Southeast/Gulf/Caribbean Region

Florida Sea Grant
Sea Grant public education campaign persuades coastal county commissioners to unanimously support development of essential fish habitat

• In the “Big Bend” area of the Florida Panhandle, the gag grouper is a highly valuable fish for both recreational anglers and the commercial fishery.  Yet, the fishery is currently under intense management and fishing pressure, creating a need to enhance the species’ essential fish habitat. 
• Sea Grant initiated a public awareness and education campaign to gain broad public support for the Steinhatchee Fisheries Management Area (SFMA).  This campaign included public presentations, web-based publications and various regional print publications. 
• Regional articles reached 65,000 people; web-based resources reached 11,000 people; 2,500 publications were distributed; and, 750 people attended workshops and group meetings. 
• As a result, the County Commissioners in Taylor, Dixie and Wakulla counties all signed unanimous resolutions supporting the development of artificial reefs under the SFMA. 

Georgia Sea Grant
Sea Grant survey assesses vulnerability of major ports to invasive species

• Georgia Sea Grant conducted an extensive survey of four major ports in the South Atlantic Bight:  Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville, in order to assess their vulnerability to invasive non-indigenous species. 
• The resulting report describes a comprehensive search for molluskan, crustacean and  polychaete species and provides baseline information on native biodiversity and the distribution and abundance of identified non-indigenous species.  
• The report identifies ballast water discharge as the most prominent vector for the spread of non-indigenous species in the surveyed areas, and ranks non-indigenous species with the most potential to invade South Atlantic Bight ports.  To read the report, visit:  www.marsci.uga.edu/gaseagrant/pdf/Port_Survey.pdf

• Louisiana Sea Grant and the state’s universities are taking a lead role in addressing the near-term, politically sensitive and economically challenging implications of the state’s coastal land loss problem. 
• Two seminars, “Building a Safer Louisiana” and “Coastal Hazards Mitigation—Models for Katrina and Rita Recovery,” have drawn more than 200 policy makers and public officials, as well as researchers and scientists. 
• Topics have included the status of wetland loss, hurricane vulnerability, spatial data and coastal resource economics, as well as information about land use planning, zoning, insurance, and possible solutions to protect the health, safety and well-being of Louisiana’s coastal residents.  Additionally, 70 people (citizens, policy makers) participated in the March program through a live webcast.  The webcast also is archived online at www.laseagrant.org for viewing at the visitor’s convenience.  These forums also served as a model for similar educational, community meetings (held in May and June 2006) which drew more than 500 local business owners and citizens. 
  

Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant
Sea Grant scientists develop a feed for the culture of valuable sea urchins

• Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant scientists have developed nutritionally-complete feeds that will allow the culture of sea urchins for human consumption (uni).  Commercial production is set to begin this year.
• In addition, research feeds have been developed that will greatly enhance the culture of sea urchins for embryological research as it applies to human development and disease.  These feeds will also allow for the development of new protocols in ecotoxicological testing. 

Puerto Rico Sea Grant
Sea Grant graduate student successfully cultivates salt water shrimp

• An innovative aquaculture venture is being developed thanks to a seed money grant from Puerto Sea Grant.  
• A University of Puerto Rico graduate student is successfully cultivating salt water shrimp (Litopeneaus vannamei) in aquaculture ponds in the Lajas Valley. 
• Water quality tests were conducted in several locations of the Lajas Valley to measure salinity and other essential parameters of underground water reserves for the cultivation of this salt water shrimp.  After six months, the shrimp have adapted to the water conditions of the Lajas Valley.  
• If this cultivation experiment continues to be successful, it will open the door to a new and lucrative aquaculture venture while reaping economic benefits from land no longer useful for agriculture.

South Carolina Sea Grant
Sea Grant develops Coastal/Inland Flood Observation and Warning (CI-FLOW) system

• The South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium and its partners, the National Sea Grant Office, North Carolina Sea Grant, and the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), are leading a regional project, CI-FLOW (Coastal/Inland Flood Observation and Warning), to pilot a new flood detection and monitoring system.  
• Test results are being used in conjunction with National Weather Service flood tools to improve flash flood detection and warning capabilities.
• CI-FLOW is also being integrated by N.C. State University researchers into a hurricane storm surge model to provide more accurate inputs from riverine flooding, and is being exported to Sea Grant programs in the Gulf of Mexico for flood applications.

Texas Sea Grant
55 marinas join the Clean Texas Marina Program

• Texas Sea Grant is educating the state’s 355 marinas about the Clean Texas Marina Program, a voluntary effort that gives marina managers the resources they need to minimize pollution. 
• Partnering with the Clean Texas Marina Program, Sea Grant assists marina, boat yard and yacht club operators in protecting the resources that provide their livelihood:  clean water and fresh air. 
• The program supports research in aquaculture, biotechnology, environmental studies, fisheries and marine education.  The Texas program is part of the national Clean Marina Program of which many Sea Grant institutions are involved.  To learn more, visit http://www.cleanmarinas.org