SGA DOCUMENTS
Transition 2001:
"science serving america's coasts"

    • articles of incorporation
    • sga bylaws
    • science serving america's coasts
    • a vision for success
    • sga awards
    • theme-centered research
    • funding principles
    • position papers

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January 2001

The Coastal Context

The Sea Grant Network offers the following insights and recommendations to assist the new Administration with the organizational and substantive challenges facing the National Sea Grant College Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

I. The Coastal Context

About 2.5 billion people currently live within 100 miles of the world’s coasts. In the United States our national coastal and ocean resources encompass an immense area with more than 95,000 miles of coastline and more than 3.4 million square miles of ocean within the U.S. territorial sea. Over half the nation’s population lives in coastal counties that comprise less than one-fifth of the total land area of the United States. The economy of these coastal counties is critical to the economic well-being of the entire nation. These counties provide a wide array of goods and services and account for at least 30% of the gross national product of the United States. Growth in population and economic activity in coastal counties is continuing with nearly 14,000 housing units being built every week, resulting in a 25% growth in coastal counties since 1970. From 1996 to 2015, our nation’s coastal population is projected to increase from 141 million to 166 million.

The complexity of managing the nation’s natural and economic resources in the coastal area continues to increase. Development has resulted in the filling of coastal wetlands affecting wildlife habitat and coastal water quality. Streams have been converted to reservoirs and concrete channels for flood control at the expense of sand supply to our beaches, often resulting in severe beach erosion. Coastal water quality has been compromised by the infusion of pollutants from agricultural and urban runoff. Many of our coastal fisheries are collapsing. At the same time, many opportunities exist to use coastal and marine resources in ways that create economic opportunity and at the same time a sustainable coastal environment. Our Nation’s ports are at a critical juncture if they are to remain competitive. Citizens want and need to understand these and other highly complex opportunities and management issues that involve a mix of scientific, technical, and political factors.

Sea Grant provides the new Administration and Congress the capability for a comprehensive, flexible vehicle for response to these issues through the engagement of our best universities. Our university capabilities represent an enormous and essential asset in addressing complex issues. We suggest the incoming Administration consider how well the National Sea Grant College Program is positioned to address the complex technical, jurisdictional, economic, and political ramifications of burgeoning coastal growth and resource degradation. This consideration might be particularly valuable as the country undergoes the first significant review of oceans policy since the Stratton Commission’s work over 30 years ago. Indeed, in an age that emphasizes multi-disciplinary, goal-oriented, performance-measured partnerships, Sea Grant has demonstrated its capability to effectively deliver policy-relevant science and services.

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