Supporting New York’s Coastal Communities: NY Sea Grant Leadership Visits Capitol Hill

During the first week of March, as members of the Sea Grant Association, leaders from New York Sea Grant (NYSG) took to Capitol Hill to champion the importance of sustained and increased federal investment in the National Sea Grant College Program and Sea Grant Aquaculture Research as Congress begins work on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget.

Rebecca L. Shuford, director of New York Sea Grant and based at Stony Brook University, joined with Katherine Bunting-Howarth, NYSG associate director and assistant director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, for a series of meetings with members of Congress and their staff. They delivered a clear and compelling message: the Sea Grant program strengthens our national economy by enabling fishers, farmers, restaurants and coastal communities to do work whose benefits reach far beyond the shoreline.

"To support coastal communities' expressed objectives and information needs related to topics such as coastal storms and hazards, opportunities for maritime, aquaculture and fisheries businesses, and safe and clean waterways (e.g., boating safety, marine debris, harmful algal blooms), Sea Grant delivers constituent and science-based solutions that directly benefit local stakeholders," said Shuford. "Investing in Sea Grant means investing in resilient communities, healthy ecosystems, strong economies and a skilled workforce."

NYSG, a collaborative program of the State University of New York and Cornell University, is part of a nationwide network of 34 university-based Sea Grant programs funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that focus on research, extension, and education to support coastal environmental stewardship and economic vitality. Sea Grant's wide range of work spans topics from sustainable seafood and marine debris studies to coastal resilience planning and workforce development.

During the meetings, Shuford and Bunting-Howarth highlighted the unique return on investment that Sea Grant provides by leveraging federal funding into research, extension services, and community engagement across New York's marine and Great Lakes waters. They shared examples of Sea Grant's collaborative projects in individual congressional districts with industry and academic partners that address water quality, environmental variability and coastal hazards, and economic opportunities tied to sustainable development and resilient coastal communities and environments.

Bunting-Howarth underscored the importance of federal support for educational and workforce development initiatives that prepare the next generation of coastal scientists and natural resource managers. "As funding decisions for FY 2027 are shaped in the months ahead, it is critical that Congress recognize how Sea Grant's science-to-shore approach supports not just research, but real-world solutions that help businesses, municipalities and families thrive," she said.

The NYSG leaders urged representatives to include strong funding for the Sea Grant program in the upcoming federal budget, noting that continued investment will help ensure communities throughout New York and across the country can meet coastal challenges and benefit from opportunities with science-based tools and expertise.

The meetings were facilitated in coordination with Stony Brook's Office of Federal Relations,which works closely with congressional offices to advance the university's federal priorities and support research, education and community engagement initiatives such as New York Sea Grant.