Registration is open for the all-virtual New York Seafood Summit: www.nyseagrant.org/seafoodsummit.  

Hour-long sessions will take place Monday - Thursday, February 22nd - 25th, with a two hour session slated for Friday, February 26th.

Each year, NYSG and its partners try to highlight some of the State's bountiful seafood supply and introduce participants to the delicious, diverse, and versatile seafood available locally.

If you have a project, program or resource to share, consider submitting a 2-3 minute pre-recorded lightning talk for the Friday afternoon session.

Questions? Email NYSG's Seafood Specialist Michael Ciaramella, mc2544@cornell.edu.

Interested in learning more about the volunteer monitoring happening around Long Island Sound?

"Community Science Long Island" is a new educational webinar series for 2021 being hosted by Seatuck Environmental Association, Long Island Sound Study, and New York Sea Grant with support from the New York State Department of State's South Shore Estuary Reserve and Peconic Estuary Partnership.

Once monthly webinars include speakers ranging from researchers, environmental management leaders, and community science project coordinators.

The aim of the series is to raise awareness about community science opportunities (also known as citizen science) in Long Island and the importance of those projects in supporting local environmental management efforts.

Register for webinars via Seatuck's website. And for updates throughout the year, check us out on social media --- links for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more are available via Long Island Sound Study and New York Sea Grant.

New York City's coastal communities are facing more frequent weather disruptions such as floods, which, according to a new research brief on "Flood Watch Social Impacts," is a hazard that will continue to increase in its severity due to sea level rise. Read on >>

The brief is linked to the Community Flood Watch Project (Flood Watch), coordinated by the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay and NYSG in partnership with NYC Emergency Management and the NYC Mayor's Office of Resiliency. Flood Watch uses civic science contributions to collect photographs of tidal flood events, including date, time, depth, duration, and flooding source.

Sea Grant's new Environmental Justice Mapping Tools Guide, which spotlights at-risk neighborhoods in a New York community, includes 22 online mapping tools covering a range of topics that help build context around race, class, and the environment.

During a mid-November 2020 webinar, viewable at www.nyseagrant.org/deiresources, NYSG provided an introduction to environmental justice, how to use the environmental justice mapping tools guide, and demonstrations of select mapping tools. This webinar was open to all, including community members, educators, students, and environmental practitioners so that they could ask their own questions and inform their own analysis.

The document collects information about free, easy-to-use mapping tools that can be used by these target stakeholders to help investigate and define their context and plan projects. As we explored each resource we were guided by environmental justice and how mapping can be a resource for communities to approach environmental issues that matter to them.

A pair of educators---Michael Ciaramella, NYSG's Seafood Specialist (NYSG), and Linda O'Dierno of the National Aquaculture Association---offer an appealing idea for students who want to thrive post-COVID-19: It's all about sustainable, local seafood. Read on >>

New and revised resources for educators and funding opportunities have been added to the "Great Lakes Ecosystem Education Exchange," www.nyseagrant.org/gleee, a partnerships between NYSG and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

In an effort to address the need for increased aquaculture production in the U.S., New York Sea Grant is working with investigators led by North Carolina Sea Grant to build a StriperHub across the Atlantic coast. Read on >>

Those involved are working to collect, create and disseminate data and information regarding sustainable and viable striped bass production through various grow-out methods and enhance the consumer market for farmed striped bass.

In addition to the StriperHub, NYSG is leading and/or involved in three additional aquaculture projects from a recent pot of $16 million in federal funds.

Congress Reauthorizes NOAA Sea Grant through 2025

The National Sea Grant College Act was reauthorized and amended by Congress and signed by President Donald J. Trump on December 18, 2020. The reauthorization, titled the "National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) Amendments Act of 2020," includes several updates to Sea Grant's authorizing legislation.

The Act serves as a guiding framework upon which Sea Grant operates and serves America's coastal and Great Lakes communities. Announcements were made via: National Sea Grant | NOAA Research

NOAA: Remain Weather-Ready Beyond Record-Breaking 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season

An extremely active, record-breaking 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season drew to a close in late November 2020 after producing 30 named storms, of which 12 made landfall in continental U.S. Climate factors that influenced the record-breaking season include ongoing La Nina + warmer-than-average sea surface temps and weaker wind shear in Atlantic. On the plus side: Improved forecasts, extensive preparedness helped protect lives and property.

And while 2020's hurricane season may have officially ended on November 30th, it is still possible for additional storms to develop. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s National Weather Service (NWS) reminds that being "Weather-Ready" is a 365-day/year activity, offering on December 1st (the first day of meteorology winter) some safety tips for seasonal hazards.

You can join NOAA, NWS, the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) and almost 9,000 fellow Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors this fall by helping communities become ready, responsive, and resilient to extreme weather.

"Be a Force of Nature" and follow the Weather-Ready Nation team on Twitter at @WRNAmbassadors.

NOAA: Marine Economy Report

In late November 2020, NOAA's Office for Coastal Management released its 2020 Report on the U.S. Marine Economy: Regional and State Profiles (pdf). One of the highlights to note from the announcement (and on page 60 of the report): "New York was the largest single contributor to the Mid-Atlantic's marine economy, accounting for almost half the employment (388,000 people) and gross domestic product ($29.2 billion)."

Sea Grant Publishes Research Impacts Paper

This research paper (pdf), released in late November 2020, highlights bibliometric analysis of 6,500+ peer-reviewed publications generated over a 15-year period by the Sea Grant program.

The authors conclude that, with a relatively modest financial investment, Sea Grant-supported research is consistently published in high quality journals; is highly cited in local, regional, and international publications; and reflects a user-driven approach to problem solving. Additionally, they conclude that continued support of programs like Sea Grant will no doubt enhance the quality of life and livelihood in America's coastal communities and Great Lakes region.