Sea Grant programs in Washington, Oregon and California have released a NOAA-funded report, West Coast Regional Marine Research and Information Needs. The report stems from nearly three years interstate collaboration and analysis involving maritime stakeholders representing private and public interests in all three states. The ocean and coastal environments provide critical services to more than 35 million people who live and work in coastal counties of the Western U.S., and support an ocean economy approaching $32 billion annually.
Oregon, Washington, California and Southern California Sea Grant Programs have spent more than three years working in collaboration with state, federal and tribal agencies to assess the region's marine research and information needs. The efforts included dozens of stakeholder meetings up and down the coast, along with public surveys and comments. The culmination of that effort, the West Coast Regional Marine Research and Information Needs report identifies new and continued research and information needs that, if met, could aid the region in adopting an ecosystem-based approach to resource management.
This report is intended to assist regional researchers and information providers to plan and prioritize; and spark regional-scale initiatives and investments in natural and social science research that might provide the best possible science for wise policy and resource-management decisions.
The report organizes research and information needs into the following themes and research topics:
· Climate Change
· Ocean Education and Environmental Literacy
· Access to Information and Data
· Vitality of Coastal Communities and Maritime Operations
· Ocean and Coastal Governance and Management of Multiple Uses
· Fisheries and Aquaculture
· Marine Ecosystem Structure and Function
· Ocean Health and Stressors
· Physical Ocean Processes, Related Climate Change, and Physical Coastal Hazards
· Water Quality and Pollution
· Resilience and Adaptability to Hazards and Climate Change