The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife in partnership with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission recently launched its new fish identification application for your mobile device. Check out the West Coast Fish ID application here!
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The West Coast Fish ID application is a digital encyclopedia of common species that can be found on the North American West Coast. The application facilitates rapid identification of common fish species that are targeted in fisheries along the North American West Coast using high quality images, illustrations and lists of key characteristics. The application also provides tips for differentiating between similar species.

Objectives​
The principal aim of the Aquaculture Development Conference (Conference) was to promote increased investment in sustainable aquaculture and optimize its positive economic, social, and nutritional contributions in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest (PNW). A parallel objective was to address the considerable lack of aquaculture knowledge that adversely affects the development of the sector in this region.

The underlying principle was that, if aquaculture is to develop and deliver positive benefits in the PNW as it has in many locations in the United States and the world, the status quo is no longer an option action is required. 

Design & Expectations​
Given the relatively low level of aquaculture investment in Oregon in particular, and the Pacific Northwest in general, the Conference sought to address key issues affecting public and private investments in aqua farming. The Conference was not meant to be an end unto itself, but the beginning of a process that will encourage greater interest and motivate individuals and firms to raise and eat more farmed seafood.

An immediate expectation from the Conference was to act as a forum for information exchange and networking. A stronger knowledge base leads to greater investment built on an enhanced understanding of the risks and benefits. It is also expected that the Conference will be catalytic, coalescing efforts, prompting action, and expanding horizons. 

Government Engagement
The government’s role in aquaculture is usually that of policy maker and regulator. In many investors’ views, government means convoluted and costly regulations. Nonetheless, there is general agreement that some level of regulation and oversight is necessary. Regulatory processes can be streamlined by involving operators when outlining regulatory procedures, establishing a one-stop-shop to coordinate between and across agencies, and implementing pre-investment meetings for individual investors.

​Policy and regulations are not, however, the sole role for governments. Ideally government should be a facilitator of economic development and wise investing. The public sector plays an important part in research and development (R&D), education, outreach, and advocacy. 

Government support of sector growth is pivotal if aquaculture is to reach its untapped potential in Oregon, the Pacific Northwest and, more broadly, across the country. Additionally, government can serve as a vehicle for increasing the public’s understanding of aquaculture through enhanced education and extension systems.

Tribal Aquaculture​
Tribal communities have unique circumstances potentially making aquaculture investment easier and allowing them to be prospective early adopters for a nascent2 program. Conference attendees representing the state of Washington explained that tribal rights can be exercised in ways that allow for faster permitting and startup of aquaculture enterprises. Additionally, tribes can form partnerships with private companies to pair technical ability and aquaculture expertise with tribal organization, funding, and entrepreneurship. For example, the Jamestown Tribe partners with Cooke Aquaculture on developing successful marine aquaculture projects providing the potential to expand tribal economic activity while having downstream impacts on tribal public health, food security, and overall sovereignty. Both from within and outside Tribal Communities, special efforts should be focused on meaningful engagement regarding aquatic farming opportunities and assisting with investment planning incorporated with integrated economic and community development. A dynamic, diversified, and profitable tribal aquaculture program would serve as a strong foundation upon which to expand subsectoral growth and attract additional investment. 

Partnerships & Associations
Aquaculture can serve as an important part of the economy, from local to national levels. This requires partnerships with entities covering a range of backgrounds, from markets and technology to civil society. These partnerships can be facilitated through a vibrant aquaculture producer association that is able to add value to the entire aquaculture program. Practically, this means strengthening state and regional aquaculture associations by ensuring they have the necessary breadth to support the overall state industry while building strong relationships with other producer associations (e.g., in the case of Oregon, two important linkages are with the horticulture and viticulture associations). 
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Knowledge and Education
The lack of a large and diversified aquaculture industry results in limited knowledge which has an impact on industry development. From students to members of civil society to would-be operators, this knowledge gap results in widespread misconceptions that hinder program development and causes farm level investments that are not technically sound and have high risk of failure. Some of these gaps can be addressed by utilizing available tools and resources while exploring more long term solutions such as more thoroughly integrating aquaculture into existing educational networks.

