The course, held at NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, taught two dozen students from the U.S. Coast Guard and several state emergency response agencies how to conduct shoreline oil spill assessments. 

“The participants were all fantastic students, and each brought unique perspectives from their spill response experience,” stated Lt. Cmdr. Chris Duffy, the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator for the Great Lakes region, who co-taught the course.

Instructors explained the SCAT process, how SCAT teams conduct field operations, the roles and responsibilities of SCAT teams, and helped SCAT teams practice in the field. A hybrid option was provided and utilized by several students on days when storms were strongest. Students learned to complete Shoreline Oiling Summary forms and how to utilize Survey123 and NOAA’s Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) for shoreline assessment.