Over the decades, Sea Grant has been involved in most of the big issues facing the coast, from the rise and fall of fisheries stocks to the challenges posed to coastal communities by a changing climate. The program has become a resource for state lawmakers and agencies, who’ve called on Sea Grant to help them engage coastal residents on such volatile and timely topics as marine reserves and off-shore energy development.
Sea Grant fisheries engineering specialist Ed Kolbe worked with fishing fleets to develop modern on-board systems that freeze fish within minutes of catching, ensuring high-quality products for consumers.
Today's Oregon Sea Grant family includes 18 Extension faculty and numerous support staff based up and down the coast and at the OSU campus, working on matters as diverse as the coast itself, including commercial fishing safety, regulatory, and gear issues; seafood safety and product development; watersheds, water quality, habitat restoration and marine invasive species education; and coastal hazards from beach and cliff erosion to tsunami preparedness.
Vicki Osis shaped Sea Grant's marine education program into a nationally recognized resource.
Among the Sea Grant agents today is Bob Jacobson’s daughter, Katey Hildenbrand, who fills the Lincoln County Sea Grant Extension position once held by her dad – a fact that Jacobson relishes. “I’m proud of the job she’s done,” he told his OSU interviewer. “She probably had a better understanding of the Extension concept than I did at an early age, because she was around it so much.”
Special thanks to Pat Kight, Oregon Sea Grant communications
