Skip to content

Cultivating the Future
of Shellfish Farming

Read the latest issue of our newsletter Coastal Impacts

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

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

Small red fishing boats in a Cape Verdean harbor

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

Putting science to work for Massachusetts coastal communities

A part of the NOAA-funded National Sea Grant Program, WHOI 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 WHOI 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

WHOI 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

WHOI 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

2025 Knauss Fellowship Finalists

October 4, 2024

WHOI Sea Grant is proud to sponsor three successful Knauss Fellowship finalists.  The finalists will begin their fellowship placements in 2025.   James Elekwachi James Elekwachi is a student in the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts,…

Read More

News release: Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Conference Focuses on Resilience

September 23, 2024

For immediate release Contact: Shelly McComb, shelly.mccomb@whoi.edu Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Conference Scheduled for Oct. 1; Will Focus on Resilience [Sept. 19, 2024] — Martha’s Vineyard is on the frontline of coastal change, seeing ever accelerating changes island-wide. In the coming…

Read More

Massachusetts Sea Grant Fellows Focus in on Blue Crabs and Coastal Jellyfish

August 15, 2024

MIT Sea Grant and WHOI Sea Grant jointly announce two new Massachusetts Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellows In 2021, MIT Sea Grant and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant announced a new fellowship program to support Massachusetts graduate students…

Read More

More than 46 Tons of Plastic Shrink Wrap Diverted from the Waste Stream Thanks to Cape-wide Shrink Wrap Recycling Program

July 31, 2024

July 31, 2024 – Cape Cod and boating go hand in hand in the summer. In the off-season, many of those boats are covered in plastic shrink wrap to protect them from the elements, and when they are unwrapped in…

Read More

Announcing Cape Cod Coastal Resilience Week

May 6, 2024

Cape Cod Coastal Resilience Week Raises Awareness of Coastal Vulnerabilities and Promotes Solutions – while having a bit of fun at the same time Eight days of events across Cape Cod Download event flyer Cape Codders have experienced their fair…

Read More

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…

Read More