Program Development & Strategic Planning
There are certain advantages in having an underdeveloped program. As opposed to retrofitting an expansive existing industry, it is possible to take state of the art solutions and technologies to sculpt a 21st Century sustainable
and profitable program. This starts with a comprehensive State Aquaculture Strategic Plan. This plan, in turn, requires naming a lead agency and establishing an ad hoc Planning Committee representing all stakeholder groups. A state strategic aquaculture plan should be considered as an essential component of any responsible and productive state program. ​

In the aggregate, Conference discussions can be distilled to highlight an overall investment perspective and a set of high priority actions.

Perspective​
Under favorable conditions aquaculture can be a set of food systems and aquatic organism management schemes that can attract positive public and private investment. The corollary is that the absence of this investment can often be attributed to basic principles underpinning the acceptance of aquaculture.

In the case of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and many other areas, it can be proffered that the fundamental issues potentially adversely affecting the growth of the aquaculture sector are NOT technical nor even economic. The principal questions affecting the expansion and diversification of aquaculture are political support and social license, or the lack thereof. 

Al Roker of NBC's Today Show shares a closer look at aquafarms (aquaculture) as an innovative new underwater and sustainable way to raise native seafood and plants while also helping to combat climate change and overfishing.

“In a changing climate, we need to consider the environmental impacts of what we eat,” said Danielle Blacklock, director of NOAA Fisheries Office of Aquaculture. “Adding more seafood to your diet is a climate-smart, earth-friendly choice, especially if it’s grown here in the United States.”
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To showcase the diversity of the United State’s aquaculture industry, Al Roker and the NBC team visited aquaculture efforts in California and Connecticut. They met NOAA, Sea Grant, and farmers from the Port of San Diego and Copps Island Oysters. In San Diego, Roker learned about abalone and how aquaculture can grow as part of the Blue Economy.

View NBC's video report here | Read more at NOAA.gov

The Oregon Aquaculture Association (OAA) will be holding a membership meeting on May 8, 2023 from 2p to 3p PST  via Zoom. OAA members are welcome to join this meeting.

If you are an OAA member and would to attend this meeting, please email Outreach Director, Michael Lee at michael@oregonaquaculture.org.

If you are not yet a member of OAA and wish to join, please click here.

The Oregon and Pacific Northwest Aquaculture Development Conference was held in Salem last October with the aim to promote increased investment in sustainable aquaculture and optimize its positive economic, social, and nutritional contributions. One of the key recommendations coming from this conference was to establish the framework for developing a State Strategic Aquaculture Plan and begin the planning process in 2023.

As a follow-up to this recommendation, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Oregon Aquaculture Association (OAA) are organizing a listening and discussion session to assess the methodologies and processes that could be employed to elaborate this plan while ensuring it reflects the priorities of the diverse stakeholder groups that comprise the nascent Oregon aquaculture program.
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With this background, you are invited to attend this planning session to be held in ODAs headquarters at 635 Capital St. NE, Salem on April 12th, 2023, from 09:30-12:00. Kindly RSVP to erick.garman@oda.oregon.gov by March 31st, 2023.

Situation Analysis for Oregon’s Emergent Seaweed Aquaculture Industry Now Available

​Introduction:
In response to the world’s growing population and need for food security, aquaculture has become one of the fastest-growing food production sectors (FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations] 2020). This growth has often been associated with, and in some places has resulted in, negative environmental impacts, including habitat degradation, pollution, and impacts on wild stocks (Naylor et al. 2021). Thus, with this rapid expansion, the challenge is determining how to foster development sustainably and equitably. A growing body of research demonstrates that—if deployed in the right places with the right practices and species—aquaculture can bring benefits to both ocean ecosystems and the communities that rely on them, a concept termed restorative aquaculture (TNC [The Nature Conservancy] 2021).

In addition to food, seaweed aquaculture has the potential to provide other sustainable products for a wide range of industries, livelihoods for coastal communities, and improved ocean health (TNC 2021). Seaweed can be a source of low-carbon food, raw materials, and energy, with product uses including human consumption, animal feed, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, biofuel, and bioplastics (Piconi et al. 2020; McKinley Research Group 2021). Seaweed aquaculture also has the potential to provide seedstock for wild populations, create beneficial habitat, improve water quality, and buffer against localized ocean acidification (O’Shea et al. 2019; Gentry et al. 2020).

