Marine science
Riding the wave of the future
...The invitation-only gathering at the Ocean Springs lab in August 2007 was designed with one
idea: convince economic development leaders about the significant role marine aquaculture can
play in the future of South Mississippi.
...And it’s the tip of the iceberg.
...The group that organized the event was focusing on just one aspect of the broad field of
marine science, an umbrella term under which exists a host of specialties. Marine issues have
been a part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast economy for so long most give it little thought. Yet
marine science and all it involves – from aquaculture to finding medical cures – represents a little-
tapped gold mine.
...Marine areas are seen as one of the last relatively unexplored frontiers for industry
development, and nations that develop leading-edge marine industries and technologies have the
potential to supply a very wide international demand, according to Australia’s National Oceans
Office. Marine industries are diverse, from seafood to offshore oil and gas and from marine
instrumentation to emerging industries. Companies interested in applied marine science research
include environmental consultants, dredging companies, equipment manufacturers, hydrographic
surveying companies and more. One emerging field highly interested in marine science: medical
and pharmaceuticals because of the sheer size of organisms that inhabit the world’s waters and
the potential that offers for new products.
Infrastructure
...South Mississippi and other states that border the 579,153 square-mile Gulf of Mexico have
embraced marine science as a key research field. Every university in the region and many federal
facilities are involved to one extent or another in marine science research, primarily littoral and
estuarine studies. Mississippi alone has 22 research units spread out between Stennis Space
Center, Biloxi and Ocean Springs.
...The federal effort alone is impressive. South Mississippi has key operating units of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and
the U.S. Department of Defense.
...But most of the research units in South Mississippi are run by the universities. Their research
runs the gamut, from microbial ecology and genetics to remediation and hydrography. Some of
the programs are cooperative projects with federal agencies.
The future
...At the Ocean Springs meeting, economic development officials learned that the American
seafood appetite contributed to a trade deficit of more than $7 billion. More than 80 percent of
seafood Americans consume is imported, and 40 percent of that is the product of foreign marine
aquaculture operations. At the present rate of commercial and recreational fishing, the world’s
seas and oceans can no longer sustain the demand for fish.
...The economic development officials were told that a window of opportunity exists for the
northern Gulf of Mexico to develop a domestic marine aquaculture industry that will create new
avenues of environmentally responsible economic growth while helping sustain traditional
commercial and recreational fishing industries.
...But that’s just a beginning. An understanding of the importance of aquaculture opens the door
to a better understanding of other marine science fields.
...South Mississippi is in the enviable position of having much of the infrastructure in place that
could make it a leader at a time when the nation is focusing more on marine science issues. – Tcp
October 2007