Senators Lautenberg, Menendez Announce More Than $1 Million for N.J. Sea Grant Program, Oyster Management

April 8, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced that the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will award the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium (NJMSC) with more than $1 million in federal funds.

Oyster revealed at low tide: Photo by Christopher Seufert (CC)

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The funding will support two separate initiatives: the New Jersey Sea Grant College Program and a study of the disease resistance of oysters.

“These funds help ensure that the New Jersey Sea Grant Program will continue to provide environmental and educational benefits to our coastal communities, as well as preserve our oyster population and its influence on our state’s economy,” said Sen. Lautenberg. “We need to do all we can to keep New Jersey at the forefront of ocean and coastal research, and these grants go a long way in that effort.”

“Our state stands to gain both environmentally and economically from the sea grant program,” said Sen. Menendez. “These grants will provide scientists the resources to carry out important research on our oceans and coastal zone and to make better choices about how to use New Jersey’s coastal resources, in the process protecting our state’s valuable oyster population.”

In total, the NJMSC will receive $1,082,553 as part of the two grants. $939,548 will be used to help New Jersey Sea Grant conduct its 2008 Program activities which include research, education and outreach to gain a better understanding of the oceans and coastal zone and to better utilize the state’s coastal resources. The other grant, in the amount of $143,005, will fund a study on the disease resistance of New Jersey’s oyster population.

The NJMSC was founded in 1969 and is one of the largest alliances of its kind in the United States, boasting a membership of 29 colleges and universities. The funding will be utilized at the Consortium’s Sandy Hook Field Station in Fort Hancock, N.J.

Source: Senator Frank R. Lautenberg