The Northeast-Midwest Institute last week hosted a virtual briefing for Congressional staff on Great Lakes Sea Grant Programs, highlighting the work they do across a vast spectrum of issue areas in the Great Lakes. Panelists included the directors of each of the eight Great Lakes Sea Grant Programs: Illinois-Indiana, Lake Champlain, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Sea Grant Programs are partnerships between NOAA and state universities in 34 coastal states – including the freshwater coasts of the Great Lakes. Great Lakes Sea Grant programs are doing valuable work on nearly every issue of import to the region, including fishing, invasive species, tourism and recreation to support coastal economies, emerging contaminants, workforce development, and more. Each program works within their state and also works with one another across the Great Lakes to help the region as a whole. Sea Grant also generates an impressive return on investment, turning $94 million in Congressional appropriations into $828 million in economic benefits.
Chris Winslow, director of Ohio State Sea Grant, discussed Harmful Algal Blooms. In Lake Erie, Ohio State Sea Grant has conducted 115 projects since 2015 to research, monitor, and address HABs, while also helping protect affected residents and businesses. In addition, New York Sea Grant has a program focused on protecting dogs from HABs, and Lake Champlain conducts targeted outreach to beachgoers who are hard to reach with traditional communications methods.
New York Sea Grant director Rebecca Shuford covered Sea Grant work on coastal resilience, including water levels, flooding, erosion, and ice cover. She highlighted the work done with people on-site near affected areas to build resiliency and prepare for coastal hazards and extreme weather. Since 2024, work done by the New York Sea Grant has included over 7,000 feet of shoreline assessment and $12,000 saved through on-site visits. Another example of this work is from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, which uses nearshore buoys to collect data such as water temperature, wave height, and wind speeds to give a picture of real-time conditions.
Sea Grant programs are also involved with fisheries, establishing the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative in 2019 to increase domestic fish production. John Downing, director of Minnesota Sea Grant, noted that the Collaborative has helped farmers work sustainably, helped fisheries combat invasive species, and educated consumers on the benefits of domestic fish products. Sea Grant programs have aided fisheries across the Great Lakes since the 1970s. For example, when the caviar-fish roe industry, which generates nearly $15 million a year and employs close to 100 fishers, was erroneously issued a poor rating by a sustainability organization, Wisconsin Sea Grant stepped in to prove that a better rating was warranted. Sea Grants also support the vital maritime and shipping industry. Between harbor and shipping assistance and workforce development, Sea Grant programs are helping the shipping industry succeed in the present and adapt to the future.
Tourism and recreation in the Great Lakes generates $52 billion per year and $49.5 million in Pennsylvania, as found by Pennsylvania Sea Grant-funded research. Pennsylvania Sea Grant, director Sarah Whitney said, has done work along the Lake Erie coastline since 2004, dealing with invasive species, land conservation, and coastal ecosystem protection, with 2,184 acres of land and three miles of Lake Erie’s coastline conserved since 2012. New York Sea Grant also works with Pennsylvania Sea Grant to promote clean boats and safe boating methods to avoid beach hazards.
Director Christy Remucal discussed Wisconsin Sea Grant’s approach to emerging and legacy contaminants. Wisconsin Sea Grant has funded research to better understand where PFAS are most prevalent and how they enter the Great Lakes. They also have an emerging contaminants scientist on staff who conducts outreach to the public, and tests consumable products like walleye and maple syrup for PFAS contamination. Lake Champlain Sea Grant is leading the way on microplastics research and communicates that research to groups such as high school students and local businesses.
Anne Jefferson, director of Lake Champlain Sea Grant, addressed programs related to land use and management, including aiding agricultural lands with decreasing pollution and waterways, and protecting aquatic ecosystems and fisheries. Through their Free Home Stormwater Assessment program, Lake Champlain Sea Grant conducts visits to homes in the city of Burlington, Vermont, to advise on installments of new water systems or suggest methods to keep their current systems running. Other programs take a different approach to land management. Minnesota Sea Grant uses interactive tools like the Watershed Game to help decision makers in local government learn more about water management strategies and ways to reduce the risk of flooding and poor water quality for their communities.
Michigan Sea Grant director Silvia Newell spoke on education and workforce development. The Center for Great Lakes Literacy, a partnership program across the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network started and hosted by Michigan Sea Grant, works with teachers to support educators and teach students about the Great Lakes. Learning about invasive species and watersheds helps inspire these future leaders to be Great Lakes champions. Ohio State Sea Grant, through their Stone Laboratory, provides for students to get hands-on experience learning about fish and the Great Lakes. The Knauss Fellowship Program places graduate students with offices in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. Many Knauss Fellows go on to work in Great Lakes policymaking.
Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) cause upwards of $1 billion of damages a year to Great Lakes fisheries (about half of which is attributable to the zebra mussel), as well as $21-126 billion in losses a year to the U.S. economy and $423 billion in losses globally. Tomas Hook, director of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, talked about their Great Lakes AIS research programs, which focus on early detection of new species, prevention of new species, and analysis of the damage done by current species.
Elsewhere, Minnesota Sea Grant found that there was the potential for invasive species to hitch a ride with shipments of golden shiners, imported to Minnesota as fishing bait. To reduce risk of invasion, Minnesota Sea Grant developed in-state farms for production.
Watch the recording of briefing here.
Contact Great Lakes Program Manager Alex Eastman at aeastman@nemw.org with any questions