**WRITTEN TESTIMONY OF**

**RICHARD W. SPINRAD, Ph.D.**

**ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR**

**OFFICE OF OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH**

**NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION**

**U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE**

**BEFORE THE**

**COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES**

**SUBCOMMITEE ON FISHERIES, wildlife aND OCEANS**

**U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES**

**APRIL 3, 2008**

I am Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, Assistant Administrator of the Office of
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research conducts and sponsors the scientific research, environmental
studies, and technology development needed to improve NOAA's operations
and applications, and broaden our understanding of the Earth's
atmosphere and oceans. NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program is
contained within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. The
National Sea Grant College Program is NOAA's primary university-based
program in support of coastal resource use and conservation. Sea Grant's
research, outreach, and education programs promote better understanding,
stewardship, and use of America's coastal resources.

I am pleased to be here to tell you about the National Sea Grant College
Program. Today, I will discuss Sea Grant's vision and mission, what lies
ahead for the program, the issues we would like to see addressed in its
upcoming reauthorization, and why this program is important to NOAA.

**Sea Grant's Vision and Mission**

Sea Grant's legislative charge (PL107-299) is to "increase the
understanding, assessment, development, utilization, and conservation of
the Nation\'s ocean and coastal resources by providing assistance to
promote a strong education base, responsive research and training
activities, and broad and prompt dissemination of knowledge and
techniques."

The National Sea Grant College Program envisions a future where people
live along our coasts in harmony with the natural resources that
attracted and continue to sustain them. This is a vision of our Nation's
coasts in which we use our natural resources in ways that capture the
economic and recreational benefits they offer, while preserving their
quality and abundance for future generations.

Sea Grant is an integral part of NOAA's mission and instrumental in
helping the agency achieve its objectives in coastal communities
throughout the United States and our territories. Sea Grant's research,
outreach and education activities are connected to NOAA's mission, which
is to understand and predict changes in Earth's environment and conserve
and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation's economic,
social, and environmental needs.

**The National Sea Grant College Program**

The National Sea Grant College Program was created 42 years ago to unite
the academic power of the nation's universities with a wide range of
public and private sector partners. Sea Grant brings together
government, universities and citizens living and working in our nation's
coastal and Great Lakes states and territories to respond to problems
and opportunities in these complex and dynamic environments. Through
these partnerships, Sea Grant provides integrated research, outreach and
education programs aimed at creating tangible benefits for ocean,
coastal and Great Lakes environments and communities.

Sea Grant is a national network comprised of NOAA's National Sea Grant
Office, 32 university-based state programs, the National Sea Grant
Review Panel, a National Law Center, a National Sea Grant Library and
hundreds of participating institutions. Each Sea Grant program is
established through a competitive process and reviewed every four years.
The Sea Grant network enables NOAA and the nation to harness the best
science, technology and human expertise to balance human and
environmental needs in coastal regions.

Sea Grant's alliance with major research universities provides support
to more than 3,000 scientists, outreach specialists, educators, and
students every year. Collectively, Sea Grant has formed partnerships
with over 4,000 organizations to help reach its mission goals. Sea
Grant's university-based programs develop future scientists and managers
to conduct research and to guide the responsible management of our
nation's coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes resources. As a pioneer in what
is referred to as "translational research: from discovery to
application," Sea Grant strives for unbiased, science-based information
that is accessible to all. The diverse capabilities of Sea Grant's
network of state programs enable the organization to be creative and
responsive in generating policy-relevant research and in disseminating
scientific and technological discoveries to a wide array of audiences.
Because it is science-based, non-regulatory, and has an established
presence in local communities, Sea Grant is a trusted broker, working to
increase coastal, ocean and Great Lakes literacy among decision-makers
and the public as a whole. Sea Grant's commitment to these core values
is vital to achieving its mission.