Over 90% of the seaweed produced globally comes from the four Asian countries of China, Indonesia, Korea, and the Philippines, where there is a well-established industry for food and hydrocolloids, but the industry is expanding to other regions, such as North America (FAO 2018, 2020). In the United States, sugar kelp is the primary farmed seaweed, with most in-water grow out locations in the Northeast Atlantic and Pacific Northwest. A TNC study by Theuerkauf et al. (2019) identified Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, as the top marine ecoregions in North America where seaweed aquaculture could be environmentally beneficial, socially acceptable, and economically viable...

View the full report here.

The intent of this WRAC research project was to advance marine aquaculture along the west coast of the United States by developing production techniques for the purple-hinge rock scallop. To help move rock scallop culture closer to commercialization, the study addressed two key bottlenecks: lack of commercial quantities of seed and the need to develop cost effective growout techniques. Specifically, the study focused on spawning induction, production of sterile (triploid, tetraploid) seed, and manipulation of the cementing behavior during the growout production phase. 
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View the technical report here.

Courtesy of NAA:
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Annually, during Aquaculture America or the triennial Aquaculture conferences the National Aquaculture Association (NAA) presents two awards given in honor of our first Executive Director Joseph P. McCraren.  More than any other individual, Joe had the vision and the ability to bring to reality the concept of “One Industry-One Voice” for the NAA.  When we recognize individuals with a Joseph P. McCraren Award we are recognizing them as having attained a standard of excellence and accomplishment established by Joe McCraren.  This is no small accomplishment.
 
During Aquaculture America 2023, the NAA presented the Joseph P. McCraren Distinguished Lifetime Contributions award to Tony Vaught, President and CEO, ProAquaculture Inc. of Chico California.  Mr. Vaught has been involved in the aquaculture since 1978. He managed the Chico Game Fish Farm until 1985, was general manager of Arrowhead Fisheries from June 1985 until October 1987, and then formed a consulting firm in the spring of 1988. Tony is the current President of the California Aquaculture Association, has served as past President several times and served on the board of directors of Association for the past 30 years. He has served as Chair of the Aquaculture Industry Advisory Committee for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Chair of the California Farm Bureau’s Aquaculture Commodity Committee. Most notably, our nominee produced the first domestic striped bass in the Western United States and has been instrumental in developing new techniques for the domestication and spawning of channel catfish, sturgeon, and striped bass.
 
We also presented the Joseph P. McCraren Award for Outstanding Contributions in Promoting the Growth of US Aquaculture award to Dr. Kevan Main, Associate Vice President for Research and Director of Mote Aquaculture Research Park with Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota Florida. Dr. Main’s distinguished career includes significant work across two oceans serving as a senior scientist, program manager and director, executive director, and currently an Associate Vice President for a variety of public and private aquaculture research programs. Kevan has worked in aquaculture for more than 30 years including service as past President of the World Aquaculture Society and recognition in 2016 by President Obama as a Champion of Change for Sustainable Seafood. 
 
Please join us in congratulating Tony Vaught and Kevan Main for receiving McCraren Awards and their exemplary efforts to benefit U.S. aquaculture.

Aquaculture America 2023 returns to one of the favorite tourist spots in the world for the only major national aquaculture conference and exposition held in the U.S. The U.S. Aquaculture Society (formerly U.S. Chapter of WAS) joins with National Aquaculture Association and the Aquaculture Suppliers Association to produce the annual Aquaculture America meetings.

The Conference is also the site for meetings organized by the Aquacultural Engineering Society, Aquatic Drug Approval Coalition, US Trout Farmers Association, Zebrafish Husbandry Association and many more associations to make Aquaculture America 2023 the one meeting in the U.S. that you don’t want to miss!

A critical trade show for aquaculturists, Aquaculture America 2023 will have the largest aquaculture trade show in the Western Hemisphere and one of the largest anywhere in the world with nearly 200 booths! This is your opportunity to inspect the latest in products and services for the aquaculture industry. It is the place to visit current suppliers and make new contacts. To keep ahead and to keep profits building, you need to keep pace with the technological advancements in the industry.

Aquaculture America 2023 is the place to learn about the latest in aquaculture, see the newest technology in the trade show and have a great time in the many fantastic restaurants, bars and entertainment sites in New Orleans.