its divisions of Fish and Wildlife and Environment; the Texas Water 

 Quality Board (TWQB); and the Texas Deepwater Ports Authority (TDPA), 

 established by the State in 1978 to assume the activities of SEADOCK. 

 SEADOCK, a consortium of oil companies developing a deepwater port off 

 the Texas coast, no longer exists. The Texas Coastal and Marine 

 Council (TCMC) advises on the coastal zone management plan. 



State-supported institutions with marine science-related activities 

 include the University of Texas (UT) and Texas A&M University (TAMU). 

 The University of Texas includes a Marine Science Institute (MSI) and 

 a Medical Branch (UTMB) which, together with other institutions in 

 Texas, support the Marine Biomedical Institute (MBI). MBI promotes re- 

 search in and supports the Flower Garden Ocean Research Center (FGORC). 

 UT also suppots a Center for Research in Water Resources (CRWR). 



TAMU supports a Center for Marine Resources (CMR), which coordinates 

 marine research activities at TAMU, most of which are conducted by 

 the Departments of Oceanography and Meteorology. TAMU supports the 

 Center for Dredging Studies (CDS). It includes departments of marine 

 sciences, marine engineering, marine transportation and nautical 

 science, and ocean engineering and is a Sea Grant Institute. 



451. VIRGINIA 



A Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) in the Governor's 

 Office includes the conservation and protection of the marine envi- 

 ronment among its concerns. The Commission of Game and Inland Fish- 

 eries (CGIF) also sponsors marine-related research. Virginia's 

 Office of Secretary of Commerce and Resources (OSCR) is responsible 

 for Virginia's Coastal Resources Management Study (CRMS). The Vir- 

 ginia Marine Resources Management Advisory Committee (CRMAC) provides 

 advice to the newly created Coastal Study Commission (CSC) charged 

 with developing CRMS. 



VIMS, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, an independent 

 State agency formerly titled the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory (VFL), 

 is affiliated with the University of Virginia (UVA) and the College 

 of William and Mary. VIMS developed the Marine Environmental and 

 Resources Research Management System (MERRMS), which includes an 

 inventory of the State's wetlands, shallows, and shorelines; a bibli- 

 ography on Chesapeake Bay; and other data banks and resources to 

 answer research needs. It also developed the National Aquaculture 

 Information System (NAIS), which is included in NOAA's Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Sciences Information System (OASIS). It is the lead 

 member of the Marine Educational Materials System (MEMS) in which 

 nine other institutions participate to provide sources of information 

 to educators and students involved in marine studies. Its projects 

 include the development of the Virginia Sea Wave Climate Model (VSWCM) 

 for the Mid-Atlantic Bight and the Chesapeake Bay Wave Climate Model 

 (CBWCM). 



UVA' s main thrust in marine affairs is in ocean law, and in 1976 it 

 established a Center for Ocean Law and Policy (COLP). The Virginia 

 Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPISU) is a Sea Grant 

 participant specializing in seafood research. Old Dominion University 

 (ODU), a private institution, sponsors an Institute of Oceanography. 



Another acronym associated with Virginia is TARAV — Tidewater 

 Artificial Reef Association of Virginia. 



452. WASHINGTON 



Washington's Departments of Ecology (DOE) and of Fisheries (DOF) 

 carry on research in the marine environment at the State level. The 

 State also funds the Oceanographic Commission of Washington (OCW), a 



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