LSU Libraries Special Collections is commemorating Sea Grant Louisiana’s 50th anniversary with “Sea Grant Louisiana: 1968-2018” in the lecture hall of Hill Memorial Library. The small exhibition features published works by Sea Grant Louisiana that are part of the LSU Libraries holdings. Items on display highlight the program’s focus areas: healthy coastal ecosystems, safe and sustainable seafood, education and workforce development, sustainable coastal development, and coastal hazard mitigation.

The scope of the Sea Grant Louisiana program, like the bodies of water of its focus, is broad and deep. Louisianans continue to benefit from programs that ensure safe preparation of seafood for consumption, educate for hurricane preparedness, and work to restore the state’s diminishing coastal wetlands. Other program areas include internships in environmental law and policy, and partnerships with communities to develop sustainable economies and tourism-based businesses in coastal regions.

LSU was named a Sea Grant College in 1978. Even before official designation, LSU researchers contributed to a variety of Sea Grant Louisiana programs. LSU was named a land-grant university in 1877, and a space-grant university in 1991, both of which, in tandem with the sea-grant designation, indicate a strong federal-university partnership which includes significant funding for educational programs that benefit citizens across socio-economic categories. LSU is in the 1% of universities that have been named to all three programs.

For more information on Sea Grant Louisiana and upcoming events and anniversary celebrations, visit https://www.laseagrant.org. Information on LSU Libraries Special Collections is available at https://www.lib.lsu.edu/special or by calling (225) 578-6544. The exhibition “Sea Grant Louisiana: 1968-2018” is free and open to the public.