DEC Contact: Lori Severino (518) 402-8000 January 31, 2019
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DEC AND NEW YORK SEA GRANT ANNOUNCE NEARLY $570,000 IN NEW YORK OCEAN RESEARCH GRANTSFunded Research Grants Support New York’s Ocean Action Plan |
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In partnership with New York Sea Grant (NYSG), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced nearly $570,000 in ocean research grants awarded to three investigative teams including Stony Brook University (SBU), CUNY York College, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The teams will work to identify the biodiversity of the offshore ecosystem of the New York Bight and investigate the species and uses of New York’s ocean environment.
New York’s long-understudied inshore and offshore ocean waters contain a wealth of information on the health, biodiversity, and resiliency of marine organisms and their ocean habitat. To achieve New York's goals in ensuring the ecological integrity of the ocean ecosystem and the goods and services it provides, the state must first explore the questions pertaining to the ecosystem and collect data needed to inform future decisions on how we use the ocean environment. Maritime commerce, commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, and other recreational business are key components to New York’s economy that rely heavily on the health of the state’s ocean and estuarine ecosystems. Understanding the current baseline conditions of the ocean ecosystem and how these are changing is a key factor as new and traditional uses of the offshore area expand with new technologies and new resources. It is imperative to measure environmental changes occurring with ocean ecosystems to understand the scope of climate change in the New York Bight, as well as the new uses designed to reduce those impacts. New York State Senator Todd Kaminsky, Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, said, "The investment in cutting-edge research for preserving and protecting our oceans for future generations is incredibly important. I applaud the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Governor's Office for their efforts on this initiative." Assemblyman Steve Englebright, Chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, said, “I have long been a supporter of the great work that New York Sea Grant does to study and understand our diverse marine ecosystems. I am pleased to see the Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, DEC, and others partnering to fund important projects that will tackle the issues of ocean acidification, marine biodiversity, and the overall effect that climate change will have on shellfish and other marine species. I look forward to seeing how this research influences the State’s Ocean Action Plan.” As a partner with DEC in the OAP Research Program, NYSG’s mission is help New York’s diverse coastal communities respond to rapid economic and environmental changes. NYSG has been funding research for nearly 50 years on issues of critical importance to New York’s coastal communities and stakeholders. Sea Grant is partnering with DEC in administering the research awards. For more information on New York’s OAP and OAP’s Ocean Monitoring Project, visit DEC’s website. |
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