With its strong research capabilities, local knowledge and on-the-ground
workforce, Sea Grant is ready to identify and capitalize on
opportunities, and to generate practical solutions. Sea Grant extension,
with its unique relationship with coastal partners, helps identify key
local and regional issues for the university-based programs whose
resources are directed to solve these problems. Extension is defined as
the effective transfer of science-based information by university
specialists and agents to support decision-making by individuals, groups
or institutions. Extension agents link university resources and
expertise with local communities and user groups. In short, these
specialists take complex information and show people how to use it to
solve problems. For example, Sea Grant was successful in working with
the city of Cleveland, Ohio to construct artificial reefs from the
rubble of the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the nearshore zone of
Lake Erie. Estimates indicate that these reefs attract 12 to 66 times as
many fish as the surrounding non-reef areas and produce approximately
\$1 million of economic benefit annually. This is just one example of
how Sea Grant agents work with communities in order to share expertise
and solve problems.

Sea Grant also expands the reach and effectiveness of NOAA and other
partners in planning for and managing the future of America's ocean,
coastal and Great Lakes resources by leveraging additional funds. Sea
Grant programs are required to match every \$2 of federal funding with
\$1 of non-federal funds, and many state programs far exceed this match.
The match required for federal funding also ensures this country
receives significant benefit from each dollar invested by the federal
government in Sea Grant.

The success of Sea Grant's approach to coastal resource use and
stewardship is being recognized globally. Other countries are using the
Sea Grant model when designing their own programs for engaging
universities in marine research through granting programs, outreach, and
education. With the assistance of Sea Grant, Korea has developed its own
Sea Grant program and Indonesia has created a Sea Partnership Program
with a network that extends country-wide.

**Sea Grant's Work**

Sea Grant addresses emerging issues at local, regional and national
levels through its integrated national network by bringing decades of
experience and expertise through its scientists, extension agents,
educators and communicators located in every coastal and Great Lakes
state, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Pacific island territories.

By investing in mission-priority research, Sea Grant addresses issues
such as growth in coastal communities, hurricane preparedness and
response, coastal storms and tsunamis, invasive species, development of
drugs and industrial materials from marine resources, fish and shellfish
farming and seafood safety. Each year, Sea Grant supports some 400
research projects investigating a wide variety of marine and coastal
topics, and produces more than 700 peer-reviewed journal articles and
book chapters.

While research is a crucial component of Sea Grant, transferring the
results of research to the people who can benefit from this knowledge is
equally important. Sea Grant's network of more than 300 extension
experts work with coastal communities and decision-makers to provide
informal education and transfer new technologies. These extension
experts work with communities in countless ways, including:

-   helping fish farmers develop environmentally-sound shellfish farming
    practices;

-   explaining the impacts of land use on water quality; and

-   providing technical assistance to communities planning for and
    dealing with hurricanes and other natural hazards.

Education is an integral part of Sea Grant's outreach program. A network
of 30 Sea Grant educators work with K-12 teachers to bring environmental
sciences into the classroom and the classroom out into the natural
environment. Sea Grant's support for higher education over three decades
of service has trained more than 12,000 college and graduate students,
preparing them to be the next generation of coastal stewards. More than
650 alumni within the Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
program now hold positions in NOAA, other partner agencies, the industry
sector, and non-governmental organizations. This strong workforce is
needed to solve the major environmental challenges that face the nation
and the planet.

Each program within the Sea Grant network has a dedicated communications
staff that works to deliver accurate, reliable, science-based
information. Through newsletters, brochures, posters, articles, web
sites, books, radio, videotape, and other media, Sea Grant's network of
more than 100 communicators have earned their reputations as honest
brokers of information about marine and coastal issues. In recent years,
Sea Grant communications experts have created products ranging from
environmental radio podcasts and video documentaries to informational
guides and books about the history and science of the nation's coastal
regions.

Sea Grant's place-based programs throughout the nation give the
organization the flexibility to respond to emerging needs. Sea Grant
worked throughout coastal Louisiana following Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita to help coastal communities recover. The recovery of Louisiana's
Plaquemines Parish following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was an example
of Sea Grant's ability to respond to these disasters. Sea Grant's work
in Louisiana included partnerships with the private sector. Investment
firm Goldman Sachs Group Inc. sent 30 volunteers and donated \$50,000 to
the Sea Grant-led volunteer efforts.  The funding helped Sea Grant
extension agents organize volunteer workers who came into the city and
put them in touch with people with the greatest needs to help
Plaquemines Parrish recover in time for fishing season. In addition, Sea
Grant worked with energy firm Royal Dutch Shell plc and partners to
facilitate the donation of an industrial icehouse to serve Cameron
Parish.  The icehouse was a critical component of the re-vitalization of
the Louisiana seafood industry.

