Environmental and safety concerns related to fish consumption can potentially be alleviated with innovative aquaculture production practices. Native Americans tend to consume fish at a higher rate than recreational anglers, and therefore also face greater rates of exposure to bioaccumulated contaminants such as mercury or PCBs. Further, the conversion of lands previously used to grow traditional foods have increased the need for indigenous populations to rely on food aid. Programs that strengthen local food systems can enhance the sustainability, effectiveness, and cultural suitability of food aid. Aquaculture systems on tribal lands that cultivate both fish and produce can improve food sovereignty for Native Americans by decreasing reliance on food programs, while also increasing access to culturally acceptable food to meet the needs of the community.
The objective of this multidisciplinary collaborative project is to understand the needs within the Menominee tribe to establish aquaculture production. Aquaponics training and start-up funds will be provided to Menominee Tribal members interested in raising culturally relevant fish and produce in aquaculture systems. Consumer-oriented research will be conducted to assess how tribal-raised fish will be perceived in markets off-reservation, and whether this value-added fish variety will change certain consumer perceptions about farmed fish quality and safety that impact their purchasing decisions. Outreach efforts of this project will contribute to intertribal research and create more diverse relationships in agriculture as the emphasis is placed on amplifying perspectives of underrepresented minorities.
Preliminary data have been collected to assess community needs and continued work is being conducted using food sovereignty as a measure of community health to capture the social value of the ability to independently grow fish and produce. Establishing local aquaculture production will increase access to nutritious seafood products and produce for the Menominee tribe, while offsetting some of the contamination risks of wild-caught fish as water quality conditions are closely monitored. Results of consumer surveys will be used to effectively communicate the health benefits of aquaculture-raised fish and produce grown in an aquaponic system to targeted populations to improve health outcomes across minority populations.