Year: 2024
Relevance
A series of formal and informal communications with aquaculture stakeholders identified many early to mid career staff in Sea Grant positions that were often not fully equipped to meet the various needs of their state's aquaculture community.
Response
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant created the request for proposals to develop the Aquaculture Leadership Academy, and the award was granted to a team from programs in New Hampshire and North Carolina. This team's approach was able to highlight multiple regions of the country and involve numerous partners at local, regional and national levels that successfully resulted in a curriculum to meet the needs of aquaculture staff.
Results
In 2024, the Sea Grant Aquaculture Leadership Academy provided over 80 hours of virtual and in-person curriculum (including site visits and guest speakers) to participants from 18 different Sea Grant programs. Evaluations demonstrated a significant increase in interdisciplinary understanding of US aquaculture and the academy built a stronger, more communicative network of aquaculture professionals. A summary of this project was presented at Aquaculture America 2025 to highlight its success at enhancing Sea Grant's aquaculture workforce.
Recap
In 2024, participants from 18 different Sea Grant programs completed the Aquaculture Leadership Academy's year-long curriculum, and their evaluations demonstrated a significant increase in interdisciplinary understanding of US aquaculture.