South Atlantic Regional Research Plan

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South Atlantic Regional Research Plan
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Organizing Committee

• NC Steve Rebach (MARRP also)
• SC Rick DeVoe
• GA Chuck Hopkinson
• FL Karl Havens

Coordinated by Georgia Coastal Research
Council Merryl Alber, UGA Christine
Laporte http//www.gcrc.uga.edu/sarrp.htm
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http//www.gcrc.uga.edu
Goals To provide mechanisms for improved
scientific exchange and to promote the
incorporation of best-available scientific
information into resource management .

• Approach
• Facilitating Interactions
• Synthesizing Technical Information
• Conducting Research
• Communicating Results

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Motivation

• U.S. Ocean Action Plan - Ocean Research
  Priorities Plan
• NOAA to work with Sea Grant to develop regional
  plans (bridge between national and local efforts)
  
• Regional Sea Grant Programs
• Establish a regional coordination group
• Conduct a bottom-up needs assessment with broad
  input
• Identify research and information gaps
• Develop a plan for the region that prioritizes
  actions according to management-critical needs
• Develop coordination mechanisms to ensure the
  transfer of technology and information to the
  appropriate end users and
• Provide an ongoing platform for coordination,
  collaboration, and resource sharing among
  participants.

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Process

• Inventory existing research plans
• 170 and counting

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National/International

• Coastal Ocean Plan/ORPPIS
• Pew Report
• National Sea Grant Strategic Plan
• National Ocean Service Strategic Plan
• NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
• EPA Strategic Plan
• NMFS Strategic Plan
• National Weather Service Strategic Plan
• Natl Governors Association on Coastal Planning
  Policy
• Army Corps. of Engineers Civil Works Plan
• Dept. of Defense Naval Oceanographic Office
  Strategic Plan
• UN Atlas of the Oceans
• USGS Florida Science Center plan
• Environment Canada

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Regional

• Southeast
• South Atlantic and Caribbean Regional Marine
  Research Plan
• NC, SC, GA, FL Sea Grant Documents
• State Coastal Management Programs
• Coastal Services Center Plan
• South Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council
• Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region
• EPA Strategic Plan, Region IV
• Natl. Park Service Coastal Southeast watershed
  reports
• Other Regions
• West Coast Governors Agreement
• Gulf of Maine Council
• Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Plan
• Gulf of Mexico Alliance Gulf Action Plan

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Process

• Inventory existing research plans (170)
• Establish Regional Advisory Group
• _at_ 35 reps fed, state and regional, Committed!

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Regional Advisory Group
SOUTH CAROLINA Department of Natural Resources
Marine Resources Division Dept Health and
Environmental Control Ocean and Coastal
Resource Management Water Quality Division
GEORGIA Dept of Natural Resources Coastal
Resources Division Envtl. Protection
Division Dept of Community Affairs Office of
Planning and Quality Growth FLORIDA Department
of Environmental Protection Water Resources
Management Coastal Management Program FL Oceans
Coastal Resources Council Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission
FEDERAL AGENCIES National Sea Grant Nat'l
Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council Environmental
Protection Agency Dept. of Defense
(SERPPAS) Army Corps of Engineers National Park
Service Fish and Wildlife Service US Geological
Survey Natl Estuarine Research Reserve System
Dept of Homeland Security -- FEMA USDA --
Natural Resources Conservation Service NORTH
CAROLINA Department of Environment and Natural
Resources Div. of Coastal Mgmt., Policy and
Research Division of Marine Fisheries
Division of Water Quality .
REGIONAL ORGS. Southern Association of Marine
Laboratories Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing
Regional Association Southeast Aquatic Research
Plan Southeast and Caribbean Regional Team
(NOAA) South Atlantic Alliance
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Process

• Inventory existing research plans
• Establish Regional Advisory Group
• Survey stakeholders

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Impacts from Needs Assessment

