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Great Lakes Sea Grant Programs Awarded $425,000 to Advance Aquaculture | Ohio Sea Grant

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Great Lakes Sea Grant Programs Awarded $425,000 to Advance Aquaculture

3:28 pm, Fri November 4, 2022 – The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative was awarded $425,000 by the National Sea Grant Office to advance land-based aquaculture in the Great Lakes region

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Columbus, Ohio The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative was awarded $425,000 by the National Sea Grant Office to advance land-based aquaculture in the Great Lakes region.

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative, led by Minnesota Sea Grant, supports an environmentally responsible, competitive and sustainable aquaculture industry in the Great Lakes region. The Aquaculture Collaborative, begun in 2019, is one of 11 Sea Grant research projects and collaborative programs that received National Sea Grant funding totaling $4.7 million aimed at advancing sustainable aquaculture.

“We’ve been successful in bringing aquaculture to the attention of new audiences and providing more resources to the aquaculture industry in the region through the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative with previous funding,” said Ohio Sea Grant aquaculture Extension educator Nicole Wright. “We look forward to continuing to work with fish farmers, regulators, and the community to create more opportunities for aquaculture to be successful in Ohio.”

Great Lakes states are not keeping pace with increases in consumer demand for fish and seafood which contributes to a $17 billion national seafood trade deficit. Starting in 2019 and continuing today, the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative has held regionwide workshops and training opportunities, created an aquaculture farm tour video series, funded and published research on consumer demand for aquaculture products and created a dedicated website.

Project deliverables

  • Link aquaculture producers to state and national aquaculture organizations and support producers, students, and researchers from historically marginalized communities to attend and present at state and national aquaculture meetings.
  • Continue collaborations with aquaculture industry advisory groups from Great Lakes states to solicit feedback on progress and outcomes and understand state-specific industry needs.
  • Inform Great Lakes legislators about what aquaculture is and the elements of a sustainable regional aquaculture industry.
  • Compare aquaculture laws and regulations among states within the Great Lakes region to determine how agencies interpret and implement these rules.
  • Foster synergies among private, state, and tribal organizations to jointly address seafood supply-chain challenges in the aquaculture and commercial fishing industries.
  • Develop research questions that address priority areas of need for aquaculture producers that may be funded by Great Lakes Sea Grant programs.

“These investments demonstrate Sea Grant’s commitment to sustainably growing U.S. aquaculture throughout coastal and Great Lakes communities,” said Jonathan Pennock, director of NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program. “The funded projects, which address a variety of challenges, will ensure that growth of the aquaculture sector will be informed by the latest science and community needs.”

The Ohio Sea Grant College Program is part of The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For more information, visit ohioseagrant.osu.edu.

ARTICLE TITLE: Great Lakes Sea Grant Programs Awarded $425,000 to Advance Aquaculture PUBLISHED: 3:28 pm, Fri November 4, 2022
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Christina Dierkes
Outreach Specialist, Ohio Sea Grant College Program

As Ohio Sea Grant’s science writer, Christina covers research, education and outreach projects in the Great Lakes for a wide range of audiences. She also produces online events like the Freshwater Science webinar series and other outreach events, and manages social media for Ohio Sea Grant.

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