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New York, NY, April 17, 2025 - We need your support to ensure Congress maintains Sea Grant's current level of funding.
As next year’s federal budget is finalized, let Congress know that you support New York Sea Grant (NYSG) by sending your own letter of support to your U.S. representative or senators: https://nyseagrant.info/supportnyseagrant2026
If you're looking for some content to share in your letter, here are some recent highlights to consider ...
Why does NYSG matter in NY?
• 81% of NYS' population (approximately 20M) live near coastlines, for which there are 2,625 miles of throughout the state
• An estimated 7.5 million people are employed along the coasts, with cumulative income of about $566 billion, translating to nearly $1.4 trillion in gross domestic product (source: NOAA Office for Coastal Management).
• New York Sea Grant (NYSG), one of 34 Sea Grant programs nationwide, is a statewide network (via SUNY and Cornell) providing integrated research, education and extension services that promote coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.
NYSG works with over 900 partners and collaborates across 3 U.S regions — Northeast, Great Lakes, and Mid-Atlantic.
Some examples include …
• Seafood and Seaweed Safety
Through the coordination of statewide seafood/seaweed task forces, NYSG developed a series of regulatory and topical guides to support the processing and marketing of aquatic foods.
These led to further national collaborations to explore seaweed food safety and ultimately the development of a training program that has piqued interest globally: www.nyseagrant.org/seafoodguides, www.nyseagrant.org/seaweedguides
• Clean and Safe Boating
How is clean and safe boating encouraged in NY’s Great Lakes region?
In 2019-24, NYSG and the Boating Industry Association (BIA) went virtual with: (a) television broadcasts on local news stations; (b) BOAT NY, a monthly social media based program of under 2 minutes; and (c) radio interviews.
In addition, the “Boating Information Center” was established in partnership with Central New York (CNY) BIA, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and Syracuse Sail & Power Squadron at the CNY Boat Show with an emphasis on paddle sport safety and educating boaters about law changes that impact them.
All partners are helping promote knowledge about “Brianna’s Law”, which requires a boating education certificate for all boaters on NY waters by 2025.
• Resilience in NY’s Hudson Valley
Communities across the Hudson River Estuary watershed have seen more flooding and extreme storms over the past decade than any other time in recent memory.
So how can we learn from past flooding events?
One way is sharing lessons and best management practices through the Hudson Valley Flood Resilience Network (HVFRN), conversations that NYSG have facilitated since 2021.
With NYSG’s leadership, 70 representatives from 20 municipalities and 29 partner organizations have attended meetings and the HVFRN grew from 88 to 113 members and partners.
• Great Lakes Action Agenda
For over a decade, NYSG has partnered with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)’s Great Lakes program to implement the Great Lakes Action Agenda (GLAA).
In this collaboration, NYSG runs a small grants program, provides local government training, conducts technical assistance on resilience and shoreline management, and co-leads the Great Lakes Ecosystem Education Exchange, which provides teachers with a variety of region-specific educational resources/
Over $1M in grants have been issued to community organizations and over 151 property owners assisted along with reaching hundreds of teachers and thousands of students.
• Ocean Action Plan
In NY’s marine waters, NYSG partnered with NYSDEC’s Division of Marine Resources to support priorities related to the NYS Ocean Action Plan.
This included: (a) administering 2 research competitions ($1.4M awarded to 6 projects); (b) providing outreach and education including beach clean ups, and development of the “Plastic Pollution and You” curriculum; and (c) administration of a small grants program with funds from the NYS Marine and Coastal District License Plate proceeds that support projects to educate the public about marine resources ($87K awarded to 6 projects).
• Support for SHARC
Since 2020, NYSG, in partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System, continues to build the Surf Hazard Awareness and Research Coordination (SHARC) network.
Local, regional, and national partners include NOAA, the National Weather Service, local emergency management, academic researchers, lifeguards, and community leaders.
