The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) supports relevant, cutting-edge research that addresses coastal issues in Alabama, Mississippi, the Gulf of America region and the nation. Through a highly competitive, peer-reviewed granting process, MASGC awards funding for research projects. Its core research program funds two-year projects that offer potential impacts in one more of the MASGC focus areas: environmental literacy and workforce development; healthy coastal ecosystems; resilient communities and economies; and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. Research projects include an engagement and education plan to deliver the results to the people who can use them best.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides most of MASGC’s funding. The state governments of Alabama and Mississippi and other federal partners also support the bi-state Sea Grant research program. Often, MASGC coordinates additional grant competitions for NOAA, other federal agencies and state entities to address research needs in the bi-state area and regionally throughout the Gulf of America.
MASGC's mission is to enhance the sustainable use and conservation of ocean and coastal resources to benefit the economy and environment in Alabama and Mississippi. To fulfill this mission, MASGC supports interdisciplinary research and community-based natural resources management.
Special Projects
Greater Amberjack
This program is developing additional data sources, assessment approaches and knowledge to improve agency and agency-independent estimates of the abundance of greater amberjack.
Living Shorelines
Through research, education and outreach, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant works to discover and share current information about living shorelines.
Projects
Understanding Sudden Unusual Mortality Syndrome (SUMS) in oysters
The research team will investigate the causes of SUMS in Eastern oysters by combining field monitoring at six commercial farms with laboratory analyses and advanced hydrodynamic and machine-learning models. Researchers will track water quality, oyster physiology, parasite loads and mortality in both diploid and triploid oysters to identify the environmental and biological factors that trigger SUMS events. The team will then analyze its data to determine what conditions make oyster die-offs more likely and to identify signs that an event is going to occur. Oyster farmers, resource managers and scientists will be able to use these results to help prevent losses and keep Gulf Coast oyster farms healthy and sustainable.