As aquaculture continues to expand in the U.S., it is necessary to ensure sustainability is at the core of all efforts, from planning to distribution, especially in crowded coastal and marine spaces. Careful farm siting and planning are one way to contribute to the sustainable growth of aquaculture in the U.S., and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences (NCCOS) have developed tools and resources that begin to address the complex needs of interested parties using coastal-ocean spaces. The planning tools and resources created by NCCOS rely on a science-based, community-led approach for continual feedback and development, ideally resulting in successful usage and, ultimately, the identification of optimal locations for aquaculture. Because coastal-ocean environments accommodate many activities that could overlap with aquaculture, it is important to deliberately connect and build capacity among local user-groups through conversations centered around aquaculture planning tools to improve sustainable aquaculture development.
To facilitate capacity building, Maryland Sea Grant and are partners are in the process of hosting six collaborative, regionally tailored workshops across the nation over the course of four years to connect the Sea Grant Network, NCCOS, aquaculture extension specialists, and other coastal-ocean groups. The workshop regions are as follows: Mid-Atlantic (Fall 2022), Gulf of Mexico (Winter 2023), California (Fall 2023), Pacific Northwest (Summer 2024), Pacific Islands (Early Winter 2025), and New England (Spring 2025). Through this project we aim to 1) extend NCCOS aquaculture planning resources, 2) increase connections and collaborations with diverse interested parties, and 3) advance aquaculture siting conversations more broadly with summary reports citing key themes and findings after each workshop.
After completing the first three workshops in the Mid-Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and California, we have begun to identify regional differences and similarities with respect to aquaculture siting tool use and perspectives among the various user-groups. Additionally, participants reflected on their present engagement with communities in coastal and marine spaces about aquaculture development to identify groups that need to be brought into the discussions. Prior workshop findings will partially inform the framework of the remaining three workshops and final project report.