The goals of the network are to create a space for expert, professional, and stakeholder collaboration for surf hazard reporting and to facilitate information sharing; conduct outreach and education; improve surf hazard forecasting through coordinated data collection; promote surf hazard awareness and education; and prevent incidents and fatalities.
The network has hosted various workshops and seminars that included informal discussions and presentations on new reporting and educational tools
• Other select partners of importance include:
Peconic Estuary Program (ecosystems and resilience)
South Shore Estuary Reserve, (resilience and ocean acidification)
Long Island Sound Study (ecosystems, fisheries, resilience, environmental literacy)
Great Lakes Research Consortium (Great Lakes research support)
New York State Water Resource Institute (resilience and dams)
Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance
Genesee Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council
Tug Hill Commission (local government training)
NYS Department of State (state government).
Since 1971, NYSG has managed a portfolio of $207.9M for coastal research, extension, and education programs that span across New York State.
• In 2024-25, NYSG leveraged 5x its core NOAA award, for a total of approximately $15.5M.
In 2019-24, NYSG leveraged more than $21M in managed dollars and has influenced an additional $51M. This total is over 3x the federal and state core dollars received by NYSG during the evaluation period ($24+ million).
• NYSG currently supports over 3 dozen innovative university-based research projects and several dozen more extension and education projects that address NOAA’s 4 key focus areas:
(a) Healthy Coastal Ecosystems;
(b) Sustainable Fisheries, Aquaculture and Seafood Businesses;
(c) Resilient Communities and Economies;
(d) Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development
• NYSG uses input from stakeholders and the research community to advance state-of-the-art research and coastal management for the benefit of New York’s varied coastal environments and communities.
• Water Quality
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a worldwide phenomenon posing a significant threat to public health, economies, water quality, and fisheries.
NYSG has worked with SUNY Environment and Sustainable Forestry and industry partners on developing an AI-based technology to rapidly identify HABs from a single drop of water. NYSG connected these partners with potential end users in the marine district to help validate the tool.
NYSG-supported research examined how the flux of nutrients from sediments influence the development of HABs in Long Island bays, finding that both watershed and sediment nitrogen loads need to be reduced to decrease the intensity of brown tides.
NYSG also funded research to develop methods and study the benefits of using seaweed aquaculture to mitigate the impact of HABs and diversify NY’s marine aquaculture industry by integrating seaweed aquaculture into oyster and finfish aquaculture. In 2023, the first commercial kelp farm was established in NYS, partly an outcome of this research.
• Habitat
NYSG works on habitat projects through our partnership with the Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes Coalition (ELODC), and our advisory role to communities who participated in the NYS Resilience and Economic Development (REDI) grants.
As a founding member of ELODC, NYSG continues in a leadership role (Education Committee Chair) and as an advisor to fellow member entities for the continued protection, conservation and restoration of the 17-mile dune system, the largest along Lake Ontario.
• Fisheries
Lake Sturgeon are a native species of fish in the Great Lakes that are listed as threatened in NY. NYSG obtained funds from the Disney Foundation to develop an outreach program. NYSG participates on a state level workgroup and has provided extension support that resulted in the creation of a Lake Sturgeon curriculum and mentorship of an undergraduate student that worked on a research project to meet an identified data gap related to estimating size at age.
NYSG has also funded Hudson fisheries research, assessing the changing biogeography of American Shad in the Hudson River ecosystem where depleted populations have not recovered despite extensive management measures.
• Ecosystem Assessments
NYSG has supported studies to assess ecosystem services including a project on Long Island exploring perceptions of oyster farming and their ecosystem services from the eyes of farmers, homeowners, boaters, baymen, and others to identify areas of collaboration for mutually beneficial management and restoration efforts.
In New York Harbor, a study was conducted to assess the ecosystem services provided by oyster restoration efforts using hydrodynamic modeling, oyster filtering capacity and larval oyster behavior to increase the likelihood of recruitment among restored populations.
NYSG’s recent suite of extension and education projects have provided close to $10.5M in economic benefits to NY’s coastal communities in a variety of ways ...
• Education Programs
1,120 K-12 teachers have received our 2019-24 educational training workshops and events, resulting in over 86,562 students being reached.
