The United States Aquaculture Society (USAS) student subunit at Auburn University (AU) strives to promote aquaculture education, sustainability, professional development, and networking opportunities for students and the local community. Key initiatives include an annual shrimp sale, where fresh, head-on shrimp from AU’s Gulf Shores facility are sold to the public to raise funds for the subunit. This fundraiser not only supports the subunit’s activities and funds professional development activities for members but also helps bridge the gap between aquaculture research and the community. Additionally, the subunit organizes an annual student-professional mixer, providing students the opportunity to network with aquaculture experts and explore potential career paths.
The subunit’s outreach efforts include a variety of family-friendly events throughout the year. These range from a catfish fry during AU’s College of Agriculture family fun day to co-hosting International Fishing Day, where we teach novices how to fish. Our outreach is centered on education and community engagement, with environmental stewardship being another key goal. This goal is supported through activities such as roadside and stream cleanups.
This year, we are excited to launch a new project in collaboration with Auburn High School students, made possible by a USAS grant received last fall. Through this initiative, we aim to teach students the process of shrimp cultivation while emphasizing the importance of sustainable farmed seafood. Through these diverse activities, the AU USAS student subunit seeks to inspire the next generation of aquaculture professionals and strengthen connections within the aquaculture community.