GULF OF MEXICO

28 January 2011
Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas

a.     David Yoskowitz, PhD, Endowed Research Chair for Socioeconomics at the Harte Institute, provided an overview of the benefits of the Gulf of Mexico to society, such as its seafood harvest, oil and natural gas production, recreational opportunities and drainage/disposal capacity.  Dr. Yoskowitz noted that the Gulf is approaching a tipping point with regards to water quality degradation, overfishing, wetland and habitat loss and pressures from development and climate change.  Dr. Yoskowitz discussed the impacts of the 2010 Gulf oil spill, providing estimates of timelines for recovery for beaches, wetland habitats and animals.  Dr. Yoskowitz provided an overview of the tools available to address oil spill-related issues and Gulf habitat loss in general, noting that decision-making must be supported by sound science in the context of current political, economic and socio-cultural realities.  Dr. Yoskowitz shared information about the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a consortium of the five Gulf states (gulfofmexicoalliance.org), and its recently-completed Governors’ Action Plan for Healthy and Resilient Coasts II, which contains eleven steps to sustain the Gulf economy, improve Gulf ecosystem health, increase coastal community resilience and mitigate/adapt to climate change.  Dr. Yoskowitz discussed several relevant Harte Institute initiatives, including evaluating the ecosystem services of coastal habitats; developing a Gulf-wide ecosystem services valuation database (gecoserv.org); and an assessment of changing ecosystem services provided by marsh habitat in Galveston Bay.  Dr. Yoskowitz concluded by noting that the oil spill has highlighted the socioeconomic value of the Gulf and broadened public awareness of the value of ecosystem services.

b.     Paul Montagna, PhD, Endowed Chair for Ecosystems and Modeling at the Harte Institute, provided an update on deep sea conditions in the Gulf following the spill, noting that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration asked the Harte Institute to participate in a 40-day research project examining biological effects in deep waters of the Gulf.  Dr. Montagna noted that the crew found evidence of toxicity on the bottom of the Gulf but is still determining the extent of injury as well as when injury will no longer be occurring.  Dr. Montagna provided an update on the Senate Bill 3-related environmental flows process, first sharing the goals of Senate Bill 3, which were to set basin-specific flow standards and implement strong adaptive management principles.  Dr. Montagna described the decision-making process and timetable for developing standards and principles, which includes a science team for each basin that develops recommendations, a stakeholder group that modifies the recommendations, a state-level review process, a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)-led rulemaking period and then adoption of adaptive management principles.  Dr. Montagna, a member of the statewide science advisory team for the process, reported that the Sabine and Trinity basins are now in the rulemaking stages, and shared information about the conflicting recommendations submitted to TCEQ by members of the Trinity basin’s science and stakeholder groups, and how this conflict has hurt the overall strength of the recommendations published in the draft rules.   Dr. Montagna noted that the Colorado/Lavaca and Guadalupe/San Antonio basin groups are in the recommendation-development phase, and the Nueces, Brazos and Rio Grande basin groups will begin their work in fall 2011.  Dr. Montagna concluded by noting that while there have been some controversies with the process thus far, Texas is the forefront among states taking proactive steps to protect water quantity.

c.      Jennifer Pollack, PhD, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Fisheries and Mariculture at the Harte Institute, shared information about the Institute’s oyster reef restoration work in the Texas Coastal Bend.  Jennifer provided an overview about the ecological and economic importance of oysters, noting that they filter and clean bay waters and that their shells serve as a hard substrate that protects shorelines from erosion and provides habitat for fish, shrimp and crab.  Dr. Pollack noted that oyster reefs are one of the most threatened marine habitats on earth, with an estimated 85-91% of reefs lost globally, but that the Gulf is one of the last places on earth where there is potential to sustain reefs into the future.  Dr. Pollack noted that Gulf oyster reefs have been degraded by shell dredging, coastal development, altered river flows and disease.  Dr. Pollack described the oyster life cycle and the importance of sufficient amounts of oyster shell substrate for young oysters (“spat”) to settle and grow upon.  Dr. Pollack described the Harte Institute’s oyster shell recycling program, whereby oyster shells shucked at restaurants are reclaimed, cleaned and dried via sunlight and returned to the water to serve as substrate for reefs (oysterrecyling.org).  Dr. Pollack noted that the project is a partnership between local restaurants and the Port of Corpus Christi and supported by the General Land Office and the Harte Institute.  Dr. Pollack shared information about how the Harte Institute is monitoring the project’s impact and planning an expansion into the Rockport/Fulton area.

d.     Laura Huffman, Nature Conservancy of Texas (TNC) State Director, reported that there is no more important conservation issue in Texas than water.  Ms. Huffman noted that there are many successful and promising projects to restore natural resources such as oyster reefs and seagrass beds, but these projects must be taken to scale for their impact to be felt.  Ms. Huffman reported that the Gulf has suffered from a lack of federal funds, but shared her belief that the oil spill provides the platform for increasing awareness about the need for Gulf restoration.  Ms. Huffman shared information about freshwater concerns in Texas, noting three key figures – 37, which stands for the 37 million persons who will live in Texas by 2040 and the pressures on water resources that this growth will bring; 30, which stands for the $30 billion that is needed to provide sufficient freshwater for human use in the coming years in Texas; and 0, which is the amount of money that the state invests in land and water conservation.  Ms. Huffman discussed the state water plan, noting that while it states that 25 percent of the future water supply will come from conservation efforts, there is no game plan for water conservation in the state, and there are unlikely to be future public investments in conservation.  Ms. Huffman provided information about TNC efforts related to water and water conservation, including a bill currently before the state legislature to promote water stewardship among private landowners via an exemption similar to the agriculture and wildlife exemptions.  Ms. Huffman concluded by stating that there should be a balance among land protection, resource conservation and regulatory oversight in order to ensure resource sustainability.