Connecting Sea Grant, NCCOS, and Coastal Stakeholders to Improve Sustainable Aquaculture Siting and Development

Project Summary

Recent efforts focus on identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in U.S. waters as Congressional interest in improving aquaculture regulation increases. Whether nearshore or offshore, sustainable aquaculture wades into crowded waters where multiple, complex layers of stakeholders are present. The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)—and particularly the Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability Program (CASS)—are well equipped to meet these challenges and have developed tools and resources for aquaculture farm siting and development to begin addressing the complex needs of interested parties utilizing coastal-ocean spaces. The key to successful usage and continual development of NCCOS planning tools and resources is a science-based, community-led approach, which will ideally result in the identification of optimal locations for aquaculture development. Because many local groups overlap with aquaculture areas in coastal-ocean environments, it is important to deliberately connect and build capacity among users through conversations centered around aquaculture tools to improve sustainable aquaculture development.  

The overall goal of this project is to build capacity and collaboration among the Sea Grant Network, NCCOS, and other coastal-ocean groups to advance environmentally, economically, and socially equitable aquaculture siting and industry growth. To achieve this goal, there are three main objectives: (1) extend the reach of NCCOS’ aquaculture planning tools and resources, (2) improve Sea Grant-NCCOS-coastal-ocean user group connections through the workshop process, and (3) inform broader Sea Grant-NCCOS marine spatial planning efforts. A series of collaborative, regionally tailored workshops to advance aquaculture siting conversations are used to accomplish these objectives. Each workshop is part of an iterative process involving an external evaluator to ensure the project goals and objectives are being met through subsequent workshop improvements. Workshops will take place in the Mid-Atlantic (Summer 2022); Gulf (Winter 2023); California (Fall 2023); Alaska (Winter 2025); Hawaiʻi (Fall 2025); and New England (Winter 2026).

Workshops

Sea Grant-NCCOS Mid-Atlantic Aquaculture Siting and Development Pilot Workshop

Sea Grant-NCCOS Gulf Aquaculture Siting and Development Workshop

Sea Grant-NCCOS California Aquaculture Siting and Development Workshop

Sea Grant-NCCOS Alaska Aquaculture Siting and Development Workshop

Sea Grant-NCCOS Hawaiʻi Aquaculture Siting and Development Workshop

Co-Principal Investigators

Alaska Sea Grant
California Sea Grant
Florida Sea Grant
Hawaiʻi Sea Grant
Maine Sea Grant
North Carolina Sea Grant
Texas Sea Grant
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

This project is funded by the National Sea Grant College Program with additional funds from NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS).

For further questions, contact:

Maryland Sea Grant Aquaculture
mdsg-aquaculture@umd.edu
 

Photo: Mid-Atlantic Aquaculture Siting and Development Pilot Workshop. Photo, Hannah Cooper/MDSG.