Additionally, 223,772 NY-ers have attended our 2019-24 informal education programs
Testimonial: “The importance of NYSG on my ability to teach students about the Great Lakes is summed up in one word: connected. It has allowed me to connect more with students and connect students to the community and watershed they live within.” — Melissa Elliott
Testimonial: “NYSG helps to give our students a hands-on approach to learning about the importance of the Long Island Sound ecosystem – a vital estuary right in their own backyards!” — Laura Opitz
• Marine Camp
In 2017, NYSG developed and implemented a marine camp partnership to provide marine biology classes for students from a variety of communities on Long Island.
With Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, and other partners, NYSG teaches students about coastal wildlife and their habitat in a fun and exciting setting. Eight classes are taught each summer where students participate in interactive lessons about marine biology, coastal habitat, and oceanography.
A total of 1,254 students from 15 youth service organizations benefited from this program from 2018 to 2023. In most cases this was the first summer outdoor recreational experience for these students. Typically, a five-day marine camp costs ~$360/student (i.e., $72/day) (Source: CCE Marine Program), yielding a potential combined savings for parents of $90,288.
• Resilience Trainings
100+ communities have been reached with resilience trainings from 2019-24.
For years, NYSG has served as a strong partner in Long Island Sound Study (LISS) working to protect and improve the health of the Sound.
With the US Environmental Protection Agency, state agencies from New York and Connecticut, the Connecticut Sea Grant program, and county and local entities and residents of the watershed, NYSG provides education and outreach programming, including a new effort for Sustainable and Resilient Communities (SRC).
In December ‘24, over $1M was awarded to support climate resilience planning in 15 Long Island Sound (LIS) communities, 10 of which were in NY and 5 in CT.
A major barrier for many communities is a lack of capacity and resources to identify, conceptualize, and develop climate resilience projects. So, since 2021, a team of dedicated Sea Grant SRC extension professionals in both states has assisted LIS communities in achieving their sustainability and resilience goals by focusing on developing resources and tools such as the program for these grant writing assistance and planning projects).
Testimonial: “[Our] planning grant brings together diverse campus stakeholders including faculty, staff, and students to address climate resiliency on our waterfront campus. We are currently developing a comprehensive plan that we hope will be a model for our Long Island Sound neighbors and the 63 other SUNY campuses.” — Dr. Caterina Panzeca, Science Department Chairperson at SUNY Maritime College
• Student Support
Since 1971, NYSG has supported 824 graduate students for advanced degrees.
In just the past 5 years, 40 graduate (and an additional 21 undergraduate) students have been supported on NYSG-funded research projects.
Additionally, we’ve supported 39 graduate students in either the Knauss or NY Coastal Resilience Law and Policy (CRLP) fellows programs and, since 2021, 7 undergraduate students in the Community Engaged Fellows (CEI) program.
Knauss fellows are provided a one-year, paid experience for highly qualified early career professionals to work on issues related to coastal, marine, and Great Lakes science and policy in offices within the executive or legislative branch of government in Washington, D.C.
CRLP fellows from partner institutions — City University of New York School of Law; Pace University School of Law; University at Buffalo School of Law — work with NYSG to apply their legal skills to real-world problems to benefit local communities and governments.
CEI students are provided with valuable learning opportunities to work in communities and laboratories across New York to address current coastal issues. For example, through this fellowship we were able to partner with NOAA and mentor an undergraduate student who developed videos to use a new NOAA technology.
• Seafood Safety
NYSG makes seafood safer via industry trainings
8,229 people have received HACCP certifications in 2019-24, with at least 235 businesses supported and $19.3M in economic benefits for NYS.
Seafood is a traditional and important part of New Yorkers’ diets.
The seafood industry contributes several billion dollars annually to the state economy.
Each seafood business is required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to have a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)-based food safety plan developed and monitored by a trained individual.
