The State of the Gulf of Mexico: What We Know, What We Do Not Know, and What We Need to Know about its Future

How Healthy is the Gulf of Mexico?

The Gulf of Mexico is a place where the environment and economy both coexist and contend. We depend on its resilient nature to maintain a balance. We have come to expect the world's largest gulf to "snap back" into that equilibrium like a rubber band, from oil spills, hurricanes and the myriad array of insults generated by our living around it and depending upon it. What happens if the rubber band fails to snap back or even worse, breaks? We are at a pivot point in time where the Gulf's fate may be decided. We have the means to tip the scales in a positive direction and secure its resilient nature. We just need to decide to do it.

Presenter Larry McKinney, Ph.D., executive director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi leads an interdisciplinary team that integrates science, policy and socio-economic expertise to assure an economically and environmentally sustainable Gulf of Mexico. Dr. McKinney has explored and studied the world's largest gulf for fifty-plus years. He received his doctorate from Texas A&M University in 1976.

A representative from the Texas Alliance for America's Fish and Wildlife will also provide a brief update on the federal Recovering America's Wildlife Act.

The meeting will be followed with an optional tour of the Harte Research Institute with a focus on two of its labs. The Coastal & Marine Geospatial Lab seeks a better understanding of the dynamic links between geomorphology, sediments, hydrology, climate and biology that create the various environments of coastal zones. The group is currently wrapping up one of the most comprehensive sea level rise assessments ever performed in Texas. "Living with Sea Level Rise" will provide Texas Gulf Coast stakeholders with the information they need to understand and adapt to higher sea levels within 50 - 100 years. The Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation is home to the largest shark-tagging program in the western Gulf of Mexico -- more than 4,100 sharks tagged. Tour participants will witness a demonstration and learn more about the tracking technology and tools.

Deadline for registration is April 20.