May 22, 2008
Washington Sea Grant celebrates 40 years at UW
Washington Sea Grant (WSG) celebrated its 40th year at the UW last week by hosting an open house for a devoted cadre of supporters among marine scientists and resource users.
WSG began in 1968 with a grant from the National Science Foundation, based on the theory that national marine priorities could be addressed more effectively at the local level. In 1971, WSG became one of the first four programs designated nationally as a Sea Grant College. Just as Washington State University, as a Land Grant College, performs agricultural research and extension services, the UW carries out marine research and outreach through WSG.
Today, WSG is one of five operating units within the UW’s College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences and part of a national network of 30 Sea Grant colleges administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. One of the oldest and largest programs in the network, WSG supports a balanced program of marine and coastal research and education, advisory services and communications. Its funding comes from a variety of resources — mostly federal and state — and about half of its $5 million annual budget goes out the door, directly to research projects.
“Washington Sea Grant supports research and translates scientific information for use in the marine environment,” says WSG Director Penny Dalton. “We provide useful information and decision-making tools to our stakeholders across the state, the Pacific Northwest and the nation.”
WSG is partner-intensive. Over the past five years, WSG staff have cooperated with 22 cities, 15 port districts, 15 coastal counties, almost all Washington tribes, 45 federal and 13 state agencies, and scores of school districts, businesses and nonprofit organizations. WSG is a member of the Washington State Ocean Caucus, a collection of state agencies tasked with implementing ocean and coastal policy, and works closely with the Puget Sound Partnership. This year alone, it is managing 40 different research projects, involving 67 investigators and 80 graduate and undergraduate students.
On the research side, WSG has guided and helped fund the work of some of the nation’s top marine scientists. Current projects cover the broadest possible range of issues important to the region, from the survival tactics of microbial organisms to the effects of ambient noise on Puget Sound marine mammals.
Through outreach, WSG helps marine resource users apply research findings to their particular needs. For example, WSG research into seabird bycatch and follow-up work with commercial fishing fleets has helped Alaska commercial fishing vessels cut seabird mortality by 80 percent.
Educationally, WSG offers undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral fellowships and internships and supports initiatives for K-12 programs. More Knauss Fellowships — providing graduate students with a year of work experience with the U.S. Congress or a federal agency addressing marine issues — have come from Washington Sea Grant than any other Sea Grant program.
The WSG communications office is involved in the full range of Sea Grant activities, from producing basic informational material for marine user groups, to writing, editing and designing sophisticated publications.
“It’s an exciting mission,” Dalton says. “By being involved in the whole process of marine resource use and protection, from research to application, we’re in a unique position to help people really make a difference.”
