Support Letter to Congress

Louisiana Sea Grant’s Value to the State and Nation

Voice your Support

The Sea Grant Program strengthens our national economy by enabling fishers, farmers, restaurants and coastal communities to do work whose benefits reach far beyond the shoreline.

Sea Grant delivers nationwide by:

  • Securing a reliable, domestically produced seafood supply
  • Keeping people and businesses safe from weather-related disasters
  • Reducing taxpayer spending on flood damage and disaster recovery
  • Ensuring safe, clean beaches for residents and visitors
  • Building a skilled, job-ready workforce
  • Protecting clean water for businesses, tourism, fisheries and public health
  • Delivering broad community, economic and environmental benefits

Louisiana Sea Grant brings immense value to our communities by:

  • Supporting Louisiana’s seafood and aquaculture industry by providing technological innovation, seafood safety and professional development
  • Helping Louisiana’s coastal communities anticipate and recover from natural disasters through decision-support tools, scientific modeling and resources for the public
  • Building a skilled, job-ready coastal workforce through hands-on education, professional training and experiential learning for children to adult that supports Louisiana’s marine and coastal economy

Highlights of Louisiana Sea Grant’s impact in 2024 (the most recent reporting year) can be found in our Putting Science to Work for Coastal Communities handout. Additionally, Fiscal Year 2027’s appropriations request can be found on the Sea Grant Association’s bulletin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Show Your Support

If you have benefited from working with Louisiana Sea Grant — or simply believe in the importance of coastal science and community service — please consider signing our Showing Louisiana Sea Grant’s Value letter. The letter demonstrates broad support for the continued funding of the Sea Grant program and will be shared with federal, state and local lawmakers.

Sign the Letter Here

Help Us Spread the Word

We welcome you to share this page and the sign-on letter with others who value the mission and impact of Louisiana Sea Grant and the National Sea Grant College Program. Every name — and every voice — strengthens the message to our lawmakers.

If you prefer to send a letter directly to our lawmakers, example text is below:

Example Support Letter to Congress

Dear Louisiana congressional delegation:

We, the undersigned constituents from Louisiana, are writing to urge your support for federal funding for the Sea Grant Program in fiscal year (FY) 2027.

As one of the 34 Sea Grant programs, each year Louisiana Sea Grant receives a portion of the annual appropriation to Sea Grant. The Louisiana Sea Grant Program partners with local, state, regional and national organizations to meet the legally required match of $1 for every $2 of federal funding, which increases the impact of every federal dollar.  We benefit from this, as this money is invested in Sea Grant staff and their work in communities right here in the state.

During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program’s work:

  • helped generate an estimated $103.5 million in economic benefits to Louisiana coastal communities
  • created or supported more than 7,022 jobs
  • created or sustained more than 88 businesses
  • helped 63,650 fishermen, aquaculture and seafood processing personnel adopt safe and sustainable seafood practices
  • educated more than 12,148 K-12 students in coastal and marine topics

Additionally, materials developed and distributed by the program helped residents and communities throughout the Louisiana coast navigate disaster aid programs.

As constituents and beneficiaries of Louisiana’s Sea Grant Program, we cannot overstate the value Sea Grant brings to our state. In addition, coastal communities around the country are protected and supported thanks to the Sea Grant national network’s important activities around resilient communities and economies, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, healthy coastal ecosystems, environmental literacy and workforce development.

Thank you for your consideration, and please reach out if we can be of further assistance.

Respectfully,

Louisiana Sea Grant and its supporters

Thank you for standing with us in support of a strong, sustainable future for Louisiana’s coast.