grant Library: http://nsgd.gso.uri.edu/

Number of downloads per year: about 700,000

Digital Collection Publications: 21,997 totalPublicly accessible 18,745

Electronically archived (copyright protected)

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Sea GrantProgram Focus Areas

Goals• Sound scientific information • Informed and knowledgeable citizenry• Decision-making processes that

balance multiple interests

National Focus Areas (2009-2013)• Healthy Coastal Ecosystems• Sustainable Coastal Development• Safe and Sustainable Seafood Supply• Hazard Resilience in Coastal

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Sea GrantProgram Focus Areas

Goals• Sound scientific information • Informed and knowledgeable citizenry• Decision-making processes that

balance multiple interests

National Focus Areas (2014-2017)• Healthy Coastal Ecosystems• Resilient Communities and Economies• Sustainable Fisheries & Aquaculture• Environmental Literacy & Workforce

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Sea GrantFocus Areas and Goals

• Healthy Coastal Ecosystems– Sound science to support

ecosystem-based management

– Widespread use of ecosystem-based approaches to managing land, water, and living resources in coastal areas

– Restored function and productivity of degraded ecosystems

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Sea GrantFocus Areas and Goals

• Resilient Communities & Economies– Development of vibrant and

resilient coastal economies– Communities use

comprehensive planning to make informed decisions

– Improvements in coastal water resources sustain human health and ecosystem services

– Resilient coastal communities adapt to the impacts of hazards and climate change

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Sea GrantFocus Areas and Goals

• Sustainable Fisheries & Aquaculture– A safe, secure and sustainable

supply of seafood to meet public demand

– Informed consumers who understand the health benefits of seafood consumption and how to evaluate the safety and sustainability of the seafood they buy

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Sea GrantFocus Areas and Goals

• Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development– An environmentally literate public supported & informed

by a continuum of lifelong formal and informal engagement opportunities

– A future workforce reflecting the diversity of SG programs skilled in STEM and other disciplines critical to local, regional and national needs.

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A Snapshot of Sea Grant Successes

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Sea Grant Performance Measures (one year period)

– 630 Businesses created or retained – 3,800 Jobs created or retained– $170M Economic (market and non‐market)

benefits derived from Sea Grant activities

– Sea Grant’s ability to leverage federal funding, generate powerful partnerships and provide technical assistance to industry, enabled the Program to contribute this estimated benefit to the nation.

Source: 2012 Annual Reports

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Sea Grant Metrics: Students & Degrees(2012)

• Sea Grant Supported Undergraduate Students1000

• Sea Grant Supported Graduate Students 950

• Sea Grant Supported Undergraduate Degrees 150

• Sea Grant Supported Graduate Degrees 200

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Sea Grant Fellowships & Long-Term Impact

• A recent survey of NOAA's employees revealed that 22% of the 1,500 respondents had received training through Sea Grant in the form of fellowships, internships or research positions.

• In addition, 94% of NOAA Sea Grant alumni said Sea Grant training or support positively influenced their professional development and achievements, and 82% claimed that their Sea Grant experience helped them get their NOAA job.

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Impact: Resilient Communities & Economies

Sea Grant low-impact development ordinance endorsed by Los Angeles mayor University of Southern California (USC) Sea Grant worked with the former Public Works Commissioner and the Bureau of Sanitation to develop a low-impact development ordinance that was endorsed by City Council. As a result of these efforts, Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa signed the ordinance. The ordinance seeks to balance multiple uses and to optimize environmental sustainability. Sea Grant’s work is helping coastal communities make efficient use of land, energy and water resources and protect the resources needed to sustain coastal ecosystems and quality of life.

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Sea Grant helps citizens and businesses address national access issues

Sea Grant convened a National Working Waterfronts and Waterways Council—a nationwide group of Sea Grant programs, industry

associations, nonprofits, state andfederal agencies, research universities and individuals dedicated to

supporting and enhancing our nations working waterfronts and waterways.

Impact: Resilient Communities & Economies

Sea Grant research develops three-dimensional tsunami model A model developed by Hawai‘i Sea Grant researchers is setting a new standard for tsunami inundation mapping. NEOWAVE (Non-hydrostatic Evolution of Ocean WAVE) is capable of taking into account wave breaking, wave dispersion and more. After winning the 2009 Benchmark Challenge at Oregon State University, the tsunami model has received worldwide attention. Hawai‘i, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Gulf coast states have adopted NEOWAVE as the standard model for tsunami inundation mapping under the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. Chile has adopted NEOWAVE as the national standard for tsunami inundation mapping.

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Impact: Healthy Coastal EcosystemsSea Grant works to stabilize marsh areas using recycled materials Louisiana Sea Grant is working with Floating Islands Environmental Solutions, Inc. (FIES) in Baton Rouge to develop a floating matrix composed of recycled plastic drinking bottles that will help stabilize marsh and island areas. Sea Grant and the Louisiana State University AgCenter also helped evaluate the nutrient removal capacity of these floating islands containing wetlands plants and rhizomes. As a result, FIES has grown and now employs eight full-time employees, with plans to expand. FIES also has contracts in most of the southern states and has deployed products at Disney World and the Chicago Zoo.

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Impacts: Safe Sustainable Seafood Supply

Sea Grant reduces fuel consumption and saves jobs Since 2008, Texas Sea Grant has worked with shrimp fishermen to expand the use of fuel-saving trawl gear. Reported fuel savings range from 20% to 39%. To date, more than 85% of the Cameron County Texas shrimp fleet (132 vessels) has switched to the new fuel-saving trawl gear. Since 2008, county-wide fuel savings have been estimated to be 7.3 million gallons of diesel, valued at $17.8 million. An estimated 200 jobs were saved because without these fuel savings, many of the vessels would have remained idle.

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Impacts: Safe Sustainable Seafood SupplySea Grant scientist’s groundbreaking spawning method earns patent and leads to new jobsA Wisconsin Sea Grant scientist was awarded a patent for a yellow perch spawning method that allows the fish to be raised year-round. This technology and ongoing Sea Grant guidance led to development of Sweet Water Organics a for-profit that hired a workforce of 10 (that they hope to triple by the end of 2012). Last year, the business sold 3,000 yellow perch, which can command more than $16 a pound in the marketplace. Sea Grant's research and technical expertise have helped bolster “buy-local” food production and created a marketing phenomenon in the Great Lakes and other regions as well.

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Impacts: Climate AdaptationSea Grant helps communities prepare for climate changeFlorida Sea Grant legal specialists have worked with the city of Punta Gorda in Florida to identify specific adaptation strategies to sea-level rise, which led to the city being selected as a pilot community in the nation’s first Climate Ready Estuary Adaptation Plan.

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Impacts: Climate AdaptationSea Grant sea level rise policy becomes lawRhode Island Sea Grant-developed sea level rise policy recently became law, and also helped a state working group develop new coastal construction requirements.

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Thank you

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