The Woods Hole Sea Grant program, based at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), supports research, education, and extension projects that encourage environmental stewardship, long-term economic development, and responsible use of the nation’s coastal and ocean resources. It is part of the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a network of 33 individual programs located in each of the coastal and Great Lakes states. Together, these programs form a national network of over 300 participating institutions involving more than 3,000 scientists, engineers, educators, students, and outreach experts.

Sea Grant’s legislative charge is to “increase the understanding, assessment, development, utilization, and conservation of the nation’s ocean and coastal resources by providing assistance to promote a strong educational base, responsive research and training activities, and broad and prompt dissemination of knowledge and techniques.”

Locally, Sea Grant’s affiliation with WHOI began in 1971 with support for a number of individual research projects. In 1973, WHOI was designated a Coherent Sea Grant Program and, in 1985, was elevated to its current status as an Institutional Sea Grant Program. The Woods Hole Sea Grant Program has made great strides to channel the expertise of world-renowned ocean scientists toward meeting the research and information needs of users of the marine environment. Public and private institutions throughout Massachusetts, and the northeast region, participate in the Woods Hole Sea Grant Program.