Sea Grant's research efforts have catalyzed a greater understanding of
our coastal resources. Sea Grant's investment in biotechnology, for
instance, has led to the development of novel marine products and
processes. Impacts from this research extend from the marine and aquatic
realm to dimensions of human health and safety. A Great Lakes Sea Grant
researcher invented two new technologies to mass produce anti-toxins and
gauge infections. One will harvest a human antidote to counter
bioterrorism; the other technology detects deadly pathogens like
salmonella, E. coli, and cholera. This patent-pending biosensor process
can detect the state of more than 50 pathogens within minutes.

Another Sea Grant research project eliminated organic contaminants from
menhaden oil. Fish oil is an important ingredient in pet foods and
aquaculture feeds, but organic contaminants have kept the processed
product from being sold in lucrative international markets. The research
demonstrated a simple refining process to eliminate dioxin and other
impurities from crude fish oil allowing a fish oil producer operating in
the Gulf of Mexico to deliver a product that meets European Union
specifications. A Sea Grant investment of less than \$50,000 saved 200
jobs in Louisiana and helped boost U.S. exports.

Sea Grant conducts socio-economic research to help coastal managers
formulate policies that minimize the negative ecological impacts of
coastal development and coastal resource use. For example, Sea Grant
worked with the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council to
help them develop an innovative Urban Coastal Greenway Policy that
provides a new level of flexibility to a previously rigid coastal
development regulatory structure --- both in terms of environmental
protection and in building and landscape aesthetics. The policy enabled
the partners to collaborate more closely with developers on their plans
during the application process, and to tailor the plans to best benefit
the coastal environment, the developer and the public alike. As a
result, Sea Grant and its partners have been able to secure almost two
miles of new public access along the urban shore, while still
maintaining the economic integrity of development plans and the
environmental quality of a critical portion of northern Narragansett
Bay.

Sea Grant helps the seafood industry increase quality and safety, add
value, lower costs and expand seafood supplies and markets, with more
than 30 years of experience working in every coastal and Great Lake
state and involving every type of seafood product. Since 2001, training
courses led by Sea Grant extension and others with the National Seafood
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Alliance (an
intergovernmental partnership with industry and academia) have reached
about 5,000 U.S. processing plants, 6,000 importers and international
suppliers and 14,000 employees and regulators. The U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services estimates that the HACCP program has prevented
between 20,000 and 60,000 seafood-related illnesses a year, translating
into savings of about \$155 million annually. In one survey of seafood
businesses, 77 percent reported that they could not have met FDA
regulations without the HACCP training programs. Sea Grant extension
staff have also extended HACCP protocols to address invasive species,
offering training to aquaculturists in the Great Lakes in order to
prevent the spread of highly destructive aquatic invasive species.

Sea Grant researchers and outreach specialists are uniquely situated to
promote collaborations on subjects critical to decisions being made by
fisheries managers on a variety of topics from stock assessment, habitat
and ecosystem health, environmental contamination and conflict
resolution, among many others. For example, Sea Grant researchers have
developed a revolutionary, rapid and reliable method of DNA analysis to
identify shark species from fins, carcasses and other body parts. This
one-step forensics technique allows for the identification of U.S.
fishing vessels suspected of catching and selling protected species such
as the dusky and the great white shark. This technology helped federal
prosecutors confirm the presence of prohibited species in four of five
investigations, resulting in fines of more than \$100,000 and creating
further deterrence for illegal fishing activities. Thus far, the Sea
Grant research team has fully developed and tested DNA markers for 18
U.S. Atlantic shark species.

Recognizing the demand for fisheries extension services and the
complexity of fisheries issues, the National Sea Grant Office and NOAA's
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) were asked by Congress to
develop a program to improve communications with and among fisheries
constituents. The partnership between Sea Grant and NMFS was enhanced by
developing a regionally-coordinated, constituent-based fisheries
extension program. The initial Sea Grant investment of \$5 million led
to:

-   a partnership between NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to
    reduce seabird bycatch in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, an
    activity that led to new fishing regulations and circumvented
    potential lawsuits that might have shut down a \$200 million
    fishery;

-   the Eliminator Trawl designed to catch underutilized haddock, likely
    resulting in economic gains of \$30 million --- a design for which
    Rhode Island Sea Grant extension agents were awarded the grand prize
    in the 2007 World Wildlife Federation's International Smart Gear
    Competition; and

-   a partnership between the National Marine Fisheries Service
    Southeast Fisheries Center and Sea Grant extension agents to deliver
    training programs and to distribute 1,000 bycatch reduction devices
    to fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico.

