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Read the latest issue of our newsletter Coastal Impacts

WHOI Sea Grant Commits $1.7 Million to Advancing Research in Coastal and Marine Science

 

WHOI Sea Grant: A Smart Investment
in Massachusetts' Coastal Economy

Small red fishing boats in a Cape Verdean harbor

 "A Tale of Two Capes" Exhibit Celebrates Connections Between Cape Cod and Cape Verde

 

 

Celebrating 50 Years of WHOI Sea Grant

Putting science to work for Massachusetts coastal communities

A part of the NOAA-funded National Sea Grant Program, Woods Hole Sea Grant supports coastal communities through research, extension and education.

Our mission is to enhance the practical use and conservation of coastal and marine resources by developing and sharing science-based knowledge to create a sustainable economy and environment for the diverse communities of Massachusetts.

» Learn more about Woods Hole Sea Grant

"What makes Sea Grant unique is that it facilitates the transfer of scientific results so that people can use it. And it provides a great opportunity to support fundamental science."
- Jeff Donnelly, Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

"I always bring back something to use in the classroom--lessons, videos, ideas, or actual physical artifacts. These workshops have strengthened my teaching and bring excitement to the subject matter." 
- Middle school teacher, a participant in the WHSG Topics in Oceanography workshops

“Sea Grant has been a hugely impactful program for guiding my research focus over the past several years. It has provided ... a great opportunity to produce fundamental research in coastal marine ecology while working and communicating with local communities and industry stakeholders who rely on coastal ecosystem health, especially in the Cape Cod and Islands region.”  
- Jeanette Wheeler, MIT-WHOI Joint Program graduate

“Woods Hole Sea Grant’s ongoing efforts to support our industry’s remarkable growth--through water quality and disease monitoring--have proved crucial time and again."
- Chris Sherman, Island Creek Oyster

"Woods Hole Sea Grant has enabled the Kelp Ecosystem Ecology Network (KEEN) to get off the ground and expand. Without the funding from WHSG we wouldn’t be able to expand our efforts in New England. It’s been incredibly valuable and useful." - Jarrett Byrnes, assistant professor of biology, UMass Boston

“Sea Grant is seminal – the grants may be modest but they help generate preliminary data and fundamental improvements to a regional issue that can then leap frog into something with even more funding and significance." - Scott Lindell, research specialist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Research

Woods Hole Sea Grant supports scientists from institutions throughout Massachusetts and beyond, conducting research in the areas of marine life, coastal processes, hazards, energy sources, climate change, stormwater management and tourism.

Extension

Woods Hole Sea Grant and the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension are partnered to provide reliable technical and science‐based information on fisheries and aquaculture and coastal processes and hazards to distinct stakeholders within our region.

Education

Sea Grant educators and communicators provide valuable leadership in marine and aquatic science education activities for K‐8 students, professional development workshops for educators, and public education and outreach in coastal communities.

Updates and Events

News Release: WHOI Sea Grant commits $1.7 million to advancing research in coastal and marine science

February 14, 2024

(Woods Hole, MA, February, 14, 2024) – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant announces funding for five new research projects that address pressing coastal issues in and around Massachusetts, including eelgrass restoration, sewering’s impact on water quality, contaminants of emerging…

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Massachusetts Aquaculture Internships

February 6, 2024

The Massachusetts aquaculture industry is in search of staff who are reliable and willing to learn. Aquaculture Internships for Massachusetts (AIM), a collaborative partnership MIT Sea Grant, WHOI Sea Grant, and Barnstable County Cooperative Extension, pays individuals to learn about…

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2024 Knauss Fellowship Finalists

September 14, 2023

WHOI Sea Grant is proud to sponsor two successful Knauss Fellowship finalists.  The finalists will begin their fellowship placements in 2024.   Jordanna Barley Barley is a student in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology program at UMass Amherst, working with Dr.…

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WHOI Sea Grant to Map Potential Path of Proposed Wastewater Release from Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

May 17, 2023

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant has been recommended for rapid response funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Grant Program to study the pathways of circulation in Cape Cod Bay. This study is designed to…

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CARE for the Cape & Islands and WHOI Sea Grant Funded to Reduce Single-Use Plastic

May 13, 2023

Cape Cod Coalition to Aid Tourism Business Shift to Sustainable Serviceware  CARE for the Cape & Islands and WHOI Sea Grant have been awarded a $299,999 grant to address the problem of single-use plastics used in tourism-based food and hospitality…

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Professor Jeff Shields measures the underbelly of a pregnant female lobster at the Seawater Research Lab at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Part of a National Sea Grant College Program study led by Emily B. Rivest and Jeff Shields at Virginia Institute of Marine Science to see how lobster eggs and larvae respond to ocean acidification and warmer waters. Although the lobsters being studied are from Maine and Massachusetts, some lobsters can be found in Virginia waters. March 11, 2021

Research into American Lobster Reproduction

April 23, 2023

A New Interactive StoryMap Highlights Projects from the Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative A new web-based StoryMap highlights research being conducted by scientists into the reproduction of the American lobster. The scientific studies and the work to communicate about them…

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