• Habitat loss and degradation
• Wetland loss
• Coral bleaching
• Seagrass dieoff
• Marsh dieback
• Alteration of physical setting (e.g. interruption
  of sand budget)
• Eutrophication symptoms
• Decrease in submerged aquatic vegetation
• Increase in harmful algal blooms
• High chlorophyll concentrations
• Fish kills
• Effects on fisheries
• Decreased fish catch
• Increased disease of fish, aquaculture species
• Disruption of food web due to invasive species
• Effects on human health and quality of life
• Contaminated fish and shellfish
• Beach closures
• Effects on Valued Species

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FrameworkExample DPSIR Fisheries decline
State Physical Characteristics - Decrease in
appropriate habitat Water, Sediment Quality - ?
concentration of contaminants - ? pathogens,
pharmaceuticals Biological Components -
Reproductive failure - ? in disease - Change in
food web

• Drivers
• Drivers
• Watershed Activities
• Population growth
• Changes in land use
• Marine Activities
• - Commercial fishing
• Recreational fishing
• Boating
• Dredging, trawling
• Climate Change

Pressures Overfishing Habitat loss/
disruption Point, non-point pollution

• Response
• Fisheries Regulations
• - Catch limits
• - Improved fishing technology
• - Diversification, rotation of targeted species
• Ecosystem Management
• -Essential fish habitat
• Marine protected areas

Impacts Degradation / loss of commercial/recreati
onal fisheries, including crabs, shrimp,
shellfish, coral, finfish
Step 1
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Stakeholder Survey

• August 25 Sept. 30, 2008
• 4000 known e-mails and hard copies distributed,
  partners forwarded many additional ones
• 8 partner websites (NOAA in the Carolinas, CSO
  newsletter)
• 524 respondents (95 completion rate)
• North Carolina (114) South Carolina (95)
  Georgia (120) Florida (182)
• Majority (75) identified as current Coastal
  County resident

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Top responses

• Tidal wetland loss, including marshes, fresh and
  brackish wetlands
• Loss of non-tidal freshwater wetlands
• Changes in estuaries
• Changes in tidal creeks
• Changes in near shore waters
• Degradation / loss of commercial/recreational
  fisheries, including crabs, shrimp, shellfish,
  coral, finfish
• Continuing loss of endangered, threatened spp,
  incl. sea turtles, marine mammals, fish, sea
  grasses, birds and coastal plants
• Other effects of human actions on marine life,
  including food web interactions, community
  dynamics, trophic structure
• Effects of chemicals on organisms, including
  toxins, contaminants (pesticides, herbicides,
  petroleum products), hormones
• Contaminated seafood
• Increase in coastal human population and changing
  demographics

Changes in water and sediment quality
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Process

• Inventory existing research plans
• Establish regional advisory group (RAG)
• Survey stakeholders about Impacts
• Identify priority research needs (Strategy Team)

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Strategy Teams

• SARRPs Principal Investigators
• SARRPs Regional Advisory Group members
• Invited SE Coastal and Ocean experts in Social
  Sciences, Natural Sciences, NGOs industry ( ports
  ), additional agency and organization partners.
• April 21-22, 2009 Savannah GA.

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Workshop goals

• Review framework document
• Articulate research needs associated with each
  ORPP priority
• Identify top research needs within each ORPP
  priority
• Identify top research needs within each Alliance
  Theme
• Begin discussion of partnerships and
  implementation strategies

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6 Societal Themes Stewardship of Natural and
Cultural Resources Increasing Resilience to
Natural Hazards Enabling Marine Operations The
Oceans Role in Climate Improving Ecosystem
Health Enhancing Human Health 20 Research
Priorities
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The Governors South Atlantic Alliance A Call
To Action

• Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North
  Carolina share an extraordinarily rich array of
  ocean and coastal resources that provide enormous
  benefits for each state. However, those
  resources face significant and growing stress....
  the similarity of issues and habitats plus the
  connectivity of ocean resources calls for
  collective action. ..
• Recently, two national ocean commissions and the
  Presidents United States Ocean Action Plan
  called for meaningful collaborationSeveral major
  regional alliances (e.g., West Coast, Gulf of
  Mexico, and Northeast) have been established and
  have successfully leveraged resources to meet
  common goals. This regional alliance framework is
  in response to that collective call for action.

