New study examines potential marine renewable energy conflicts and mitigation strategies

Marker buoys ready for deployment on R/V Pacific Storm

Marker buoys read for recent deployment at the wave-energy test site off Newport

A recent study with participation from multiple Sea Grant programs takes a deep look at potential space-use conflicts in siting alternative energy along the US Outer Continental Shelf – and offers strategies for reducing those conflicts.

In the search for renewable energy sources, the potential to harness the clean power of wind, wave, and tide can seem irresistible. The long US coastlines offer what appears to be virgin territory for new energy producing facilities. But a closer look reveals that coastal and offshore areas are already teeming with productive activity – activity that could suffer if ignored in the quest for marine energy.

In 2011 and 2012, Oregon Sea Grant’s Flaxen Conway worked with Madeleine Hall-Arber of MIT Sea Grant, Carry Pomeroy of California Sea Grant and Industrial Economics, Inc., plus collaborators from the Urban Harbors Institute and  Virginia Sea Grant to identify, and develop strategies to avoid and reduce, potential space-use conflicts on the Outer Continental Shelf in the context of alternative energy development. Funding was from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The study documents the characteristics of existing ocean uses including transportation and shipping, commercial and recreational fishing, sailing and boating, military operations, sand and gravel excavation, oil and gas facilities, and scientific research, and the cooperation and conflict negotiation that arise among such users.

New uses, such as aquaculture and marine renewable energy, with their demand for extensive, exclusive space, may engender additional serious conflicts. The authors note when two users want exclusive access to an area, it puts pressure on federal, state and regional agencies or organizations to try to manage the offshore space equitably.

The research team used ethnographic research techniques to interview stakeholders on both coasts, from commercial fishermen to cruise lines, port managers and  trade industry groups, as well as academic and government organizations. They conducted formal interviews, informal conversations and group meetings to identify conflicts among the various uses, and existing and new strategies for solving – or avoiding – those conflicts.

Learn more:

 

Two new curricula available from Oregon Sea Grant

Tsunami evacuation signOregon Sea Grant has recently published two new curricula. Both are available online.

Tsunami STEM Curriculum–uses Ocean Science Systems as pathways to stimulate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning to guide students in decision making. Students immerse into STEM through understanding the causes and consequences of a natural disaster such as a tsunami or bioinvasion, learn about their risks, and explore choices and consequences of responses to and preparation for tsunami hazards. http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/e-13-003

You’re Excluded! An Activity Exploring Technology Changes in the Trawl Industry–includes objectives, method, materials needed, information on trawl fishing, pictures of nets, procedures, activity options, and discussion questions. It also includes instructions on incorporating engineering designs standards for kindergarten through high school. http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/e-13-002-trawl-industry-curriculum

Oregon Sea Grant wins APEX 2013 Award of Excellence

2013_winnerOregon Sea Grant has been awarded the APEX 2013 Award of Excellence in the “One-of-a-Kind Education & Training Publications” category for its work on The Oregon Coast Quests Book, 2013-14.

APEX 2013, the 25th Annual Awards for Publication Excellence, is an international competition that recognizes outstanding publications from newsletters and magazines to annual reports, brochures, and websites.

According to the APEX 2013 judges, “The awards were based on excellence in graphic design, quality of editorial content, and the success of the entry in conveying the message and achieving overall communications effectiveness.” This year’s competition was “exceptionally intense,” drawing 2,400 entries in 12 major categories.

E-13-001 Quests book 2013-14 250Quests are fun and educational clue-directed hunts that encourage exploration of natural areas. In this self-guided activity, Questers follow a map and find a series of clues to reach a hidden box. This edition of the Oregon Coast Quests Book contains 26 Quests in three counties (Lincoln, Coos, and Benton), including six brand-new Quests and one in both English and Spanish.

The Oregon Coast Quests program is coordinated by Oregon Sea Grant Marine Educator Cait Goodwin, who also oversaw production of the book. Oregon Sea Grant Managing Editor Rick Cooper performed the editing and layout.

You can order copies of The Oregon Coast Quests Book here.

South coast native oysters may survive acidification threat

Oyster baskets at Whiskey Creek Shellfish HatcheryCOOS BAY – While some West coast oyster stocks are threatened by rising ocean acidity, native oysters on Oregon’s south coast seem to be doing well.

Netarts Bay’s Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery — which produces much of the oyster seed used by commercial farms in the region —has experienced a decline in production that Oregon State University researchers traced directly to ocean acidification.

But biologist Steve Rumrill, director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shellfish monitoring program at the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, suspects that the shallow parts of Coos Bay “may be able to act as a sort of buffer,” protecting native Olympia oysters in that area from the shell-destroying effects of ocean acidification.

Another clue could lie in the oysters’ breeding habits, according to George Waldbusser, an OSU biologist who studies oyster reproduction and survival.

“Olympias are brooders,” Waldbusser said, referring to the species’ trait of carrying eggs in an internal chamber for several weeks after fertilization, whereas the Pacific oysters bred in Netarts Bay broadcast their fertilized eggs into the open water, where they are directly exposed to chemical changes at an earlier point in their life cycles, when they may be more vulnerable.

Learn more:

Oregon Sea Grant seeks candidates for program director

Oregon Sea Grant invites applications for a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, director position. Reappointment is at the discretion of Oregon State University’s Associate Vice President for Research. The application deadline is Sept. 15, 2013.

Oregon Sea Grant, founded in 1968 and based at OSU, supports research, education and public engagement to help people understand, manage, responsibly interact with and conserve ocean and coastal resources and communities.

Consistently rated one of the top such programs in the country, Oregon Sea Grant is part of a national network of 32 Sea Grant College Programs organized under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This network is a partnership among government, academia, industry, NGOs, and private citizens. Oregon Sea Grant is extremely well connected with local communities and stakeholders, and has made significant contributions in such critical areas as management and science of groundfish and salmon fisheries, pioneering support for wave energy research, programmatic research on free-choice learning, and developing greater public appreciation for and understanding of natural and man-induced coastal hazards. For additional information about Oregon Sea Grant, visit http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu

The program director provides overall leadership for Oregon Sea Grant, oversees a total annual budget of approximately $5M, and manages approximately 48 staff and faculty, who carry out research, administrative, communication and engagement (Extension) functions of exceptional quality and societal impact. He/she leads the organization in articulating and realizing a vision for excellence by embracing collaborative opportunities and fostering alliances. He/she works to encourage creativity and innovation in helping shape the agenda for Sea Grant within the Oregon University System, state, region, and nation The director also represents Oregon Sea Grant and OSU to NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office and the Sea Grant Association, as well as public and private stakeholders within the state and region.Sea Grant is a knowledge based organization, and the Director communicates with state and federal legislators, state and federal policy makers, industry, communities and citizens on 1) economic, environmental, and social implications of the program’s research, and 2) science-based implications of proposed state or federal policy options.

A terminal degree with professional experience and a record of excellence in research/ scholarship, policy, and/or management in marine, coastal, natural resources or a related field are required. Candidates should possess strong listening, writing and speaking skills; a record of innovative leadership and problem solving; and knowledge of marine issues and coastal resources are required. Other requirements include experience managing research programs or large projects, a proven commitment to diversity and team building, and experience working productively with diverse sets of stakeholders. Salary is commensurate with education and experience.

For a complete position description, and to apply, visit jobs. oregonstate.edu