The Georgia Sea Grant College Program at the University of Georgia is investing $816,000 in six new research projects that address environmental and economic challenges and advance coastal science in Georgia.

Projects range from looking at the use of ropeless fishing gear to catch black sea bass, to assessing economic development opportunities within Gullah Geechee communities, to studying sweetgrass populations, an ecologically and culturally important plant in Georgia’s coastal ecosystem.

The 2022-2024 research projects are part of Georgia Sea Grant’s request for proposals process, which occurs every two years to address research priorities identified in Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s strategic plan.

“These two-year projects were selected by coastal resource managers, state and local agencies, and other Georgia stakeholders as well as a panel of scientific experts to address Georgia’s most critical coastal issues,” said Mark Risse, director of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “They represent applied research efforts that will have short and long-term impacts on our state’s coastal communities and natural resources.”

The projects include:

  • Assessing the Socio-Economic Value of Salt Marsh Ecosystems for Climate Resilience Financing in Georgia
    Matthew Bilskie, University of Georgia
  • Black/African American/Gullah Geechee Economic Development Research Project for Coastal Georgia
    Cheryl Hargrove, Hargrove International, Inc.
  • Conserving Ecologically and Culturally Important Plants in Georgia’s Coastal Ecosystems
    Elizabeth King, University of Georgia
  • Enhancing the South Atlantic Black Sea Bass Pot Fishery with Acoustic Subsea Buoy Retrieval Systems
    Charles McMillian, Georgia Conservancy
  • Probiotics for Plants: Harnessing Microbiomes to Improve the Propagation of Marsh Grasses to Support Coastal Ecosystem Restoration
    Joel Kostka, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Scales of Influence: Examining Multiple Stressors from the Bag to the Estuary on Shellfish Culture Potential in Georgia
    John Carroll, Georgia Southern University

Information about Georgia Sea Grant research topics, funding and current opportunities can be found at https://gacoast.uga.edu/research/funding/current-projects/