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• 10 Questions on the Gulf of Mexico Research Plan
• Mississippi Team Wins Hurricane Bowl
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Sea Briefs is a report on the results of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.

Editor: Valerie Winn

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: 228-818-8840
E-mail: seabriefs@masgc.org
MASGP 08-011-01

10 Questions on the Gulf of Mexico Research Plan

The mission of the Gulf of Mexico Research Plan is to identify priority research needs for the Gulf of Mexico through stakeholder input and to implement strategies to address those needs. The Gulf of Mexico Research Planning Project is one of eight Sea Grant-funded, region-based research planning efforts underway in the United States. The four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant college programs, Florida Sea Grant, Louisiana Sea Grant, Texas Sea Grant and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, are working with state and federal agencies, universities, non-profit organizations and private industry along the Gulf to prioritize research and information to develop a strategic research plan. Steve Sempier and Dr. Wes Tunnell are two individuals who are highly involved in the effort.

The Gulf of Mexico Regional Research Planning coordinator, STEVE SEMPIER is employed by Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant to help develop the Gulf of Mexico Research Plan (GMRP). Working with diverse groups throughout the region, he has received input from more than 1,500 individuals and has conducted workshops to prioritize research needs. He also serves on the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s Community Resilience Working Group, which is a cooperative effort by state and federal agencies, academia and other groups to address resilience-related topics that can benefit the region. Steve has more than ten years of professional marine science and aquaculture/fisheries experience which includes working on a USDA national aquaculture risk management project at Mississippi State University. At Oregon State University, he served as the assistant director of research for an international aquaculture program devoted to increasing food security in developing nations. A former marine science instructor and head aquarist at the Catalina Island Marine Institute in California, he holds a bachelor’s degree in marine science from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. and a master’s degree in marine resource management from Oregon State University.

1. What are your duties as Sea Grant regional coordinator of the Gulf of Mexico Research Plan?

My first set of responsibilities is to identify regional research priorities and information needs for the Gulf of Mexico by collecting stakeholder input. This is being accomplished through surveys, stakeholder workshops, and other methods. I will work with the Planning and Review Council (including Dr. Wes Tunnell) and the four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant directors to synthesize the data that has been collected and develop a strategic plan identifying the highest priority needs. Phase two of the project is to implement strategies to address the high priority needs through cooperation with groups that conduct research or use research results in the Gulf.

2. How has your work progressed in the year that you have held the position of coordinator?

It’s been a rewarding experience to work with individuals from diverse sectors who share common interest in the Gulf of Mexico. To date we’ve collected survey responses from over 1,500 individuals, met with over 300 participants at workshops in each of the five Gulf of Mexico states, and examined over 100 strategic plans from groups that use, conduct, or sponsor research in the Gulf. The project has gone extremely well and there is strong support and interest from people throughout the region.

3. How will your efforts benefit the future?

We are moving towards more regional management of our marine and coastal resources and increasingly recognizing the benefits of regional approaches to research. This effort provides an opportunity to look beyond state and international political boundaries and examine the Gulf from a broader perspective. In addition, the project can serve as a bridge between federal and state activities while complimenting other regional efforts. The GMRP is framed around the Ocean Research Priorities Plan (a national plan) and therefore it can assist the Gulf of Mexico Research community in identifying links between national research priorities and research topics we believe are the highest priority for the Gulf.

This effort provides an opportunity for academic institutions, state agencies, federal agencies, private sectors and NGOs to cooperatively cross borders and address common needs and goals.

4. What role has Sea Grant played in the project?

The National Sea Grant office, four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant College Programs, and especially the four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant directors, who are the Principal Investigators for this project, have been invaluable in all aspects of this project. A few examples of how they have supported this effort include providing guidance, financial support, leadership, and facilitation assistance. In addition the level of stakeholder input would not have been as high if not for the expansive network of Sea Grant contacts, which includes stakeholders from many different backgrounds.

