The Commercial Oyster Aquaculture Sector Training (COAST) Program in Mississippi and Alabama is a workforce development initiative to recruit workers to the oyster aquaculture industry and provide them with training to meet industry demand. First, a needs assessment was completed with industry members to identify areas of the workforce with the greatest demand. Based on this feedback, a minimum of 10 apprentices will participate within the COAST Program over the next two years, and the program will be evaluated in order to identify areas for improvement as the program evolves.
The oyster aquaculture industry includes hatchery, nursery and farm rearing to market, but it also relies upon seafood processors and restaurants to generate a product from farm to plate. The seafood industry has been at the heart of working waterfront communities of Alabama and Mississippi for hundreds of years. Over the centuries, the seafood industry has experienced multiple disasters, including storms, recessions, oil spills and more, that have negatively impacted the environment, the economies and the people living in these communities.
In recent decades, the frequency of these disasters has increased resulting in compounded negative effects that have delayed recovery. This includes the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to business disruptions similar to tropical storms, the Great Recession of 2008 and the 2010 oil spill. Bolstering the seafood industry workforce is one way to enable seafood businesses to be more resilient to these natural disasters and improve the recovery and dependability of the industry by teaching people how to mitigate the negative impacts of these events.
During previous needs assessments and direct communication with stakeholders of the oyster aquaculture industry, availability of qualified labor was consistently identified as a major priority. To that end, we have developed a Commercial Oyster Aquaculture Sector Training (COAST) Program that has worked with farmers to recruit individuals into the oyster aquaculture industry who are providing training to the apprentices and increasing the workforce.
By providing a portion of the apprentices wages and hands-on training, the industry has active investment in them while benefitting from reduced labor costs (as per these funds) during training, resulting in a more qualified pool of workers.
Commercial oyster aquaculture involves a wide range of activities and skills necessary to be successful. These include animal husbandry, vessel operation, gear installation and maintenance and harvesting, among others. COAST apprentices participate in several of these areas based on the needs of the commercial farm for which they work. The table below was developed in order to guide the farm owners on some of these opportunities for development. The COAST Program pays for a portion of the wages of the apprentices and has the flexibility to allow farmers to adjust their schedules based on seasonal needs.
To date, five farms have begun participating in the program and there will be an opportunity for five additional farms to participate beginning in early 2024.
Please feel free to contact me ([email protected]) or Dr. Andrea Tarnecki, assistant extension professor with Auburn University ([email protected]) if you would like to learn more about the COAST Program or have any questions about commercial oyster farming that I can answer. Feedback is always welcomed as well!
Meet the author
Russell "Rusty" Grice
Oyster Aquaculture Business Specialist
Rusty joined Sea Grant in 2016. He helps oyster farmers navigate requirements for starting farms, and he helps streamline the harvest reporting process for existing farms. His focus is on... Read more
Phone: 251-229-0826
Email: [email protected]