About Texas Sea Grant

     As of the last census, the population of Texas stood at 22 million, including 3.5 million people in the Houston-Galveston-Beaumont area, and 5.8 million new Texans are expected in the state by 2010. Many of these new arrivals will choose a coastal county as their home. Rich in natural resources, coastal Texas provides opportunities for fishing, hunting, bird watching, boating and many other activities. The Texas coastal region also is home to a host of industries that are crucial to the prosperity of the United States. The growing challenge is how to maintain the quality of life in coastal communities while allowing business and industry to thrive. The Texas Sea Grant College Program is helping meet that challenge.
     Texas Sea Grant has served the people of Texas and the nation for more than 35 years. It was one of the first four state programs established in 1971 under the National Sea Grant College and Program Act of 1966, which was modeled after the successful Land Grant College concept.
     The approximately $1.9 million that Texas Sea Grant receives annually from NOAA is matched by about $600,000 from the Texas Legislature and from TAMU. Texas Sea Grant also leverages additional support from other state and federal agencies, foundations and the private sector.