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Educator Workshop

Cultivating the Future
of Shellfish Farming

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

Read the latest issue of our newsletter Coastal Impacts

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

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

May 17, 2023
[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…

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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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New Coastal Monitoring Website Inventories Citizen Science Projects

March 28, 2023

Communities Tracking Coastal Change Website Helps Public Participate in Science As coastal communities continue to experience the impacts of increased storms, flooding and sea level rise, public participation in monitoring that change is more important than ever. And, when readily…

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Cape Cod Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling Program to Run April 1 – June 30, 2023

March 27, 2023

This spring, boaters from across Cape Cod can choose from six locations to recycle the plastic wrap that protects their boat in the off-season. The Cape Cod shrink wrap recycling program reduces the amount of plastic entering our waste stream…

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Falmouth Participates in Cape-wide Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling Program

March 22, 2023

This spring, the town of Falmouth will be accepting boat shrink wrap plastic at the town’s waste management facility as part of a recycling program run by WHOI Sea Grant and Barnstable County’ Cape Cod Cooperative Extension in partnership with…

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