This list of just some examples of accomplishments demonstrates many of
the Sea Grant capabilities that have earned it a reputation as a highly
effective national program.

**Future of Sea Grant**

[National Strategic Planning]{.underline}

Sea Grant is currently completing its national strategic planning
process for 2009 to 2013. This five-year strategic plan establishes
direction for the Sea Grant network to address critical national needs
in coastal, ocean and Great Lakes environments. The plan capitalizes on
Sea Grant's unique capacities and strengths, allows for flexibility and
creativity on the part of state Sea Grant programs, and supports a broad
range of priorities in NOAA's strategic plan, and NOAA's 20-Year
Research Vision and Five-Year Research Plan

Over the next five years, Sea Grant will concentrate effort in four
focus areas: healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable coastal
development, a safe and sustainable seafood supply, and hazard
resilience in coastal communities. These four interrelated focus areas
emerged from diverse stakeholder input, including advice from the Sea
Grant Review Panel, during the strategic planning process as areas of
critical importance to the health and vitality of the nation's coastal
resources and communities. These areas reflect issues of major
importance to NOAA and are areas in which Sea Grant has made substantial
contributions in the past and is positioned to make contributions in the
future. In addition, these focus areas are consistent with the work of
the NOAA coastal program integration effort which is working to improve
coordination in the development and delivery of services within NOAA's
coastal programs.

Sea Grant's new strategic plan will address timely issues affecting
coastal regions, including issues related to climate change, coastal
hazards and coastal development. Sea Grant\'s extension staff, with
diverse backgrounds and coastal specialties, will play a critical role
in identifying local needs for climate research and information. Sea
Grant extension staff can serve as intermediaries between NOAA's climate
researchers and coastal decision-makers, helping to define and deliver
NOAA's climate tools and products that are needed at the local level. In
this way, Sea Grant's work complements the outreach efforts of other
NOAA programs, such as the National Integrated Drought Information
System and the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program,
with Sea Grant maintaining a specific focus on coastal communities. Sea
Grant is committed to support research and outreach to effectively apply
innovative techniques to restore degraded ecosystems. Also, Sea Grant
has recognized the need to invest in research that evaluates the
environmental and socio-economic trade-offs involved in coastal planning
and decision-making.

Sea Grant is one of many partners working to address these complex and
interrelated issues. Using partnerships to accomplish shared goals is a
strategy inherent to Sea Grant and key to its successes.

[Regional Plans]{.underline}

Consistent with the President's *U.S. Ocean Action Plan*, and the
recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, NOAA has
committed to adopting ecosystem-based approaches to management to
achieve balance among ecological, environmental and social influences in
our nation's coastal, ocean and Great Lakes regions. In order to advance
this effort, regional coordinators of Sea Grant programs are
facilitating planning efforts to aid in the transition toward regional
ecosystem-based management. Sea Grant is engaging a wide array of
stakeholders to develop a "bottom-up" needs assessment by identifying
research and information gaps, developing prioritized management-based
regional research and information plans, coordinating technology and
information transfer to appropriate end users, and providing an ongoing
platform for coordination, collaboration, and resource-sharing among
participants.

These regional plans will include clear statements of the major
regional, ocean and coastal management issues, outlines of existing
scientific and informational resources, analyses of the information
necessary to address the critical issues, and a prioritized list of
actions to be taken. Each final plan will include a prioritized list of
forecast products that would aid in the transition toward regional
ecosystem-based management. Eight regions are currently participating in
this planning process (Gulf of Maine, Great Lakes, Insular Pacific,
Alaska, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest, Gulf of Mexico, and the
South Atlantic) and their plans will be completed by the end of FY 2008.
The remaining three regions (New York Bight, Mid-Atlantic and the
Caribbean) are beginning the process in FY 2008, with plans scheduled
for completion by the end of FY 2010.

