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Ocean Acoustics - the study of sound in the ocean, how it travels, interacts with, and is affected by its underwater surroundings - is a growing and critical field. Sound from both natural and human-generated sources can be an effective tool for probing the ocean environment. While the first applications of ocean acoustics began in the military, applications today encompass offshore energy production, national security, environmental monitoring, climate science, exploration and mapping, as well as fundamental ocean science. Even as demand for ocean acoustics grows, workforce development is challenged by both the multidisciplinary nature of the field and its widely varying career paths. Ocean acoustics may be housed in a diversity of departments in higher education institutions, and career paths and trajectory of formal education can range from the vocational/associates' level through the doctorate level. This report examines the state of ocean acoustics education; assesses expected dem

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, infectious prion disease affecting the central nervous system of some species of Cervidae-animals such as deer, elk, and moose. Recognized as a disease in the 1980s but suspected to have been present in the United States for decades longer, CWD affects both captive and free-ranging cervids and has been reported in 35 states and five Canadian provinces of North America as of August 1, 2024. The potential ramifications of the increasing spread of CWD are serious, and include negative impacts on ecosystems, and large economic costs for agencies with management responsibilities related to cervids and for industries that depend on cervids or cervid products. Cultural and food security impacts for communities with traditions tied to cervid hunting are also impacted. In 2020, Congress passed America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act (P.L. 116-188), directing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to lead a task force for addressing CWD in the United St