Articles
- The Key to Molting: Soft-Shell Crabs
- 10 Questions on COSEE: CGOM
- Pace Joins MASGC Legal Program
- Goecker Hired as Habitat Restoration Specialist
- Scientists Study Populations of Submerged Seagrasses
- Featured Publication
- Guest Editorial
Sea Briefs is a report on the results of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.
Editor: Melissa Schneider
Masthead photo: Steven C. Zinski/bluecrab.info
This newsletter
is available in PDF format from:
masgc.org/seabriefs
MASGC supports applied, interdisciplinary marine science research, education and outreach efforts to foster the sustainable development and management of the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico
Mississippi-Alabama
Sea Grant Consortium
703 East Beach Drive
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Phone: 228-818-8838
E-mail: seabriefs@masgc.org
MASGP 09-011-03
Guest
Editorial
Collaboration
overcomes barriers
BUCK
SUTTER
NOAA Gulf of Mexico Regional Team Lead
Deputy Regional Administrator, Southeast Region
National Marine Fisheries Service
Living
along the Gulf of Mexico coastline provides some of the best quality
of life anywhere in the United States. Whether
you like fresh seafood, recreational fishing, boating or relaxing
at the beach, life doesn’t get much better. The Gulf is also home
to many of the nation’s largest seaports, and with all the oil
and
gas production, the name “Energy Coast” seems very fitting.
So, what does all this have to do with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Sea Grant? Actually, quite a bit.
NOAA and Sea Grant are longtime partners in the stewardship of the ocean and coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico. One of the primary ways we work together is through NOAA’s Regional Collaboration Team. The NOAA regional efforts (there are eight regional teams throughout the United States and its territories) are flexible networks that promote coordination of diverse assets within a region and collaboration with external partners to address our stakeholders’ shared concern. They are actively involved in efforts that help to overcome political and institutional barriers.
In the Gulf of Mexico, Sea Grant and NOAA are primary components of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA). By partnering with resource agencies in the five Gulf states, 13 federal agencies (led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA and the U.S. Department of Interior), universities and environmental non-governmental organizations, GOMA brings together a full range of expertise to address mutually identified priorities including water quality, nutrient levels, habitat conservation and restoration and education and outreach. One of the primary focus areas for GOMA is developing coastal communities, ecosystems and economies that are more resilient to coastal hazards, where residents and visitors better understand and balance the risks associated with living and working in the coastal Gulf region.
Developing and delivering state-of-the-art mitigation methods for reducing risks and enhancing resilience, including improvement of our ability to understand and mitigate impacts of climate-induced changes, such as sea-level rise, is a related goal. An example of collaborative work in this area can be found on the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium Web site at: masgc.org/gulfstorms.