Although the planning process is not complete, every region has
identified climate change impacts as a top priority for research,
including research that refines predictive models to regional and local
scales, and consideration of socioeconomic and ecological effects.
Beyond this issue, priorities are as diverse as the different regions'
geological and ecological signatures. The Insular Pacific region
prioritizes beach and reef restoration research, in the Great Lakes the
priority is aquatic invasive species, in the Northeast the priority is
storm safety, and along the Pacific coast the priority is ocean
observation systems for better assessing the land-sea connection. Each
region must include an outreach component in their plan, ensuring timely
delivery of pertinent technologies and tools to the appropriate users.

**Sea Grant Reauthorization**

The *National Sea Grant College Program Act* (*Act*) was first enacted
in 1966 and has been amended nine times, most recently in 2002. NOAA is
supportive of efforts to reauthorize this *Act* as the National Sea
Grant College Program has achieved significant accomplishments
nationwide in promoting research, education, training and advisory
service activities that have increased the understanding, assessment,
development, utilization and conservation of the nation\'s ocean,
coastal and Great Lakes resources.

Currently, the Administration is preparing a bill to reauthorize the
National Sea Grant College Program, and will propose several changes we
would like to see made in the next reauthorization. These changes
include:

-   *Advancing Sea Grant's Capacity for Regional and National
    Leadership[: ]{.smallcaps}* Since its inception, Sea Grant has
    addressed issues at both the national and local levels. The *U.S.
    Ocean Action Plan*, recognizing that many of our nation's most
    compelling ocean and coastal issues are most effectively addressed
    regionally, has established regional collaboration as one of three
    near-term priorities, and NOAA is strengthening its ability to
    coordinate its activities regionally. The U.S. Commission on Ocean
    Policy highlighted Sea Grant's potential for carrying out regional
    science and information tasks. Regional research and information
    plans are already underway, as mentioned earlier in my testimony,
    and a reauthorization bill that would strengthen this regional
    leadership effort would benefit to the program.

-   *Transforming the National Sea Grant Review Panel into a National
    Advisory Board:* The National Sea Grant Review Panel (Panel) was
    established in 1976 to provide advice on all applications submitted
    to Sea Grant for funding, on the Sea Grant fellowship program, on
    the designation and operation of Sea Grant colleges and on the
    development and application of planning guidelines and priorities.
    Over the past 30 years, the role of the Panel has evolved in
    consonance with the evolution of Sea Grant's influence and
    effectiveness. The Panel no longer reviews funding or fellowship
    applications and the designation of new Sea Grant colleges happens
    rarely as there are few coastal and Great Lakes states without a Sea
    Grant college. The 2006 National Research Council report called for
    the Panel to be "better positioned to comment on issues of broader
    significance to the overall program" and stated the Panel's sole
    function should be "to promote the effectiveness of the program as a
    whole." The duties of this body should be more focused on providing
    strategic advice regarding the national program, as well as
    providing assessment of the overall effectiveness of the program. A
    reauthorization bill should reflect these changes to the Review
    Panel and allow for them to better address the needs of the program
    as it has evolved since 1976.

H.R. 5618, the *National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of
2008*, does address many of the same concepts that NOAA and the
Administration are considering as part of a reauthorization bill. We
look forward to working with the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and
Oceans as this is important legislation to NOAA as we continue to better
understand, assess, develop, utilize and conserve our coastal and Great
Lakes resources.

**Conclusion**

In summary, Sea Grant is working to realize its vision for a future
where people live along our coasts in harmony with the natural resources
that attracted and continue to sustain them. This is a vision of our
Nation's coasts in which we use our natural resources in ways that
capture the economic and recreational benefits they offer, while
preserving their quality and abundance for future generations. This work
allows Sea Grant to effectively serve NOAA's mission goal to protect,
restore and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources.

Sea Grant has demonstrated an ability to leverage resources and engage
issues in partnership with other entities; this program has proven
itself to be an effective investment of taxpayer dollars. Looking ahead,
the Sea Grant network of universities provides a national infrastructure
with the ability to adapt and respond to emerging issues. I look forward
to working with you to ensure that the National Sea Grant College
Program continues to generate practical solutions to real problems in
real places.

Thank you for inviting me to testify on the National Sea Grant College
Program today. I thank you also for your interest in and support of
NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program.