Consumer and community understanding of aquaculture is key to unlocking its full potential to support healthy people, a healthy planet, and a healthy economy. Aquaculture outreach and education strategies that help consumers navigate and take ownership of their decisions can reduce public misperceptions of aquaculture, and paint a more holistic picture of what the sector looks like in their region. However, trust in the messengers of information can matter as much as the information itself. Environmental educators and informal learning institutions provide the necessary platforms through which to build trusting relationships with, and provide credible aquaculture learning opportunities to, the general public.
From 2021-2022 through the eeBLUE aquaculture literacy mini-grants program, NOAA and its partners at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) supported ten cross-sectoral partnerships that built place-based learning opportunities for a variety of audience groups. Here, we discuss the impacts of those exciting pilot projects, and the collaborative actions that are taking place to disseminate their best practices and lessons learned. From cooking classes for chefs and K-12 teachers, to new aquarium exhibits and youth-driven career training opportunities, these programs improved community-level awareness of their connections to aquaculture industries, their products, and career opportunities. Join this presentation to learn more about how NOAA plans to continue to support aquaculture literacy initiatives with the help of these mini-grantees.