IV. Review, Revisions and Results

Program Review and Revision

With respect to the two-year program covered by this implementation plan, the WSG Management Team will examine program activities and assesses implementation success in preparation for writing the annual progress report. This process provides an avenue for minor adjustments to the implementation plan. Program Development funds also will continue to be an important tool for making program adjustments and responding to important issues and critical needs within the funding cycle. By carefully allocating funds where they are most needed, we can respond to ideas that arose after the funding cycle started, assist faculty and students who have discovered significant and time-sensitive opportunities, and bridge gaps in support for critical activities.

A number of important ongoing national activities will significantly affect implementation of the WSG program in 2009 and beyond. Earlier this year, the National Academy of Sciences released a report entitled Evaluation of the Sea Grant Program Review Process. This new report recommends strengthening the strategic planning process for the individual state Sea Grant programs, increasing the interaction between the National Sea Grant Office and the individual programs, and improving the program rating and ranking process through annual assessments by the National Sea Grant Office. In response to the report, planning is underway for a national strategic plan for the Sea Grant program, to be carried out by the National Sea Grant Office in cooperation with state programs and the National Sea Grant Advisory Panel. This plan is scheduled for completion in 2007.

Recommended by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, the ongoing federal effort to develop a 10-year national ocean research plan will be a major influence on Sea Grant strategic plans at both state and national levels. The federal research plan, entitled the Ocean Research Priorities Plan, is scheduled for completion in December 2006. It establishes six societal themes and three common scientific and technical threads, all of which relate to Sea Grant:

The current WSG strategic plan covers the six-year period from 2004-2010. However, given the new leadership within the program and important developments at the national level, we currently plan to initiate WSG strategic planning in the fall of 2007.
In addition to incorporating national priorities, the planning process will take recent regional and state developments into account.  On September 18, 2006, the governors of Washington, California and Oregon signed an agreement to work together on ocean health. Among the governors’ initial priorities is to “support development of a regional research plan for the West Coast, in coordination with the National Sea Grant Office, academia and other research institutions.” WSG will be closely involved in development of the regional plan, with the goals that the plan will: (1) build upon the national priorities established by the national Ocean Research Priorities Plan; and (2) be a primary determinant in setting the direction for WSG for the next decade. At the state level, two recent accomplishments will affect the WSG agenda. First, the Washington State Ocean Policy Work Group currently is completing its review of the recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and assessing their applicability to Washington. Second, the Puget Sound Partnership will propose key actions to recover Puget Sound by 2020, engaging stakeholders and the general public and setting priorities for research, protection and restoration.

In developing the WSG Strategic Plan 2008-2016, we will use the outcomes of these national, regional and state processes as a starting point and seek input from and the involvement of the recently re-established WSG Advisory Committee, as well as program staff and constituents. Those involved will be asked to identify and suggest program directions and elements at the beginning of the process and to review and make comments on a draft strategic plan. The current schedule calls for completion of the new WSG strategic plan by March 2008. Development of the WSG implementation plan for 2009-2011 will then be based on this strategic plan, and revision of the implementation plan will occur every two years, allowing for adaptive management of program activities.

Dissemination of Results

WSG outreach and communications staff members work with investigators and technical staff at the beginning of all projects to plan for the synthesis, packaging and dissemination of results. WSG Communications provides extensive information dissemination through print and electronic media. Materials produced in support of WSG programs and research projects include books, newsletters, brochures, pamphlets, posters, news releases, presentations, exhibits and Web content. Examples of these products are discussed throughout section III of this document. WSG Communications develops information materials for MAS colleagues and disseminates information about services and research projects through newsletters, news releases, the WSG Web site and other media. Over the past 12 months, Communications has produced and distributed more than 20 major publications supporting education and outreach activities. In addition, MAS staff members interact directly with constituents and user groups on a daily basis to communicate research and best practices covering a variety of marine issues. Each year, WSG-supported investigators also produce dozens of journal articles, theses and dissertations, advisory bulletins, book chapters, workshop proceedings and miscellaneous reports.

