Extension & Outreach
Providing a workforce of over 500 on‐the‐ground extension agents who reside in many of the communities they serve.
As trusted experts who are considered honest brokers of information (non-advocacy), extension agents provide reliable technical and science‐based information to residents to address local needs while also transferring research priorities back to their universities.
Connecting Resource Networks
Extension agents connect university resources and expertise with local communities.
Extension agents work closely with Sea Grant communicators and educators, connecting university resources and expertise with local communities and user groups. An agent might develop new information through original applied research, gather existing information for user needs, transmit information and skills through pamphlets, courses, workshops, lectures and meetings; provide technical reviews of research and policies; and stimulate new research to meet perceived needs.
In short, these specialists take complex information and show people how to use it to solve problems. Extension agents are focused on specific topics such as improving fisheries management, seafood safety, fishing gear enhancement, developing sustainable aquaculture, decreasing water pollution, restoring habitat and other topics that advance the safety and productivity of coastal‐related commerce.
Extension
by the Numbers
*Extension professionals refers to total number of Sea Grant-affiliated extension professionals. Sea Grant extension full-time equivalents = 169.
857
EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS*
255,564
VOLUNTEER HOURS
354
COMMUNITIES IMPROVED HAZARD RESILIENCE
178,152
INDIVIDUALS REACHED THROUGH WORKSHOPS
Featured Extension Efforts
Kauai County, Hawaii, revises approach to Kauai seawall extension project based on Hawaii Sea Grant report
Delaware Sea Grant facilitates new and improved coordination in flood prediction, measurement, and response
City of Charleston, SC adopts a Sea Level Rise Strategy developed with assistance from the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium
Eat Wisconsin Fish raises awareness and sales
MIT Sea Grant helps managers consider social impact of fishing regulations
Michigan Sea Grant’s Sustainable Small Harbors project helps communities develop management plans through visioning charrettes, guidebook
Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant programs reduce anxiety and uncertainty of fishing and tourism leaders by providing information on oil spill science
Connecticut-Rhode Island Sea Grant training results in economic impact of over $1.97 million
Sea Grant Extension Assembly
The Sea Grant Assembly provides a way for Sea Grant Extension program leaders to respond to network issues or needs and to provide a forum for sharing related professional knowledge.
The Sea Grant Extension Assembly serves primarily to:
- Provide a mechanism for Sea Grant Extension (SGE) program leaders to respond to network issues or needs and to provide a forum for sharing related professional knowledge.
Foster ongoing communication with the Sea Grant Association, National Sea Grant Office, and other SGE outreach and research components. - Develop mechanisms to increase cooperative programming, outreach innovations, and talent sharing.
- Encourage national and regional professional recognition for outstanding performance for appropriate SGE professionals.
- Foster effective liaisons with various groups interested in collaborating with SGE program leaders in concert with the Sea Grant Association.
- Support and encourage regional SGE program networks.
Sea Grant Extension in the News
Safe Boating Week: Spotlight on Sea Grant Extension Agent Peter Nguyen
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.
Safe Boating Week: Spotlight on Extension Agent Lauren Land
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.
Safe Boating Week: Spotlight on Marine Advisory Program Agent Torie Baker
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.