Research
Oregon Sea Grant is the conduit for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research and outreach grants, awarded competitively by the National Sea Grant College Program. Additional funding comes from the Oregon legislature and collaborative efforts with public and private sources.
Sea Grant provides competitive, peer-reviewed grants that allow top ocean and coastal researchers to apply their skills to issues of critical importance to the state, the region, and the nation. Over the years, the program’s funding emphasis has changed to meet and anticipate the region’s changing needs. Urgent issues—the decline of once-abundant fisheries, the challenges posed by coastal population growth and climate change, the heightened awareness of invasive species—help propel Sea Grant’s research priorities as the program strives to put limited resources where they can do the most good. Many research projects have outreach components, ensuring that the results of cutting-edge science will be put to work on the ground - and at sea.
Researchers come from the leading ranks of academic science in Oregon. In some cases, Oregon researchers partner with others from the Pacific Northwest and beyond to explore questions of broader regional, national, or international scope.
Current research
Economic Leadership:
- Biotechnology - Mapping the genes of toxic algal blooms
- Fisheries - Salmon and parasite resistance; albacore catch trends; catch-and-release as a conservation tool?
Coastal Ecosystem Health and Public Safety
- Ecosystems and Habitats - Invasive grasses and dune formation; effects of hypoxia on fish communities; fishermen in ocean observing research
- Coastal Hazards - Climate change and coastal flood risk; localized tsunami run-up
Research and human resources
- Marine Science Literacy - Sea Grant professorship in free-choice learning; deepening people's engagement with marine science exhibits
Additional current projects
- Regional research and information plan for the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem of Coastal Washington, Oregon, and California
- Program development grants