The National Sea Grant Law Center, in partnership with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, recently received funding from the NOAA Sea Grant Program to plan and host an “Interstate Technical and Networking Workshop for State Aquaculture Managers and Extension Personnel.” The workshop will provide a networking forum for state aquaculture coordinators and regulators, state extension personnel, and federal regulators. It will also promote efforts to compile regulatory information across state aquaculture programs and help program administrators learn from each other’s experiences and challenges on a variety of topics including user conflict issues. Participation in the workshop will be open to representatives from state aquaculture programs in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions (i.e., Virginia to Texas), as well as representatives from federal permitting agencies and individuals from state extension programs (i.e., Land Grant or Sea Grant) in states with aquaculture programming. Goals of the workshop include 1) establish a long-term interstate network of aquaculture professionals (State Marine Aquaculture Coordinators Network - SMACN) , 2) enhance communication among states , 3) secure long-term funding for future recurring annual meeting s, and 4) expand participating states to a national level.
Originally planned for early 2020, public health concerns and travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the in-person workshop until late spring 2022 . During this period, the Project Team hosted a series of webinars to provide networking opportunities, share information on recent developments in state aquaculture programs, and obtain feedback on the desired structure and content of project deliverables from the worksh op.
The workshop will also provide an opportunity to discuss long-term goals, including the expansion of future meeting topics, identify network leadership, and finalize next steps for the success of the SMACN. Deliverables from the workshop will include a multi-state inventory of aquaculture regulations, agency contacts, and permitting processes that is usable and can be easily maintained by the SMACN .