Improving aquaculture will give us more affordable protein for less environmental impact says world’s largest conservation organization, as COP 27 climate conference gets underway in Egypt

There is no prospect of maintaining the sustainability of the international seafood sector without shifting large amounts of fish production to aquaculture, says WWF, the world’s leading conservation organization.
“We have now turned the corner that we have to farm the ocean to get the protein that we need,” says Merrielle Macleod, a director on the WWF-US Aquaculture team, as world leaders gathered in Egypt for this year’s UN Climate Conference (COP27).

“There’s a lot of evidence that the footprint of aquaculture makes it a lower impact way for people to eat.” Macleod said, according to TheFishSite.

Emphasising that any type of food production, including aquaculture, has an impact on the environment, she said the essential goal is to use fish farming to produce protein for the world’s people with less environmental impact than other forms of protein production...
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Gig Harbor, WA--The Kurt Grinnell Aquaculture Scholarship Foundation (KGASF) announced that it has awarded its first-ever aquaculture scholarships to three students—two representing US Tribes and one representing one of Canada’s First Nations.
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Each scholar will receive US $5,000 to pursue degrees in aquaculture, marine biology, and fisheries and wildlife science.

Established to honor the legacy of the late Kurt Grinnell, a Native American leader from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Washington State, who saw aquaculture as a solution to Tribal food security, the KGASF provides financial assistance to Tribal and First Nations students who wish to pursue careers in aquaculture and natural resources, said Jaiden Grinnell Bosick, one of Grinnell’s two daughters.

Bosick, who fishes commercially in Alaska with her husband, serves on the KGASF Board, where she heads up the Scholarship Selection Committee.

“As a family and as a Board, we are immensely proud of these three scholarship winners,” said Bosick. “We all believe these students have a bright and shining future ahead, and we look forward to their contributions to the field of aquaculture.” She added, “My dad would have been honored and proud to know them.”

The scholarship award announcement coincides with the celebration in the United States of National Native American Heritage Month, which is celebrated every June in Canada as National Indigenous History Month, said Levana Mastrangelo, Vice-Chair of the KGASF board and Selection Committee member. “We believe that the scholarships made possible by the KGASF not only help these students financially, but for every scholarship winner, there is a strong connection to their Tribal or First Nation heritage,” she said.

Mastrangelo, the Senior Reconciliation Advisor at Cermaq Canada, Ltd., belongs to the Ucluelet First Nation - Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government.

“In Canada, aquaculture plays a vital role in First Nation communities and is a path to self-determination and Reconciliation,” she said, adding that “aquaculture provides many jobs and economic opportunities, as well as creating healthy seafood products.”

The inaugural scholarship winners are Michael Buck of the Yakama Nation in Washington State (whose Yakama Nation name is Ka-Kin-As); Alana Schofield of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in Michigan; and Taylor Nichols of the Wahnapitae First Nation (WFN) in Ontario, Canada.

Michael Buck, enrolled at the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, has “a keen interest in historic fisheries in the Columbia River Basin including lamprey populations which were historically important to several Tribes in the Colombia River Basin.” He plans to use his scholarship to pursue his master’s degree.

Alana Schofield is enrolled at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where she will pursue a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology.  Alana has experience in Tribal Fisheries and is interested in learning about aquaculture and aquaponics, with the goal of “returning to her Tribal Community and using her knowledge to advance tribal sovereignty and improve and protect the natural environment.”

Taylor Nichols has experience in aquaculture via a pickerel micro-hatchery with the WFN and is currently pursuing a Master of Science Degree in Biology from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario.  She is a graduate of Canada’s Dalhousie University.

Those who wish to support the education of future leaders in aquaculture and fisheries may donate to:
Contribute • Kurt Grinnell Aquaculture Scholarship Foundation (kurtgrinnellscholarship.org)

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Media Contact:
Levana Mastrangelo Levana.mastrangelo@cermaq.com
250-201-0565
Jeanne McKnight jmcknight@mcknightpr.com
206-963-6478

As the Oregon and Pacific Northwest Aquaculture Development Conference has come to a close, we want to thank our speakers and panelists (listed below), sponsors (listed below), Chef Luis Cabañas and all those in attendance.

