<<< NYSG at 50: New York Sea Grant Through The Years — Home

Who We Are

New York Sea Grant (NYSG) is a university-based Federal-state partnership program of the State University of New York, Cornell University, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that has a storied 50 year history of “Bringing Science to the Shore” in support of the diverse coastal communities, economies, and environments of New York State (NYS).

NYSG’s research, extension, outreach and education programming results in tangible impact for the coastal communities, economies, and environments of NYS; and ensures that our State is better prepared for the challenges and opportunities related to climate change, has access to healthy shorelines and sustainable seafood, and has vibrant and resilient working waterfronts.

NYS boasts 3,400 miles of coastline encompassing two Great Lakes (Erie and Ontario), two major river systems (the St. Lawrence and Niagara Rivers); the Hudson River Estuary, which is tidally influenced from New York City (NYC) north to Troy, NY; the Atlantic Ocean; and Long Island Sound, as well as several other estuaries on Long Island.

Eighty-one percent of New York’s (NY) nearly 20 million people live, work, and recreate along the State’s coasts. Coastal industries contribute significantly to NY’s economy. NY ranks third among 30 coastal states in terms of the coastal economy contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with a value of $33.6 Billion (2018, latest available data from NOAA Economics: National Ocean Watch). Approximately 7.5 Million people are employed along the coasts of NY, with a cumulative income of about $566 Billion.

Nearly 405,000 people are employed in coastal industry sectors of NY such as living resources and tourism and recreation, with wages of $15.2 Billion. The emerging offshore renewable energy sector is poised to provide 6,800 jobs and more than $12.1 Billion of combined economic activity.

NYSG’s community- and science-based programming addresses diverse stakeholder objectives across multiple sectors of NY’s coastal economy, balancing the non-mutually exclusive co-priorities of economic and environmental sustainability and resilience. The program’s portfolio is large and dynamic, requiring a robust, highly-skilled, and dedicated staff to manage, coordinate, plan, and execute the full suite of NYSG activities.


What We Do and Where We've Been

NYSG’s programing provides innovative, science-based, stakeholder-driven knowledge, information, and tools to empower sustainable and resilient communities, economies, and environments across four integrated focus areas:

• Healthy Coastal Ecosystems
• Sustainable Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Seafood Businesses
• Resilient Communities and Economies
• Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development


Where We're Headed

For 50 years NYSG has had the privilege to work both with and on behalf of the coastal communities, economies, and environments of NYS.

NYSG looks forward to continuing this legacy – to support existing stakeholder-driven and community-based priority objectives while being poised to be nimble, flexible, and responsive to ever evolving and emerging coastal challenges and opportunities, related to for example:

• Climate Change (e.g., living resources; coastal processes, hazards)
• Water Quality (e.g., contaminants of emerging concern; marine debris)
• Renewable Energy
• Aquaculture and NY-sourced wild seafood (e.g., changing and emerging market trends; seaweeds)
• Green infrastructure
• Cultural resources
• Expanded student fellowship programming
• Other as yet to be identified coastal priorities!

NYSG will continue to work with partners to develop and provide innovative, leading-edge research, extension, education, and outreach with a firm commitment to a diverse, equitable, inclusive and just workplace as well as research, education and extension programming that meets the needs of all of NYSG’s stakeholders.

For the next 50 years, NYSG will aspire to maintain its long-standing role as a trusted, unbiased source of community-driven, science-based programming that results in tangible impacts to the health and vitality of NY’s coastal communities, economies, and environments.


What Does NYSG Mean To You?

We would love to learn about your favorite moments or experiences with NYSG — perhaps a program or training you participated in? A staff member who made a positive impression? A partnership effort or research project we’ve supported? A NYSG scholar or fellow whose experiences helped further your career goals? A teacher who gained new insights to share with the next generation of coastal stewards?

Whatever the experience, we want to know: www.NYSeaGrant.org/WhatDoesNYSGMeanToYou




More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.