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April 25, 2004
Gainesville Sun
Federal oceans report boosts UF's Sea Grant
Marine research and outreach could spread to more coastal
counties
By GREG C. BRUNO
Sun Staff Writer
 James
Cato could hardly contain his enthusiasm. After years of struggling to fund
marine research in Florida, the state's Sea Grant College Program director sat
in his University of Florida office last week, rattling off ways he said his
program's fortunes had changed overnight.
"This report . . . has a large number of comments in it
that were very favorable to Sea Grant," Cato said Thursday, referring to a White
House-sanctioned policy paper released two days before, the most significant
federal review of the nation's oceans in more than three decades.
"It talks about our graduate student research and training
programs. It calls for a doubling of the base investment in marine and coastal
research.
"And it mentions that Sea Grant obviously needs to play a
role in that, i.e., our budget ought to be double."
All good news for cash-strapped researchers.
One of 31 Sea Grant programs nationwide, Florida's
university-based coastal research, education and outreach initiative has been
hosted by UF since 1972.
In the past five years, faculty and staff at UF and other
state institutions have received nearly $13 million in federal grants, money
that has been spent to improve clam production in Cedar Key, create a recycling
program for fishing line in Jacksonville, remove more than 7,000 pounds of ocean
debris near Boca Grande, and a number of other projects.
In 2003, nearly 70 state, national and international
research institutions and universities — represented by more than 800 scientists
— participated in 14 marine coastal studies paid for with Sea Grant funding,
Cato said. Of the state's 34 coastal counties, 26 are staffed with Sea Grant
extension agents.
But with an annual budget of about $3 million in federal
money, many projects and programs don't get the funding they need, Cato said.
Last year, for example, fewer than 17 percent of all projects eligible for Sea
Grant received program dollars.
"There are coastal counties now that would like to have a
Sea Grant faculty person located there, and we can't come up with the money to
put somebody there," said program spokesman Steve Kearl.
Tuesday's federal oceans report — produced by a 16-member
commission of presidentially appointed scientists, business representatives and
government officials — may soon change that, Cato and others say.
"It would be more money to fund more projects, and to hire
more faculty to work in this area," said Cato, who also serves as director of
UF's School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Outlined in the 514-page oceans policy document were a
number of recommended changes to national marine management, many of which
identified Sea Grant as an ideal model. Noting that pollution, depleted fish
stocks and invasive species were impacting the nation's oceans, the report
called for a number of changes to current marine management, including the
creation of a National Ocean Council and an ocean trust fund to pay for future
research.
For now, talk of money streaming into Gainesville is
largely hypothetical: The commission's findings, online at
http://www.oceancommission.gov/, are now under review by the nation's
governors, and any new federal dollars will have to wait for congressional
approval.
But support for the recommended changes, and increased
state and federal spending on marine education research, appears to have at
least preliminary support of state officials.
"Sound science provides the foundation for better
understanding, managing and protecting the ocean environment," Department of
Environmental Protection Secretary Colleen Castille said Wednesday, during
Oceans Day at the state Capitol.
"Florida is ready to lead a national response that will
establish a framework for the long-term protection of critical ocean and marine
resources."
Such vague commitments to marine protection won't pay the
bills at the state's research university. Still, Florida Sea Grant officials say
the recent attention to ocean health is encouraging, both for the statewide
program and for UF.
"There's a lot of interest within the university here
demonstrating that the university has a statewide mission," Cato said, something
more state and federal money via the Sea Grant program could accomplish.
Of course funding isn't the only thing Sea Grant would
reap were all of the commission's recommendations implemented. The national
program also would likely play a larger advisory role in guiding state coastal
policies, Cato said.
And Sea Grant wouldn't be the only Florida program to
benefit from expanded research dollars. Countless other research, development
and fisheries management organizations across the state would likely compete for
funds.
Regardless, Cato and Sea Grant staff at UF say last week's
ocean report would have a profound local impact if it receives congressional
approval.
"This is a take stock," Kearl said. "This is a wake-up
call. In spite of the fact that there's Iraq, the economy, an election year,
this is big enough and makes a big enough statement, that it's not going to go
away.
"This forces serious consideration of the oceans on the
planet," he added. "It will happen."
Greg Bruno can be reached at (352) 374-5026 or greg.bruno@ gvillesun.com.
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