Rising Together in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic created a socioeconomic shock that heavily impacted coastal and Great Lakes communities. In response, the NOAA National Sea Grant Program tailored efforts to meet local and regional needs, with an emphasis on research, extension, and education. This paper presents an overview of four projects that illustrate Sea Grant’s priorities in action and how Sea Grant was able to respond collaboratively to the pressing needs of coastal communities and economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case studies also demonstrate how Sea Grant provides expertise to protect and restore coastal ecosystems, supports resilient communities and economies, promotes sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, enables an environmentally literate public, and bolsters a skilled workforce that serves the needs of coastal communities and ecosystems. They also demonstrate how these experiences made coastal communities and Sea Grant more resilient to unexpected disruptions in the long term, and how these efforts shaped Sea Grant and who it serves in times of crisis and beyond.