# Presentation: 040745

## NOAA Sea Grant

**Science Serving America’s Coasts**

## Outline             

- What is Sea Grant?
- How does Sea Grant serve the rest of NOAA?
- Legislative mandates and implications
- Financial information
- Evaluation mechanisms
- How Sea Grant works (programmatic information, science themes)
- Programmatic highlights (case studies)

## Sea Grant 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?

- NOAA’s National Sea Grant College
- Program is a federal-university partnership

**32 University-based programs**

**   ****States**
**   ****Industry**
**   ****300 partner ****	****Institutions**

**National**
**Sea Grant Review**
**Panel**

## What is Sea Grant?

- Legislative Mandate
- November 2002 Reauthorization keeps Sea Grant in NOAA in its present form
- Allows for national initiatives and significant funding growth
- FY06 Authorization - $98M; Appropriation - $54.7M
- Reauthorization focuses on:
- Coastal Resources, Education, R&D, Outreach, University-based infrastructure
- Merit-based funding and competition
- Inter- and Intra- agency authority
- Strategic planning
- Performance reviews

**Notes:**
Sea Grant Reauthorization was unanimously passed on November 26, 2002

## What is Sea Grant?

- Not just another granting program
- A mechanism for government to engage the academic community to address management issues
- A program that fully utilizes the full spectrum of bottom-up and top-down approaches
- A long-term investment in regions and in local capacity building
- Local responsibility and management

**Notes:**
Sea Grant Reauthorization was unanimously passed on November 26, 2002

## What is Sea Grant?

- National Sea Grant Office (Federal)
- 32 Sea Grant programs in every coastal and Great Lakes state (Non-federal)
- Each Institution conducts integrated:
- Research
- Education
- Outreach (Extension and Communications)
- Sea Grant Association of University members housing Sea Grant programs
- Sea Grant Review Panel

## Sea Grant National Office

- National Sea Grant Office (NSGO):
- Provides **grants to 32** Sea Grant programs
- Mandated to **manage federal ***and*** match** dollars
- Limits **costs** of **administration** to **5%** of **appropriations**
- Oversees program evaluation via **Program Assessment** process
- Manages **funding competition** for National Strategic Investments
- Manages **Knauss** and other Fellowship programs
- Provides **national leadership** for Research, Education, Extension, Communications and Fiscal networks

## NSGO Org Chart

## Sea Grant Review Panel

- The Sea Grant Review Panel:
- Is a legislated FACA committee appointed by the Secretary of Commerce

**Notes:**
Advises the Secretary of Commerce
Recommends “Sea Grant College” status to the Secretary of Commerce
Studies and reviews operations of the Sea Grant community
Conducts Program Assessments based on four criteria: planning, organization, scientific results, and user connection

## Sea Grant Association 

- Sea Grant programs are represented by the Sea Grant Association (SGA)
- SGA is a non-profit membership of universities that house Sea Grant programs

**Notes:**
SGA is the mechanism for programs to coordinate activities, suggest regional and national priorities to NSGO, and provide a unified voice for Sea Grant institutions on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes issues

## How Sea Grant Serves NOAA

- Sea Grant is a primary mechanism for NOAA to engage state, local, regional, and academic constituents through:
- Regional/local capacity building
- Research and Information Services

**Notes:**
Sea Grant provides access to state and local outreach infrastructure
Sea Grant provides access to and support from important coastal constituencies at the state and local levels
Sea Grant identifies priority areas for new programs and products that could be provided by NOAA

## How Sea Grant Serves NOAA

**Successfully engages universities** (e.g. Land Grant model) applied to oceans, coasts, Great Lakes
**Commands $95M**, plus other leveraged assets – includes match and pass-through funds
**Offers stable national infrastructure **including about 500 permanent employees

**Notes:**
Sea Grant has: 
Flexible, responsive, innovative, efficient organizational structure
Strong, influential Review Panel
Strong Congressional support, growth potential, avenue to support other NOAA programs as well
High potential for NOAA integration: NOS, NMFS, OAR
Visibility/regional/matrix

Stable national infrastructure:
Renowned universities, strong user support
Capable research, education, and outreach network
Access to local R&D assets
“Human capital” for NOAA mission

## Financial Information

## Financial Information

**Financial Information**

- Corals

- Ecosystem
- Research

- Fisheries
- Management

- Habitat
- Restoration

- Invasive Species

- Aquaculture

- Coastal Resource
- Management

- * All Sea Grant funds
- assigned to Ecosystem
- Research Matrix

## Financial Implications of Legislation

**Strong Hill support** by authorizers
- Allocation based on **merit and competition**
**Integrated NOAA research, education, and outreach** via Sea Grant network
- Strong NOAA input to Sea Grant priorities
- Opportunity for **growth in appropriations (authorized to $103M by 2008)**

**Notes:**
Strong Hill support reflects constituent support but highlights continuing need for “Beltway education” on SG
Requirement for allocation based on merit and competition in FY 04 and beyond
Congress sees Sea Grant as important to NOAA
Resulting Communications Plan developed to promote and maintain Congressional and Executive support
NOAA has an opportunity to use Sea Grant for research, education, and outreach 
NOAA has larger role in defining Sea Grant activities
Sea Grant has an opportunity for growth in appropriations

## Sea Grant Evaluation: Program Assessments

**Performance-based Reviews – 4 yr cycle:**
- Led by Program Assessment Teams (PATs)
- Rated on four benchmarks of performance:
- Program Impact (50%)
- Planning (10%)
- Management (20%)
- User Connections (20%)
- Indicators of performance
- Ratings / NSGO review
- Merit funding is related to rating

## How Sea Grant Works

- Sea Grant provides **Research**, **Education**, and **Outreach** for management decisions; Sea Grant bridges government, academia, industry, scientists and citizens