An example of how NYSG has helped to make seafood safer is by providing decades-long training opportunities for the seafood industry and regulatory agencies on the fundamentals of HACCP, the current Seafood HACCP regulation, introduction to guidance and training materials and the development of a HACCP plan for seafood products.
• NYSG bolsters resilience efforts
New York’s diverse coastlines support extensive economic and community development through tourism, maritime industries, and those that live and recreate along the coast. In just the past five years, communities and economies have been subjected to uncertainty and other vulnerabilities related to coastal processes (such as erosion, flooding, sea and lake level rise, weather hazards).
NYSG works with municipalities to enhance their sustainability and resilience through multiple programs addressing land use planning, watershed management, floodplain management and water quality improvements.
Additionally, NYSG has developed and is using a number of resilience tools to use in learning and decision-making, helping to improve the economies of NYS coastal communities
— Community Flood Watch, Flood Net and Flood Fellows
NYSG has spearheaded initiatives that monitor coastal flooding in NYC in collaboration with our partner organization, the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay (SRIJB).
These include the NYC Community Flood Watch Project (FWP), which deploys a citizen science approach to collecting photos and other qualitative data about coastal flooding in NYC. FWP iteratively reintegrates this qualitative data into forecast messages that provide hyperlocal context for projected coastal flood events.
Additionally, the FWP was foundational to the funding and implementation of FloodNet NYC, a City University of New York (CUNY)-led project that uses remote sensing technology to monitor street-level flooding in flood prone locations across the city.
With funding from FEMA Cooperative Technical Partners (CTP), NYSG has partnered with coastal neighborhoods to codesign visualization products that integrate qualitative and quantitative data to provide portraits of flooding at the neighborhood level. Communities use these shared databases of images, reports and maps to communicate their neighborhood needs and visions to each other and to city leaders. City agencies and researchers use this information to understand the extent of flooding at a local level, social and economic impacts, and the promise of participatory research.
— MyCoastNY: Community Risk Communication
How has NYSG assisted local communities with flood risk communication?
One way is by collecting flooding and storm damage pictures statewide from emergency managers, town employees, the National Weather Service, and community members via MyCoastNY app, a partnership with the New York State Water Resource Institute.
Since July 2022, 537 New Yorkers have registered for MyCoastNY, 231 photos have been received from Flood Watch and Storm Reporter portals from 21 counties, with another 398 photo reports submitted via Coast Snap portals in Stuyvesant, Watch Hill, and Rockaway Beach. Efforts are underway to upload 700 photos from the Community Flood Watch Program in New York City and to merge MyCoast NY into the NYC FloodNet system.
— Lake Ontario Flooding Tools: County Emergency Management Decision-Making
NYSG extension specialists have developed a suite of tools, which are informed by the results from funded research projects, to empower local governments in their coastal hazard and climate impact decision-making. These include: New York’s Great Lakes Coastal Resilience Index: A Community Self-Assessment, Lake Ontario Inundation Mapper, the Lake Ontario Flood Risk Forecast Mapper, Climate Smart Communities Crosswalk, and the What if....Game.
— Lake Erie Site Visits: Homeowners Protect 300 feet of Shoreline
Climate change is impacting Great Lakes shorelines as precipitation forms change, shorelines become more exposed, and extreme weather increases in severity.
Since 2018, NYSG has conducted 151 site visits providing property owners/managers with information on coastal processes, managing shorelines based on local geology and weather conditions, and outreach materials for managing shoreline erosion and flooding.
In 2020 NYSG introduced “virtual site visits,” an intuitive online GIS-based survey tool that allows shoreline residents to report shoreline erosion and request assistance, which has increased access to NYSG expertise.
In 2023, 47 shoreline consultations were completed by NYSG across Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and other water bodies in New York’s Great Lakes Basin. These consultations were carried out through phone calls, email messages, and multiple in-person site visits. NYSG extends shoreline expertise and best practices for managing shorelines through these individual and group consultations. In one case, this visit led to the implementation of a practice which slowed erosion along 300 feet of Lake Erie shoreline cliffs, protecting a delicate and prominent point extending out from the shore.
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