Citizen-funded satellite tags aid specialists in documenting Atlantic tarpon habitat use in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Relevance:
Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) are long lived, highly migratory, prized recreational sport fish with deep cultural significance for residents of the Gulf of Mexico region. Once abundant throughout the coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico, tarpon have experienced substantial declines, likely due to a combination of habitat loss and fishing mortality. Understanding tarpon migration patterns is essential for informing future conservation and sustainability efforts for this species.
Response:
In 2018 and 2019, tarpon angling experts caught tarpon in the northern Gulf of Mexico and Sea Grant-funded specialists applied Wildlife Computers Smart Position and Temperature (SPOT) tags to the tarpon. Specialists then analyzed real-time data from these tags, created maps detailing tarpon movements and posted them on the Mississippi State University Marine Fisheries Ecology Facebook page. The popularity of these posts highlighted the lack of fishing regulations for the species in Mississippi waters.
Results:
The tarpon maps received more than 220K views in total and garnered interest from recreational anglers. In spring 2019, several anglers donated funds toward the purchase and deployment of four additional tarpon satellite tags, which were deployed that same year. The Facebook maps of the migration patterns caught the attention of local fishery managers, who worked with the Sea Grant-funded specialists to generate recreational and commercial fishing regulations limiting tarpon harvest in Mississippi waters.
Recap:
Findings from successful 2018 tarpon tagging efforts generated leveraged funds to expand the tarpon tagging study in 2019 and prompted the Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources to alter Title 22 Part 07, thereby limiting the previously unregulated take of tarpon in Mississippi waters. (2019)
Training, technical support help grow off-bottom oyster aquaculture industry in Alabama, Mississippi
Relevance:
Prior to 2009, oyster aquaculture did not exist in Alabama and the natural reefs were in decline due to over harvesting and environmental factors. Prior to 2018, oyster aquaculture did not exist in Mississippi. Oyster aquaculture is important to the coastal communities for economic and cultural reasons.
Response:
A Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium-supported training program and oyster park were established in Mississippi and Alabama to introduce residents interested in starting a commercial oyster farm to the industry. Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant extension specialists provided ongoing technical, scientific and business support to the oyster farming industry. The program included three days in class course work and two days of training in the field.
Results:
The commercial oyster aquaculture industry began in 2009 and has expanded rapidly since the initial Sea Grant-supported off-bottom oyster aquaculture training program was launched 2012. These collaborative efforts helped create at least 42 full-time jobs and 30 part-time jobs, with at least $1.4 million dockside value of farmed oysters in Alabama in 2019.
Recap:
Sea Grant training, technical support and applied research supported at least 9 new commercial oyster farms in Mississippi and 21 established commercial off-bottom oyster farms in Alabama, which helped create at least 42 full-time jobs and 30 part-time jobs, with at least $1.4 million dockside value of farmed oysters in 2019. (2019)
Marine Fisheries Ecology Program guidance assists in creation of commercial shark fishery in Mississippi
Relevance:
Healthy fisheries are fundamental to the cultural and economic well-being of northern Gulf of Mexico residents, yet overfishing, habitat loss and changing environmental conditions threaten the sustainability of these resources.
Response:
In response to requests from Mississippi commercial fishermen, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant-supported Marine Fisheries Ecology Program analyzed data from a long-term fishery independent shark survey to examine trends in shark distribution and abundance in Mississippi state waters. Then the program consulted with NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Division and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to provide technical expertise in the development a state-level fishery for sharks.
Results:
As a result of this guidance, changes were made to Title 22, Part 7 of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Regulations to allow commercial harvest of sharks in Mississippi state waters upon completion of a shark identification course. This regulatory change was adopted in 2020.
Recap:
The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant-supported Marine Fisheries Ecology Program worked with commercial fishermen and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to examine the feasibility and sustainability of a state fishery for sharks in Mississippi, which resulted in regulation changes that support a new commercial shark fishery. (2019)
Smart Home America and Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant collaboration model expand partnership opportunities
Relevance:
Recent storm and flood events have exposed the need for resiliency in community development and housing. However, meeting the demand for expertise in wind and flood resilience has been challenging for both Gulf Sea Grant Programs and Smart Home America. A new public-private partnership model was envisioned to bridge the gap in organizational capacity and expertise while providing the ability to enhance community resilience outreach and education activities.
