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It’s almost time for summer fun outdoors and on the water, and that means it’s time to remember, safety first! Sea Grant programs across the nation share information and advice related to safe practices in coastal environments.
The sun is shining and the water is calm: what better way to spend a warm summer day than dropping anchor, kicking back and casting a line? Every year, tens of millions of people flock to U.S. coasts to enjoy recreational fishing and boating. Sea Grant supports the recreational fishing and boating enthusiasts and industries by providing resources that teach people learn how to fish and boat, help boaters and anglers determine when and where to go on the water, how to get the most out of their excursions while staying safe, and how to protect the environment so future generations can enjoy the same experiences.
Since the 1960s, surfers from the United States have been going to Rincón, Puerto Rico to catch the best waves of the winter season. The trend has been so consistent that the town has slowly built its economy along its approximate eight miles of beautiful coastline, now famous with tourists. Yet, as the surfing community continues to swell, the beaches get crowded, and the same waves that keep the local economy afloat also put tourists and locals at risk of losing their lives.
Working waterfronts in South Carolina are hotspots for tourists to enjoy the local seafood and immerse themselves in nature. This has not always been the case, however, with most waterfronts historically focused around commercial businesses and industry. While some communities embrace this change towards a more recreational focus, others fear that commercial fishing and the “traditional identity” of the town will suffer.
USC Sea Grant helps visitors understand, appreciate the rays that frequent their favorite beach.
Coastal trail network planners turn to S.C. Sea Grant as conduit to resources, technical assistance
The mainland sea caves in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin are a big tourism draw, but they also can be dangerous. A real-time wave observation system project funded by Sea Grant is making the experience safer.
Sponsored and run by Oregon Sea Grant, “Shop the Dock” is entering its third summer of offering free, guided educational tours of Newport’s commercial fishing docks. Shoppers learn a bit about the fisheries, meet the people who catch the fish, and have an opportunity to buy the freshest salmon, tuna, halibut and crab, usually at prices lower than they’d find at their local supermarkets.
Sea Grant enhances the mission of the National Weather Service by informing communication and educating the public on weather hazards.
Within a span of three days, Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded researchers found three shipwrecks in an area of Lake Michigan currently under consideration to become a NOAA National Marine Sanctuary.
Part of the Florida Water Access site, the Beaches Toolkit contains an outline of common law tools for addressing public beach access, as well as resources for public and private managers of beachfront property.
Part of the Florida Water Access site, the Boating Toolkit contains legal information about rights of navigation, anchoring and mooring, boating laws and regulations, derelict vessels and conservation.
This site discusses both the Florida Clean Marina Program, the Florida Clean Vessel Act Program and the available funding opportunities.
NOAA’s Coastal Storms Program is collaborating with Sea Grant and others to improve safety for Great Lakes beach-goers.
Great Lakes Sea Grant programs and a network of Great Lakes-region partners are promoting a new water safety campaign, Be Current Smart.
Federal, state, and local partners come together to discuss the forecasting and communication of rip currents and other coastal hazards on the eve of beach season.
Sea Grant works with coastal communities to ensure that boaters on the water for fun and for work are knowledgeable and out of harm's way.
Tourists are increasingly interested in experiences that allow them to support and connect with the people and places that they visit. Maine Sea Grant is facilitating such experiences by assisting with the creation of oyster farm tours, combining the tourism and fisheries industries that already exist in Maine.
Are you considering buying property near the water? A new brochure from Woods Hole Sea Grant, Questions and Answers on Purchasing Coastal Real Estate in Massachusetts is now available. This brochure focuses on questions you should ask (and where to find the answers) as a potential purchaser of coastal real estate. This resource provides information about permitting, erosion and erosion control structures, flood insurance, and much more.
Details stakeholder outreach activities for the Climate Change and the Visitor Industry project, summarizing the state of knowledge of current and potential impacts of climate change on Hawai‘i’s tourism industry and coastal communities; identifying opportunities for adaptation and sustainability of the tourism industry; informing Hawai‘i’s decision-makers in the public and private sector of the potential impacts of climate change, and; providing an opportunity for the visitor industry stakeholders to provide feedback on the findings and assist in the identification of priority sectors for adaptation.
Provides a summary of the actions boaters and other members of Hawai‘i’s maritime community can take before, during, and after a hurricane or tsunami, to prepare for and mitigate the effects of these hazards.
Michael Slattery first got involved with Sea Grant during his Ph.D. program when Sea Grant funded a portion of his research into rip currents. He is now a coastal processes extension specialist and works on rip current outreach and awareness.
David White is the Recreation/Tourism Specialist and Great Lakes Program Coordinator for the New York Sea Grant Extension Program. Dave has been with Sea Grant since November of 1984 and is located at the State University of New York College at Oswego.
Peter Nguyen works very closely with Vietnamese-speaking fishermen to offer them technical assistance, such as providing information about new regulations and proposed legislation. Peter, a former commercial shrimper, has been with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Outreach Program since 2006. He works at Mississippi State University’s Coastal Research Center in Biloxi and works on fishing gear research, seafood marketing and other outreach efforts.
Lauren is an Extension Agent at Louisiana Sea Grant. She was a recipient of the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship in 2011 where she worked at the National Sea Grant Office. She has a masters in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences with a Minor in Applied Statistics from Louisiana State University.
Torie Baker is the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program agent for the Prince William Sound region and is based in Cordova. As a MAP agent, she works with fishermen in marine safety training, business assistance and collaborative applied research. She is also a 20-year commercial salmon harvester in Prince William Sound, Copper River and Bristol Bay, and has worked extensively in Copper River salmon marketing initiatives. She holds a master's degree in adult education from the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Sarah Orlando is an Extension Educator based in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Coastal Management in Sandusky. She is the coordinator for the Ohio Clean Marinas and Clean Boaters programs, voluntary, incentive-based programs to help maintain and improve coastal and Lake Erie
It is Safe Boating Week! Whether it’s fresh, salty, or somewhere in between, the allure of water attracts people for fun in the sun and summertime memories. Sea Grant programs are working hard to manage the delicate balance between the nation’s diverse boating needs and the protection of its coastal resources.
A partnership between Sea Grant, the National Weather Service, and the United States Lifesaving Association will facilitate the collection of real-time data by lifeguards to improve rip current forecasts
UW Sea Grant funds a team of maritime archaeologists and students surveying the wreck of the Great Lakes' first self-unloading wooden schooner, abandoned in Sturgeon Bay.
Rip currents kill more than 100 people every year on U.S. beaches. Sea Grant funded researchers are studying what the public knows about rip currents and how to better educate people to spot these dangerous currents.
Imagine Boston, Charleston, San Francisco or Seattle without fresh seafood, pleasure boats or shipping vessels. It is an impossible task. The history, culture and identity of these communities are inextricably linked to their “working waterfronts,” which are places for active, water-related commerce and desirable areas in which to live and work. Unfortunately, many of these working waterfronts face a growing number of challenges.