RFPs

Strategic Plan

Research Programs

National Sea Grant Publishes priority research categories in its Annual Program Guidance, and has developed a National Sea Grant College Program Strategic Plan. The intent of these documents is to provide uniformity within the National Sea Grant Network and to encourage multidisciplinary regional approaches.

As we embark upon the 21^st century, emphasis on global commerce and the shifting priorities in the national economy make the basic precepts of marine research, education and advisory services even more important today than when NJMSC first introduced the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program to the State of New Jersey. The value of New Jersey Sea Grant has grown steadily by directing attention to the changes, challenges, and opportunities represented by the state’s extensive and invaluable marine and coastal resources and sustainable economy. To achieve its strategic goals through NJMSC/NJSG, the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program reaches out to all relevant federal and state institutions, industry, conservation organizations, coastal stakeholders, and the public to achieve consensus on coastal issues of concern.

Research Priorities at the NJSGCP

The research priorities of the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program are both consistent with, and complementary to National Sea Grant College Program’s Strategic Plan. Seven relevant areas of research have been identified to meet the long-range needs of New Jersey and the region:

ecosystem research,
environmental models,
coastal zone management,
marine technology and development,
biotechnology,
fisheries and aquaculture, and
socioeconomic, policy and legal studies.

Ecosystem Research

New Jersey's watersheds and estuaries have been subjected to tremendous development pressures, both industrial and residential. Pollutants in the form of toxic chemicals, pathogens, and nutrients, from a variety of point and non-point sources, have threatened the vitality and quality of local marine ecosystems and marine organisms, and have impaired use of these resources by the public. These pollutants degrade the marine environment and result in adverse health effects, ecological damage, and economic impacts. Consequently, research into watershed dynamics, fate and transport of pollutants, dredged materials management, coastal processes, and coastal ecosystem health remains a priority for the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program. Future Sea Grant ecosystems research will continue to provide useful data for management of the state's estuarine resources in light of the many competing, and often conflicting uses.

Coastal Zone Management

New Jersey's inlets, back bays, passages and thoroughfares, barrier beaches, and other coastal features are environmentally, economically, and culturally important. New Jersey has nearly 200 kilometers (127 miles) of beaches, most on fragile barrier islands. However, relatively few of the state's beaches have been spared indiscriminate, haphazard development, which pose severe problems for coastal managers and barrier beach stability. Coastal hazards caused by hurricanes, northeasters, or other coastal storms annually cause millions of dollars of damage to coastal businesses and communities. In addition, sediment shoaling of inlets, back bays, and other coastal waterways interferes with coastal navigation. New Jersey Sea Grant will focus its activities in this discipline on developing science-based analysis tools for coastal managers based on improved monitoring and modeling of coastal processes, and understanding coastal ecosystems behavior as a consequence of system dynamics and human intervention.

Environmental Models

The complex nature of marine ecosystems requires a research approach that extends beyond traditional, descriptive studies of local ecosystems. Investigations must focus on fundamental ecological processes that regulate ecosystem structure and function, and the response of ecosystems to natural variability and anthropogenic change. Appropriate management decisions related to coastal resources and coastal zone issues not only require quantitative understanding of the processes involved but also demand accurate models for predicting the impacts of natural and man-made changes.

Marine Technology Research and Development

The New Jersey Sea Grant College Program will invest in state-of-the-art marine technology and engineering research that addresses coastal issues especially in the area of beach erosion control and coastal hazard mitigation. This focus on marine technology and engineering is partially fostered by the special competence and facilities offered by a number of member institutions.

Biotechnology

New Jersey is home to more than 175 companies that actively engage in research and development in the biotechnology field. Many of the products generated by these firms are household names and are constantly being improved as new technology emerges. New Jersey Sea Grant has engaged its research community in seeking new pharmaceutical and other bioactive products from living marine sources; developing new bioremediation methodologies to eliminate toxic and other chemical pollutants in the marine environment; improving living resource productivity and crop yields by introduction of new technologies in aquaculture; improving identification of different species of marine organisms through new methods of biotechnology including molecular probes; and developing new biotechnological approaches to enhance the quality, disease resistance and survivability of living marine resources.

Fisheries and Aquaculture

New Jersey's fishery resources contribute more than $2 billion annually to the state's economy. Commercial fisheries in New Jersey rank among the most productive on the East Coast and in the nation. In addition, New Jersey recreational fisheries are among the nation's leaders in terms of angler expenditures, revenue generated, and angler participation The New Jersey Sea Grant College Program conducts extensive fisheries research to assist managers in the development and conservation of commercial and recreational species.

The demand for fish and seafood products in the United States has risen recently as a result of increasing public awareness of the nutritional and health benefits of eating seafood. This demand comes at a time when many traditional fishery resources are being harvested at, or near, sustainable yields. As a result, aquaculture has emerged as a growing US industry that supplements wild fisheries. Although some species are economically feasible to culture in New Jersey, much work remains to facilitate development of commercial-scale ventures. New Jersey Sea Grant will continue to invest resources in promoting the potential for aquaculture enterprises in New Jersey by raising awareness of aquaculture opportunities; helping to reduce impediments to initiate environmentally sound aquaculture businesses; developing proactive programs to manage aquatic organism health and mortality in culture systems; improving the quality of and efficiency of natural and artificial feeds; and improving the profitability of current aquaculture systems.

Socioeconomic, Policy and Legal Studies

Recognition of humans in the landscape, and the need to integrate the social sciences into sustainability approaches to coastal zone management is at the core of modern sustainability science. In order to provide relevant information for the wise use of New Jersey's coastal and marine resources, New Jersey Sea Grant is interested in studies that involve collection and analysis of appropriate socioeconomic and policy-related data and information, analysis of social change, analysis of natural resource management options, suggestions for alternative institutional arrangements, socioeconomic impact studies, and identification of legal and policy constraints to the development of coastal businesses.