Response:
Smart Home America and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium developed a unique public-private partnership to combine Sea Grant science and tools with Smart Home America's ability to leverage both public and private sector partners. This partnership model has continued for three years, allowing both organizations to introduce proven science and new tools to a greater audience and enhance the understanding of wind and flood resilience methods.
Results:
A shared staff position has expanded the outreach efforts of both organizations. These efforts have supported the adoption of beyond-code construction standards in nearly 80% of coastal Alabama jurisdictions and led to the adoption of enhanced floodplain management ordinances throughout the region. Sea Grant and other public and private sector partners from several states have also expressed an interest in using the model to increase community resilience to wind and flood risks.
Recap:
Smart Home America, in partnership with Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, replicated a collaborative partnership model which has expanded the collective capacity of both organizations to bridge the gap between the public and private sectors and increase coastal resilience to wind and flood risks. (2019)
Alabama FORTIFIED roof endorsement to benefit all Alabama homeowners by providing resiliency upgrades through insurance
Relevance:
Hurricanes, tornadoes and severe storms damage the properties of Alabama homeowners every year. The housing stock in the state consists of many existing homes built to older building standards. Many homeowners lack the financial resources or knowledge to upgrade their homes to be resilient using modern construction techniques. A method to allow homeowners to affordably and easily improve their homes' ability to resist damage from severe weather better was needed.
Response:
Alabama leads the nation in FORTIFIED construction, a nationally recognized construction standard that reduces damage from hurricanes and severe weather. For years, Smart Home America has led outreach efforts to increase the use of resilient construction and FORTIFIED, creating an understanding of the benefits FORTIFIED provides. Alabama supports FORTIFIED in many ways, and in 2019, local legislators decided a new approach was needed to allow homeowners to make their homes more resilient after a storm.
Results:
Using a new model to provide resiliency upgrades, HB 283 was passed. Homeowners can now buy insurance that will upgrade their homes with a resilient FORTIFIED Roof. The bill requires "all insurance companies writing homeowners insurance to offer an endorsement that upgrades a home to a fortified standard adopted by the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) when the insured incurs damage covered by the policy that will require the roof to be replaced."
Recap:
A new home insurance endorsement, enacted through the State Legislature, allows Alabama homeowners to affordably upgrade to a resilient, wind-resistant FORTIFIED Roof after it has been damaged. (2019)
A shoreline management planning tool for local government and stakeholders
Relevance:
Many shorelines in Cedar Key, Florida, are rapidly eroding and would be suitable for a resilient living shoreline approach, but implementation rates of living shorelines are lower than they could be because of barriers including 1) lack of awareness of the options; 2) difficulty selecting the appropriate shoreline erosion control project design for a specific property and; 3) a complex regulatory environment that makes it difficult to begin the permitting process.
Response:
The creation of a local tool to help residents determine if a living shoreline would be suitable for their property and, if so, what type of design they should pursue, what permits would be needed, and how to apply. This Shoreline Management Master Plan (SMMP) will serve as an essential part of the City of Cedar Key's ongoing climate change adaptation planning efforts and will give homeowners the resources they need to implement living shorelines.
Results:
The SMMP mapping tool has been viewed 941 times since launch and the project has been presented at 7 different events to at least 235 people. PIs conducted 12 individual shoreline consultations and site visits. The SMMP map is pending incorporation into the City of Cedar Key comprehensive plan. Two living shorelines are in the planning stage as a result of this tool, three other municipalities have reached out for assistance creating a similar tool.
Recap:
The shoreline management tool produced by this project assisted local governments in addressing challenges related to shoreline resilience planning and assists local stakeholders in making technical decisions about sustainable and resilient shoreline erosion control. (2019)