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South Atlantic Alliance Priorities
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South Atlantic Regional Research
Project Developing Research Priorities Process
and Partnerships Draft Alignment

• Healthy Ecosystems
• Research Priority 1 Assess the status and trends
  of resource abundance and distribution.
• Research Priority 2 Understand interspecies and
  habitat/species relationships.
• Research Priority 4 Enhance the benefits of
  natural resources.
• Research Priority 11 Understand ocean-climate
  interactions.
• Research Priority 12 Understand the impact of
  climate on biogeochemistry and implications for
  its ecosystems.
• Research Priority 20 Develop products and
  biological models to enhance human well-being.
• 2. Working Waterfronts
• 3. Clean Coastal and Ocean Waters
• 4. Disaster-Resilient Communities

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EXAMPLE ORPP Priority 1 Assess the status and
trends of resource abundance and distribution

• Associated Research Activities
• 1a. Monitor and map natural and cultural
  resources
• 1b. Assess fish-stocks and status and health of
  protected resources
• 1c. Monitor living resources (spanning multiple
  trophic levels)
• 1d. Assess the spatial and temporal variability
  (both natural and use-induced) of resources
  (e.g., biota, energy, minerals, and
  pharmaceuticals)
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•  
• e.g.Specific Research Needs
• identify the archeological sites on the SE coast
  that are most vulnerable to sea level rise
• map the locations of hard bottoms in the South
  Atlantic Bight
• identify spawning sites for recreationally
  important Sciaenids
• evaluate PCB concentrations in marine mammals
• assess organisms associated with artificial reefs
  (both inshore and offshore)

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Criteria - Regional Research should

• address issues relevant to the region
• be management-critical and timely
• be tractable and offer value for societal
  applications
• demand-driven science
• Additional Resources
• Stakeholder Survey, Expertise

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Room 210
Room 1220A

• Healthy Ecosystems (Lindy Betzhold, Susan Ferris
  Hill)
• Karl Havens, Director, Florida Sea Grant
• Chuck Adams
• Billy Causey
• Mary Conley
• Joe DeVivo
• Patrick Jodice
• Terry Smith
• Amy Wright

• Working Waterfronts
• (Heidi Recksiek)
• Chuck Hopkinson, Director, Georgia Sea Grant
• Clark Alexander
• Tom Ankerson
• Tom Baugh
• Allen Burns
• David Griffith
• Dennis Krohn
• Geno Olmi
• Susan White

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Room 1220B
Room 211

• Disaster-Resilient Communities (Charles Sidman,
  Janice Flory)
• Rick DeVoe, Executive Director, SC Sea Grant
• Arindam Chowdhury,
• Chris Ellis
• Brad Gane
• Paul Gayes
• Stephanie Madsen
• Jeff Payne
• Peter Sheng
• Elizabeth von Kolnitz

• Clean Coastal Water (Courtney Tobin, David
  Bryant)
• Steve Rebach, Associate Director, NC Sea Grant
• Merryl Alber
• Bob Bacon
• Tripp Bolton
• Peter Caldwell
• Michelle Duval
• Gil McRae
• David Whitaker

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Democracy in action
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Process

• Inventory existing research plans
• Set up regional advisory group (RAG)
• Survey stakeholders about issues
• Identify priority research needs (Strategy Team)
• Write research plan (summer 09 )
• Identify partnerships and implementation
  strategies, evolving the Strategy Team into basis
  for
• South Atlantic Research Council
• 7. Ongoing education and outreach

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South Atlantic Alliance Information and Feedback
Sessions
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South Atlantic Regional Research Plan

• Christine Laporte
• claporte_at_uga.edu
• http//www.gcrc.uga.edu/sarrp.htm
• Thank you!