NEW JERSEY SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM
STRATEGIC GOALS, 2004-2008

New Jersey Sea Grant College Program activities involve more than 50 percent of its member institutions currently focusing in the areas of:

Coastal ecosystem health including atmospheric deposition, fate and transport of toxic compounds, harmful algal blooms, dredged materials management; homeland security and preparedness; innovative products from the sea, shellfish disease; habitat restoration; essential fish habitat and aquaculture technology;
Technology transfer of ecosystem and marine technology research to product development, resource management, or policy-formulation; and
Heightening public awareness of key coastal issues through multimedia tools and pre-college education.

Strategic Goal 1

Match the national science agenda with New Jersey’s local knowledge, skills and priorities; and

Strategic Goal 1

Identify relevant New Jersey coastal issues through a collective stakeholder process, and seek a balanced and objective response to addressing consensus issues through research, education and outreach

the public knowledge through a wide-range of marine-related basic and applied research in New Jersey and the mid-Atlantic region.

Sea Grant Advisory Board (SGAB)

To strengthen ties between the research and user communities, the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program convenes a Sea Grant Advisory Board (SGAB). The primary responsibility of the Board is to provide advice to management and staff in all matters related to coastal issues and the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program. This advice encompasses a local perspective on coastal issues, program review and policy development by:

Commenting on the focus, orientation and progress of the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program in context of changing needs and priorities, program balance, initiatives and new directions;
Reviewing pre-proposals and full proposals;
Holding discussions with the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program Director from the perspective of user groups in each major program area;
Assisting the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program office in identifying and encouraging participation of appropriate talent in the program;
Providing comments to the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program applicable to solving problems considered critical to New Jersey’s marine-related economy and more broadly, to regional and national needs.

SGAB membership is drawn from a balanced cross-section of New Jersey’s user community — marine industries, private citizens, advocacy groups, utilities, and federal, state and local governmental agencies representing: Aquaculture, Biotechnology, Coastal zone management, commercial fishing, environmental advocacy, marine trades, maritime industry, petrochemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, policy and planning commissions, private citizens, recreational fishing, regulatory/resource agencies, and shore tourism,

Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)

The Scientific Advisory Committee consists of experienced senior scientists from the region, but outside of New Jersey, with expertise in the following: aquatic ecology, biogeochemical cycling, biotechnology, coastal ecology, dredged materials management, ecological engineering, education, environmental chemistry, environmental modeling, fish and shellfish aquaculture, fisheries science and management, shore process and coastal engineering and social, policy and economic sciences

The SAC provides technical advice and ranking of proposals (or pre-proposals). Working interactively, the SAC and SGAB recommend a “slate” of relevant and technically meritorious proposals to the Sea Grant Director for potential funding.

Strategic Goal 2

Develop a coastal research agenda that addresses ecological, social, cultural, and economic issues built on the needs of marine industries, government, resource managers and the public; focus relevant research on stakeholder generated issues whose outcomes and products reach the broadest possible number of New Jersey and regional constituents

Strategic Goal 2

Integrate ecological with socio-economic studies to address issues associated with the “coastal commons”– fisheries management, public access, ports, sustainable coastal communities and aquaculture;

Promote regional approaches to improved management of limited coastal resources;
Contribute to the development of ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management;
Focus landscape level research on essential habitat and “bottom-up” management of fisheries vis-à-vis better understanding between habitat and early life history stages.
Meld the science and practice of restoration ecology and habitat restoration;
Promote marine biotechnology as a source of useful products from the sea;
Employ genetic engineering and other biotechnology techniques to address oyster diseases, improved culture of hard clams and finfish;
Develop sustainable, economically feasible, and environmentally “friendly” aquaculture production for existing, new or alternative species;
Address source control, fate and transport of toxic compounds in the New Jersey-New York Harbor and Delaware Bay; develop cost-effective and environmentally benign methods for stabilization and beneficial uses of dredged materials, contribute to understanding the underlying basis for harmful algal blooms;
Develop applicable solutions for ameliorating coastal hazards, sand retention and promoting the application of natural beach planforms as protective of the public well-being;
Improve the understanding of regional coastal sediment transport and shoreline stability factors including bayshore processes;
Incorporate existing and future coastal ocean data streams in improved coastal models, forecasting and analysis;
Understand the underlying processes of bay shoreline evolution; and
Contribute natural and bioengineering solutions to the stabilization and restoration of bay shorelines.

Strategic Goal 3

Coastal issues in New Jersey are no less prominent than in other Sea Grant states and, in an austere economic environment, alternatives are constantly sought to supplement limited federal funds with local partnerships. In addition to expanding the overall pool of dollars, partnerships enhance the probability that sufficient funds will be available to support large-scale multidisciplinary projects. In recent years, the New Jersey Sea Grant College program has increased its core funding by more than 40% in local and regional partnerships.

Strategic Goal 3

Expand the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program capabilities through local and regional academic, private sector, municipal, and government partnerships

Habitat Initiative

A unique collaboration has developed among the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program, other regional Sea Grant institutions, state and federal agencies and the private sector to co-fund basic and applied research in coastal habitats. With an investment of approximately $700,000 Sea Grant dollars over the past five years, the NJSGCP has secured grants, contracts, co-sponsorship and donations to build a $4.2 million Habitat Initiative in the region and nationally. Originally focused on one of the largest wetland projects of its kind in the world, the restoration of more than 4,050 hectares.

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