Miami Herald
Oct. 04, 2003

THE ENVIRONMENT
UM wins marine research center

The Pew Charitable Trusts is pledging $3 million annually to the Rosenstiel school for the study of conservation and fishery issues.

BY CURTIS MORGAN
cmorgan@herald.com

The University of Miami's marine school is about to gain a new research center and with it the potential to become a leading voice in the national debate over what to do about staggering declines in ocean life caused by fishing pressure and pollution.

On Wednesday, UM's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science will announce it has reached a $3 million annual agreement with the Pew Charitable Trusts, one of the largest private sponsors of environmental and marine research, to open a center devoted to the study of marine conservation and fishery issues.

Rosenstiel's dean, Otis Brown, said the new center, to be called the Pew Institute for Ocean Science at the University of Miami, should produce important new science and raise the school's profile with the public and policy makers.

''This is a very, very big deal,'' Brown said.

The partnership could bring more research dollars to the Virginia Key campus and possibly some controversy. Much of the recent research supported by Pew has endorsed establishing marine reserves like the 200-square-mile Tortugas Ecological Reserve 70 miles west of Key West that is the nation's largest no-fishing zone.

That idea, while widely endorsed by scientists and environmental groups, is opposed by many commercial and sport-fishing interests.

Pew's move to UM comes at a time of increasing warnings and growing concern from the public and fishery managers about eroding coastal environments and fish populations.

The Philadelphia-based foundation, in fact, paid for the latest and most influential study -- a $5.5 million, three-year report by the Pew Oceans Commission, a bipartisan group of scientists, politicians, commercial fishermen and environmentalists.

Released in June, the report found stocks collapsing worldwide from overfishing and coastlines rimmed by ''dead zones'' from urban and farm runoff. It also urged an overhaul of ocean laws, fisheries management and a sharp increase in research.

''I think the oceans are on top of everyone's minds right now,'' said Ellen Pikitch, a fisheries scientist whom Pew chose as the institute's executive director. ``We have a chance right now to seize the moment and really make a
difference.''

Pikitch said Rosenstiel was her first choice for the institute because of its strong international reputation and broad range of research. The campus has 500 scientists, graduate students and support staff studying everything from coral reefs to fish farming. They work closely with two large National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration science centers on the other side of Rickenbacker Causeway.

For UM, said Brown, the partnership should enhance the work Rosenstiel already does, giving students and faculty access to the institute's staff and top marine scientists.

Pew's initial grant is $3 million. UM hopes that will be extended annually for at least a decade. Beyond that, Brown is hopeful the affiliation will broaden opportunities for more research dollars, which are the lifeblood of the school.

The institute will both support outside research and produce its own studies, concentrating on conserving and restoring depleted fisheries. At least two are expected the first year, including an analysis of recreational fishing impacts.

UM's Brown said there was some initial question about whether the institute would be perceived as having a political agenda, but the university was satisfied that its positions would be based on sound science.

Joshua Reichert, director of Pew's environmental division, said when the data is so clear and alarming, it is critical for scientists to guide bureaucrats and politicians who make decisions.

''There is no inherent conflict between doing good science and promoting sound management philosophies,'' he said. "I think it's been unfortunate that scientists have been afraid to play a more active role in the public debate about these issues.''