## How Sea Grant Works

- Organized into cross cutting theme teams that map to NOAA’s program structure:
- Biotechnology 	Seafood Science & Safety
- Digital Ocean		Marine & Aquatic Science Literacy
- Aquaculture		Coastal Communities & Economies
- Fisheries		Ecosystems & Habitats
- Coastal Hazards	Urban Coasts
- 				Aquatic Invasive Species
- Meta-themes: Coastal Communities/Economies, Coastal Monitoring/Observations

## Sea Grant Research

- FY 2006 – $44.9M, 440 research projects ($32.1M Total Federal / $12.8M Match)
- State Programs – 357 projects, $34.0M ($22.0M Federal SG/ $12.0M Match)
- National Competitions – 28 projects, $2.4M ($1.6M Federal SG / $0.8M Match)
- Passthrough Awards – 53 projects, $8.3M ($8.3M Federal Passthrough / $0M Match)

## Sea Grant Research

- Environmental Biotechnology
- Fisheries Habitat
- Aquatic Nuisance Species
- Aquaculture
- Technology

- Oyster Disease
- Gulf Oyster Initiative
- Fellowships
- Knauss Marine Policy
- Sea Grant / Industry
- Sea Grant / NMFS Marine Resource Economics and Population Dynamics

- NSGO manages competitive National Strategic Investments:

## Sea Grant’s Outreach Infrastructure

- The Sea Grant Outreach Community consists of:
- 28 Marine Education specialists
- 340 Extension staff/specialists
- 90 Communications specialists

**Notes:**
This is FTEs, not individuals

## Sea Grant Outreach: Education

**Goal: **Enhance marine and aquatic literacy
**The Sea Grant Educators Network promotes marine literacy through**:
- Curriculum development
- After school programs
- Teacher continuing education
- Summer programs

## Sea Grant Outreach: Extension

**Goal: **Effect change through outcome-based education/information transfer
**The Sea Grant Extension Network:**
- Provides effective, two-way communication between producers and users of information
- Translates complex scientific information for decision makers and citizens

## 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
- Mediums used: newsletters, brochures, books, posters, news releases, web, videos, CD-roms, public programs, conferences, radio, and television broadcasts

## Sea Grant Outreach Approach 

- Bottom-up approach: Citizen advisory structures
- Non-advocacy
- Present alternatives & provide all viewpoints
- University-based educators, non-regulatory
- Connected to key coastal clientele: 35 year history

## Publications 

- A total of 7,210 titles were received by the Sea Grant Library 2000-2006, including:
**Journal Reprints****	****3,177****	****  Tech. Reports****	****218**
**Extension Reports****	****851****	****  A-V****	****	****	****152**
**Newsletters****	****	****561****	****  Educational****	****	****106**
**Theses/Dissertations****	****660****	****  Electronic Pubs.****	****92**
**Proceedings****	****	****202****	****  Maps****	****	****	****24**
**Books****	****	****	****37****	****  Computer Pro.****	****57**
**Handbooks****	****	****226****	****  Surveys****	****	****426**
**Bibliographies****	****	****73**
**Total # digital downloads to date: 1,111,037****	**

## Meeting NOAA Goals

**NOAA Performance Objective: Increase number of fish stocks managed at sustainable levels**
- Sea Grant protects and replenishes abalone
- Culturing techniques make it possible to rear young abalone for release into the wild
- NOAA Fisheries uses this to help prevent white abalone's extinction. The techniques may also help restore populations of another endangered native abalone species, the black abalone.
- Sea Grant also developed an oral antibiotic treatment that protects farmed abalone from the withering syndrome—a "wasting" disease that ruined $1.5 million worth of product during the 1997-98 El Nino.

**Notes:**
Image – DE Coast Day 2003

## Meeting NOAA Goals

**NOAA Performance Objective: Increase portion of population that is knowledgeable of, and acting as stewards for, coastal and marine ecosystem issues (outreach)**
- Sea Grant partners to teach prevention of aquatic invasives
- In response to the Ocean Commission Report, the Great Lakes regional network, in partnership with the pet industry and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have launched a major public education and outreach effort called “Habitattitude” to prevent the release of non-native plants and animals
- www.habitattitude.net

## Meeting NOAA Goals

**NOAA Performance Objective: Increase number of regional coastal and marine ecosystems delineated with approved indicators of ecological health and socioeconomic benefits that are monitored and understood**
- Sea Grant seeds small businesses and creates jobs
- Sea Grant has contributed to the founding or operation of eight pearl farms, four demonstration and training pearl hatcheries, 15 giant clam farms (including the largest commercial giant clam aquaculture venture in the Pacific) and 20 sponge farms (Micronesia is the only area that farms sponges)
- Overall, the number of aquaculture enterprises in the Hawaiian Islands has reached 126 farms valued at $25.2 million dollars, which is approximately 630 jobs

## Meeting NOAA Goals

**NOAA Performance Objective: Increase application and accessibility of weather and water information and leverage partnerships**
- Sea Grant partners to prevent drownings
- Sea Grant joined NOAA's Weather Service and the U.S.L.A. to initiate a comprehensive, national rip current safety awareness campaign
- Rip currents are the primary cause of distress in over 80 percent of rescues by surf beach lifeguards
- The public education campaign includes a national brochure, beach signs (which are being widely disseminated nationwide, and are also available in Spanish), and public service announcements
- The partners are now working to target teenagers (the most common victims) through a variety of media and strategies **www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov**

## NOAA Partnerships

- Rip Currents
- IFLOW/NSSL
- Coastal Community Development
- SG-NMFS Fellowship
- NOAA Science Camp
- Ohio Consortium of all NOAA Programs
- CoastWatch

## Thank You.  Questions?