NOAA SeaGrant Rating

NOAA SeaGrant is a governmental program established to “maintain a healthy coastal environment and economy.” (Links to an external site.) This program has field offices in every coastal state to network with researchers and communities. They complete their own research, but also provide governmental funding to support research efforts throughout these states. Most funding decisions involve community stakeholder input to determine what projects seem most important to provide support to.
Your local SeaGrant office has asked for your stakeholder input to review projects on marine mammal and seabird taxonomic groups. These organisms do not fall under commercial species (as protected by legislation such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act (Links to an external site.) or Migratory Bird Treaty (Links to an external site.)). Because their abundance may not directly impact economics, it is often difficult to judge the project’s importance to the community.
As a marine mammal and seabird biologist, you have been asked to produce a ranked list of project target organisms. Your list should rank the taxonomic categories of marine organisms based on their perceived threat level and ecological importance.
List each of the following groups in the order you would rate projects involving their species (from 1-15, with the category rated as 1 being considered of least importance to you). For each category, list an example species, shared physical characteristics seen in that category, how you would define their functional role within their ecosystem, and an anthropogenic threat.
Sphenisciformes
Procellarriformes (rate Albatrosses, Petrels/Shearwaters, and Storm Petrels)
Pelecaniformes (rate Fregatidae (Links to an external site.), Phalacrocoracidae (Links to an external site.), and Sulids)
Charadriifromes (rate Laridae and Alicdae)
Ceteceans (rate both Odontocetes and Mysticetes)
Pinnipeds (rate Obenidae, Phocid, and Otariids)
Sirenia
Write a paragraph summary of your rating, justifying your decision. This paragraph should include:
Description of how physical features of an organism connect to a functional role in an ecosystem (example- the ability of a puffin to dive to certain depths allow it to feed on diverse fish).
Synopsis of which taxonomic groups seem most at risk.
The reasoning of how you created your list and which groups made your top five (highest importance).
Your submission should include your paragraph and list.
Your rating will provide your general opinion to SeaGrant, it will not be their final decision. Your opinion should be based on how much is known about species within that category (and if there is more yet to discover), the functional role they play in a community (what they eat and what eats them), and what anthropogenic threats exist.

Last Completed Projects