V. Nationalization of the Implementation Plan

As the preceding section indicates, the WSG program is developed within national and regional contexts. For this reason and at any given time, WSG research and outreach projects have relevance and impact at national and regional levels. Examples from the current plan include: research on products from marine organisms living under extreme conditions; research and outreach to prevent seabird bycatch in fishing gear; modeling to create ecosystem plans for managing sustainable fisheries; support of waterfront communities in planning for their future; and work with graduate fellows in policy, fisheries science and coastal management. WSG is a national leader in these areas and results from these programs transcend state boundaries, as examination of the following examples demonstrates.

  1. The WSG program to reduce seabird bycatch in Alaskan fisheries has had clear regional, national and international application. Sea Grant marine fishery specialists have partnered with North Pacific fishermen and federal managers to curb the accidental capture of endangered short-tailed albatross and other seabirds in commercial fishing operations. The result of this partnership, a highly effective streamer line technology, has been adopted by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for implementation in all demersal longline fisheries under its jurisdiction in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. Recent research results are currently being considered by the Council to further modify and improve these longline regulations. The research has helped reduce seabird bycatch by at least 80 percent in Alaska fisheries and is inspiring the global adoption of seabird avoidance methods and innovative cooperative approaches with industry. Earlier this year, the project’s lead scientist received NOAA’s first Sustainable Fisheries Leadership Award in Science, Research and Technology. During the implementation period covered by this plan, the program will continue additional mitigation research on the Alaskan trawl fleet and expand to address international fisheries.
  1. Federal, state and regional governments currently are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to protect and recover endangered and threatened salmonids in the Northwest. Several WSG research and outreach projects are poised to make important contributions to that national effort, addressing key scientific uncertainties or threats to recovery. These projects include:
    1. Studies of climate change impacts on the abundance of Pacific Northwest steelhead.
    2. Research on salmon recolonization of recently reopened habitat in the upper Cedar River system due to dam modifications.
    3. Development of genetics tools to assess salmon traits, such as run timing, that are important for successful conservation efforts.
    4. Examination of the effects of food restrictions, environmental estrogens and hypoxia on salmon reproductive success.
    5. Technical assistance to salmon recovery and habitat restoration efforts.
    6. Cargo ships transfer millions of gallons of ballast water among ports each year, carrying with them the threat for release of harmful nonnative plants, animals and disease organisms. Ballast water is believed to be the most important vector for marine species transfers and has facilitated the unintentional introduction of tens to hundreds of freshwater and marine species to the United States and elsewhere. WSG specialists are exploring the biology of ballast water and technologies, including ozone treatment and ultra-violet and biocidal disinfection of ballast water, to curb introductions of unwanted organisms. The results of this research will be applicable regionally, nationally and internationally. Developed in conjunction with Sea Grant, the Washington state ballast-water sampling program is serving as a model for efforts nationwide.  
    7. Shellfish aquaculture and issues related to seafood safety and shellfish disease are long-standing interests of the Sea Grant program at all levels of operation. University of Washington researchers have been extraordinarily successful in national competitions in these areas, bringing the WSG program federal and regional prominence. Among the national strategic investments in this implementation plan are a pilot water depuration process for Vibrio in Gulf Coast oysters, techniques to prevent transmission of oyster herpes virus, and tools to remediate summer mortality disease in Pacific oysters. Other projects, such as the study of potential interactions between wild and farmed geoducks and new methods for identifying sources of shellfish-polluting bacteria, address local issues; however, the results will influence aquaculture policies across the country. The results of these studies will be used to reduce seafood-related public health threats and strengthen the U.S. aquaculture industry.

These examples are just a few of many that can illustrate the national and regional applications of WSG program elements. They demonstrate some of the ways in which WSG serves communities, industries and the people of Washington state, the Pacific Northwest and the nation through research, education and outreach.