This purpose of this proposal is to support an environmentally responsible, competitive, and sustainable aquaculture industry that benefits great lakes-region communities

This Cooperative Agreement, awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Sea Grant Support program (CFDA 11.417), provides $1,139,197 to the Regents of the University of Minnesota to support an environmentally responsible, competitive, and sustainable aquaculture industry in the Great Lakes region. The key products and services to be delivered include:

• Expanding the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) advisory groups to increase aquaculture literacy among consumers, youth, regulators, and legislators through events and educational materials.
• Co-creating a Great Lakes seafood brand to market locally produced, farmed and wild-caught seafood.
• Networking with other Sea Grant regional hubs to develop common nationwide aquaculture literacy materials.

The project aims to benefit seafood consumers, the public, K-12 students and teachers, regulators, legislators, aquaculture producers, and commercial fishers in the Great Lakes region. The award period is from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027.

Activities

The project team and state industry advisory groups form the hub of the glac for networking, information sharing, and developing and improving upon aquaculture activities and materials. With our first objective, we will expand our successful glac advisory groups, maintain and enhance our productivity as a collaborative, and use our website as a source for accessible and innovative information. Subsequent objectives aim to increase aquaculture literacy of consumers, youth audiences, regulators, and legislators. Additionally, glac will CO-create a great lakes seafood brand that can be used to market all locally produced, farmed and wild caught seafood. Finally, glac will meet with the other sea grant regional hubs to network, share ideas and materials, and learn from each other to develop common nationwide aquaculture literacy materials.

Expected outcomes

Our project outcomes will include an expanded glac website with accessible aquaculture literacy materials for multiple groups. We will hold multiple events both within states and across the great lakes region for educators, consumers, regulators, and legislators to increase aquaculture literacy. We will develop an aquaculture education community of practice, and work to expand the aquaculture challenge, a regional program for 8TH-12TH grade classrooms to compete in aquaponics systems design. We will develop simplified guides to aquaculture regulations in all states aimed at aquaculture producers and link these to our glac website. Finally, we will develop a great lakes seafood brand informed by the aquaculture and commercial fishing industries to include products raised by regional aquaculture producers and wild-captured by commercial fishers in the region.

Intended beneficiaries

The intended beneficiaries of this project include seafood consumers and the public throughout the regions as we aim to improve aquaculture literacy broadly. In addition, we will aim aquaculture literacy efforts at K-12 students and teachers, regulators, and legislators. Increasing aquaculture literacy among groups will benefit aquaculture producers as well. Finally, by emphasizing the interconnectedness of both aquaculture raised and wild-captured seafood, we will benefit commercial fishers in the great lakes region.

Subrecipient activities

This project is a collaboration among all of the great lakes sea grant programs and the national sea grant law center. All subrecipients will work to support all project objectives including developing literacy materials for all target groups, holding events, convening meetings, and collaborating on all aspects of the project.