Omnibus Research Projects: 2026-2028

Research Projects for 2026-2028 Funding Cycle Announced

Louisiana Sea Grant (LSG) is continuing to fund relevant research projects that address information gaps for coastal Louisiana communities and deal with the state’s connection to water — from the Mississippi River to the coastal estuaries. For the 2026-2028 omnibus cycle, LSG will fund seven projects.

These projects were scheduled to begin in early 2026, subject to the availability of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funding support. Below is a synopsis of the projects, along with a list of the investigators and their affiliations.

Sea Grant projects for the 2026-2028 Omnibus cycle. To access a brief overview of the project, click on the project title.
Principal Investigator, Affiliation	Project Title
Kelly Boyle, University of New Orleans, Department of Biological Sciences	Spotted Seatrout Use of Essential Fish Habitat in Expanding Marshland Areas of Lower Breton Sound
Thomas DeCarlo, Tulane University, School of Science and Engineering	How to Save a Marsh: Effects of Oyster Reef Characteristics on Wave Dissipation and Shoreline Erosion
Eve Hillmann, Southeastern Louisiana University, Department of Biological Sciences	Scaling Up SAV Restoration: Seeding Techniques for the Pontchartrain Basin
Aixin Hou, Louisiana State University, Department of Biological Sciences	Mitigating Larval Mortality in Oyster Hatcheries: Harnessing Bacterial Predation for Sustainable Aquaculture
Karuna Kharel, LSU AgCenter, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences	Ensuring Food Safety and Market Potential for Smoked and Canned Oysters from Louisiana’s Coastal Fisheries
Yongcheol Lee, Louisiana State University, College of Engineering	Modernizing Disaster Resilience and Mitigation Strategies of Coastal Communities with Urban Digital Twin Frameworks
Havalend Steinmuller, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium	Linking Plant Genetic Structure to Biogeochemical Processes Across a Chronosequence of Engineered Marsh Terraces: Implications for Coastal Restoration

Spotted Seatrout Use of Essential Fish Habitat in Expanding Marshland Areas of Lower Breton Sound

Principal Investigator (PI): Kelly Boyle, University of New Orleans, Department of Biological Sciences

Spotted seatrout is a major part of Louisiana’s recreational fishery. While currently over fished, this project hopes to determine several ways to maintain this species’ numbers. Researchers aim to identify prime habitat in the Breton Sound, compare spotted seatrout populations across life-stages, and provide stakeholders with information to make better conservation decisions and better understand the value of the spotted seatrout.

How to Save a Marsh: Effects of Oyster Reef Characteristics on Wave Dissipation and Shoreline Erosion

Principal Investigator (PI): Thomas DeCarlo, Tulane University, School of Science and Engineering

Oyster reef restoration is a major nature-based solution for coastal restoration in Louisiana. To improve oyster reef restoration efforts, researchers seek to fill knowledge gaps in growth rates, sediment accumulation and erosion. Utilizing LiDAR and photogrammetry, researchers will develop digital elevation models (DEMs) of restored reefs. The DEMs will be able to quantify reef growth and changes in topography over time. The data collected will aid with reef restoration and project management decision making.

Scaling Up SAV Restoration: Seeding Techniques for the Pontchartrain Basin

Principal Investigator (PI): Eve Hillmann, Southeastern Louisiana University, Department of Biological Sciences

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) helps to improve water quality and fish production. Unfortunately, SAV in the Pontchartrain Basin have decreased. This project aims to identify best SAV seed-based restoration methods in the basin. Two native species and multiple seeding methods will be tested to identify best cost-effective and replicable SAV restoration protocols.

Mitigating Larval Mortality in Oyster Hatcheries: Harnessing Bacterial Predation for Sustainable Aquaculture

Principal Investigator (PI): Aixin Hou, Louisiana State University, Department of Biological Sciences

Recurring Vibrio infections in oyster larvae are a challenge for hatcheries. Naturally occurring predatory bacteria like Bdellovibrio (BALOs) are a promising alternative to antibiotics for managing pathogenic bacterial strains such as Vibrio spp. This project will identify virulent Vibrio isolates, screen potent BALO strains and evaluate environmental effects on predation dynamics. Laboratory and hatchery-scale trials will determine effective BALO concentrations for controlling Vibrio in eastern oyster larvae.

Ensuring Food Safety and Market Potential for Smoked and Canned Oysters from Louisiana’s Coastal Fisheries

Principal Investigator (PI): Karuna Kharel, LSU AgCenter, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences

Smoked and canned oysters are gaining popularity, but lack validated food safety protocols, raising concerns about Clostridium botulinum, a serious toxin. This project aims to validate microbial safety interventions for these products. Researchers plan to enhance the safety and adoption of vacuum-packaged smoked and canned oysters by optimizing dry brining parameters, validating time/temperature combinations for C. botulinum control and assessing consumer acceptance through sensory evaluations.

Modernizing Disaster Resilience and Mitigation Strategies of Coastal Communities with Urban Digital Twin Frameworks

Principal Investigator (PI): Yongcheol Lee, Louisiana State University, College of Engineering

Louisiana’s coastal communities face escalating risks from compound disasters, including storm surge, flooding, hurricanes and sea-level rise. This project aims to enhance the long-term disaster resilience of vulnerable coastal communities by developing a foundational, mathematical and digital model of urban environments. The proposed platform will function as a digital replica of a city or community, integrating real-time data to monitor, analyze and predict urban conditions for improved management and planning. Using Hurricane Ida as a baseline event, the project will develop a digital twin to evaluate the economic and transportation impacts on Port Fourchon and the community resilience of Grand Isle, while assessing the transferability of the framework to other vulnerable coastal communities.

Linking Plant Genetic Structure to Biogeochemical Processes Across a Chronosequence of Engineered Marsh Terraces: Implications for Coastal Restoration

Principal Investigator (PI): Havalend Steinmuller, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

Engineered marsh terrace fields are being created throughout coastal Louisiana as a habitat restoration strategy. Despite their widespread use, comprehensive long-term monitoring of marsh terraces is limited. To date, no studies have looked at the development of marsh community structure, soil development or the processes of nutrient cycling. This project aims to fill that knowledge gap by studying marsh terraces that range from two to nine years in age in the Terrebonne Basin and quantify the role the engineered terraces have had on creating marsh habitat.