Dr. LaDon Swann, Director of Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, has provided valuable input and direction from the project’s inception to date through his service as Lead Principal Investigator.

5. What are some of the long-range outcomes of the effort?

The GMRP is a regional research plan, which is not specific to any one agency or group. Ideally it will include federal, state, local, academic, NGOs, and other partners. The long-range outcomes would be increased cooperation between these agencies and organizations to address regional research and information needs and opportunities to compliment other regional activities already underway. This may include opportunities to leverage funds to efficiently utilize limited resources and cooperatively develop and respond to requests for proposals. In addition, several different groups have indicated they are using the GMRP planning efforts to develop or update their own strategic plans. These include federal, state and academic-based groups. Sea Grant has offered us an opportunity to jump start this process and hopefully this will continue into the future as partnerships are strengthened.

For more information about the project you can access the project’s web site at: http://masgc.org/gmrp.

Dr. WES TUNNELL is founder of the Center for Coastal Studies, developer and promoter of the co-location concept of environmental and natural resources agencies for the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Campus, and a strong proponent of cooperation and collaboration in the United States, Mexico and Cuba to promote the Hart Research Institute’s (HRI) mission of sustainable use and conservation of the Gulf of Mexico. He became associate director of the HRI in 2001 and has played a key role in its development in designing the new HRI building and in developing a new Ph.D. program in coastal and marine system science. He is also director of the Center of Coastal Studies and a professor of biology. A broadly trained marine biologist/ecologist, he holds a particular interest in field studies on coral reefs and coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico. He has published the book, “The Laguna Madre of Texas and Tamaulipas” in 2002, and he has another at press: “Coral Reefs of the Southern Gulf of Mexico.” He is also preparing a book titled “Texas Seashells” and has been invited to write an essay on the Gulf of Mexico for the revised “Atlas of the Ocean” compiled by the National Geographic Society.

7. You also wear another hat with the Southern Association of Marine Lab (SAML). What is the purpose of that organization?

SAML is an organization of marine labs led by their directors across the southeastern United States from coastal Maryland to Brownsville, Texas. It was founded in the mid-1980s by lab directors to bring more focus and attention to marine labs and marine science in the Southeast. Marine labs, whether academic, state, federal or private are like windows on the sea for students and researchers. They are great places to learn and study because they are typically located in coastal environments with easy access for field study and they have running sea water systems for biotic study in the lab or mesocosms. There are currently nearly 60 member labs in SAML and we are all keenly interested in marine research priorities in the Southeast. SAML is one of three regional organizations represented within the National Association of Marine Labs (NAML).

8. Representatives from both HRI and SAML have actively been participating in the GMRP effort (survey and workshops). How will these groups use the information gathered in the GMRP?

Marine scientist researchers who are in a region like the Gulf of Mexico know the research needs and issues of that area better than anyone. Participation by HRI, SAML and other scientists in the region is critical to setting the research agenda for the near and long-term state and federal agency researchers who participate will also help set that agenda. The GMRP will likely get the attention of Washington and the appropriate agencies, so it is critically important that scientists are involved in the planning so they will be prepared for the future requests for research proposals, potentially based on these plans.

9. How do you view this opportunity for researchers and research users to identify research and information needs on a regional basis?

The GMRP is an opportunity for Gulf researchers to participate in research planning for their own back yard. Collectively, the researchers of the Gulf of Mexico know the issues, state of knowledge and gaps in knowledge. They also have the ability to develop solutions for problems that need addressing. Their broad participation will ensure that the GMRP puts together the best research plan for the next 10 years or so.

10. What do you think will be the greatest challenge in implementing the GMRP?

Funding! With today's focus on security, terrorism, the war in Iraq and other issues, there is little funding left for research. We have a great cadre of Gulf-wide researchers listed in GulfBase, HRI's research-resource database for the Gulf of Mexico (www.gulfbase.org) and they are prepared to tackle the research issues and problems of the day. But without funding, the answers to the right questions will continue to go unanswered.