The aim of the conference was to evaluate the current situation, understand barriers to growth, and develop strategies to promote sustainable aquaculture development. Attendees participated in interactive sessions, providing input that will help chart a path for expanded and responsible aquaculture investment. ​

Conference attendees also gained perspective and appreciation of the promise of aquaculture (in Oregon and throughout the United States) as well as a comprehensive understanding of the necessary challenges to overcome in realizing this promise.

Additionally, over beautiful cuisine from Chef Luis Cabañas, conference participants had an opportunity to network and connect with others in the industry, from farmers to researchers to agency and retailers and beyond.

February 23 - 26, 2023
New Orleans, Louisiana

​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.

NOAA recently published a list of featured content to help educators with aquaculture information and curriculum in their classrooms. With content from K-12 curricula and learning modules to teacher professional development opportunities, resource categories include:

• For the classroom
• Resource collections for educators
• Educator trainings and experiences

Click here to view the educator resources

The Oregon Aquaculture Association in partnership with Oregon State University, National and Oregon Sea Grant, Business Oregon, and the US Department of Agriculture, will be hosting their first aquaculture development conference on Oct. 4-6, 2022, on the campus of Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon.
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The Oregon and Pacific Northwest Aquaculture Development Conference is free and open to anyone with an interest in aquaculture from both the private and the public sectors; higher education; and industry, to participate in this collaborative event.
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The aim of the conference is to evaluate the current situation, understand barriers to growth, and develop strategies to promote sustainable aquaculture development. Attendees will participate in interactive sessions with the expectation that collective input will help chart a path for expanded and responsible aquaculture investment.
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Participants will leave the conference with a greater appreciation for the promise of aquaculture as well as a comprehensive understanding of the necessary challenges to overcome in realizing this promise. Additionally, participants will gain new aquaculture knowledge and an expanded personal aquaculture network.

Click Here to Register

Please visit the links below with suggestions for accommodations in and near Salem, Oregon, the current agenda, and a brief attendee survey (optional). Please direct all questions to kellen@oregonaquaculture.org
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Conference Attendee Survey
Oregon and PNW Aquaculture Development Conference Agenda
Salem Accommodation Recommendations

The Oregon Aquaculture Associaiton (OAA) has hired Michael Lee to be the association's new Outreach Officer.

OAA recognizes the need to further develop and expand outreach efforts to better represent OAA members and Oregon's aquaculture industry. As a result, the OAA Board of Directors established a new position within the association. The Outreach Officer will be responsible for the following duties and will lead OAA in engagement with members, industry, public, policy makers, and more.  

The OAA Outreach Officer duties include (but are not limited to):

• Maintaining membership communications and relations.
• Managing public outreach, press releases, etc.
• Connecting and working with related associations, producer groups, and other civil society organizations for the purposes of growth and visibility.
• Managing OAA website and social media. 
• Developing and guiding current and future outreach campaigns and efforts. 

Lee has been a representative of the aquaculture industry since 2010. His past and current work includes similar administrative and outreach duties for the California Aquaculture Association (CAA) and the United States Trout Farmers Association (USTFA). Lee is also on the board of directors and outreach committee of the National Aquaculture Association (NAA).

Finding the Sweet Spot for Investment and Expansion [with Workshop Supplement], 2018, 20 pgs, summary of recommendations of the OAA Aquaculture Advisory Group including the results of the Stakeholder Workshop which was one of the primary resources when drafting these recommendations. 

Considerations when strategically developing an innovative aqua farming program, a report of The Oregon Aquaculture Association & The Oregon Aquaculture Advisory Group, 2018, 45 pgs. This document is intended to help those crafting the plan for the State of Oregon’s aqua farming program. To assist in these efforts, the document is divided into four parts: Section I—outlining what some other states have done; Section II—laying the groundwork; Section III—describing possible plan elements; Section IV—presenting selected historical material. The outcome of the work is intended to promote the development of a network of profitable and sustainable aqua businesses across Oregon making a positive contribution to the state’s economy and to the livelihoods of Oregonians.