outreach & education

Virginia Sea Grant’s mission is to provide scientific and technical information for use by coastal and marine communities. Our outreach and education programs connect Virginians to research, information, and practical tools for sustainably using, managing, and enjoying our ocean and coastal resources. Explore our website to learn more about our outreach and education programs.

extension partners

What do we mean by “extension?” Our extension partners dramatically expand our ability to get work done for Virginia’s coastal communities. They extend our operational capacity and increase our effectiveness in providing solutions to problems in local communities. Virginia Sea Grant helps fund staff positions at four of our partner universities, providing us with on-the-ground expertise in areas like aquaculture, marine fisheries, seafood safety, marine education, coastal adaptation, and environmental law and policy.

Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience

The Institute for Coastal Adaptation & Resilience builds on over eight years of investment and commitment by Old Dominion University. With a foundation in the Resilience Collaborative plus a prime location in a natural testbed, ODU faculty members share in vital work that revolves around coastal adaptation and resilience. They are leaders in interdisciplinary research, employ their strengths in science and practice, and enjoy a strong relationship with the community.

Conducting Leading Edge Research
Educating Students and Advancing Practice
Engaging Communities

Marine Advisory Program

While all Virginia Institute of Marine Science faculty and scientists are from time-to-time involved in providing expert advice to the Commonwealth, the Marine Advisory Program at VIMS is unique in that it is home to scientists whose sole responsibility is for advisory programs on behalf of Commonwealth citizenry, marine industries, and government.

The Marine Advisory Program at VIMS includes education, outreach, and technical assistance in the areas of aquaculture, commercial and sport fishing, marine education, marine business, and seafood technology and safety.

Virginia Seafood Agricultural Reseach and Extension Center

Core research and Extension programs at the Virginia Seafood AREC focus on seafood safety, seafood quality of wild caught and cultured animals and products, business and marketing support for the commercial and aquaculture industries, engineering, thermal processing, intensive saltwater recirculating aquaculture, and education/ outreach for industry and consumers. The Virginia Seafood AREC also has a strong international program in food safety, food quality, Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqPs), intensive recirculating aquaculture (RAS) larval production of marine species, RAS design, implementation, and development.

The Center currently functions as a regional HACCP training center. Engineering efforts focus on validation of post-harvest processing methods for molluscan shellfish, thermal and freezing processes, energy audits, and waste management. The recirculating aquaculture programs focus on system design and operation, larviculture, fish feeds and nutrition, environmental optimization, and disease control for marine species. Business and marketing programs focus on assisting the seafood industry to become more economically competitive.

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

The Virginia Coastal Policy Center (VCPC) at William & Mary Law School provides science-based legal and policy analysis of ecological issues affecting the state’s coastal resources, providing education and advice to a host of Virginia’s decision-makers, from government officials and legal scholars to non-profit and business leaders.

With two nationally prominent science partners – the William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science, one of the largest marine research and education centers in the United States, and Virginia Sea Grant, a nationally recognized broker of scientific information – VCPC works with scientists, local and state political figures, community leaders, the military, and others to integrate the latest science with legal and policy analysis to solve coastal resource management issues. VCPC activities are inherently interdisciplinary, drawing on scientific, economic, public policy, sociological, and other expertise from within the university and across the country. With access to internationally recognized scientists at VIMS, to Sea Grant’s national network of legal and science scholars, and to elected and appointed officials across the nation, VCPC engages in a host of information exchanges and collaborative partnerships.