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Category: Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture

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An American lobster photographed off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts by Keith Ellenbogen | MIT Sea Grant Visiting Artist.
American Lobster

Sea Grant’s American Lobster Initiative awards $5.4 million to further innovative research and outreach in support of the lobster industry and fishing communities

Since 2019, Sea Grant’s American Lobster Initiative has addressed critical knowledge gaps about the American lobster and its fishery facing a dynamic and changing environment. The Initiative supports a regional extension program in the Northeast and a national research competition. Fifteen emerging research projects were selected in 2023 and 2024 for $4.6 million in federal funding by the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program. Coordinated by Maine Sea Grant since 2019, the Northeast lobster extension program was recently renewed with an $840,000 federal award that supports work through 2026.

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November 19, 2024
Two women in waist-deep water handle oyster cages with a bridge and trees in the background.
Announcements

NOAA Sea Grant to invest $8.8 million to enhance aquaculture production, capacity and knowledge sharing

To further support sustainable U.S. aquaculture, NOAA Sea Grant selected 33 projects totaling $8,821,710 in fiscal year 2024 federal funding. The projects will span coastal and Great Lakes states and territories with a focus on enhancing aquaculture species production, boosting aquaculture literacy and knowledge sharing, and strengthening aquaculture research and extension capacity.

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August 13, 2024
Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture

Savor the Sea: A Taste of Sustainability

Sustainability is about meeting our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It’s a balance of environmental health, economic growth and social equity. One of the simplest ways to contribute to sustainability is by making conscious choices in our daily lives. Whether that is by reducing waste by opting for reusable products or supporting local markets, every small step we take helps build coastal and marine resilience.

In this video, learn more about how to choose sustainably sourced seafood and try this mouthwatering pecan-crusted rockfish topped with a tangy honey-Dijon sauce! It’s perfectly crispy, delightfully flavorful and incredibly easy to make.

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July 29, 2024
A group of people wearing life vests and work gloves stand near a boat and a shoreline with marsh and oyster reefs. They are collecting oysters and placing them in baskets.
Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development

Revitalizing the Fleet: Launching the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s Commercial Seafood Apprenticeship Program

Our skiff picks up speed on the Intracoastal Waterway, accelerating out of view of the docks of McClellanville, South Carolina, into the unbroken salt marsh landscape. Jack Spahr keeps both feet firmly grounded as he navigates these waterways, familiar enough to him after nine months of this commute as a full-time waterman working alongside his uncle, Captain Jeff Spahr. He laughs easily with Garrett Kestory, one of the lucky six selected out of 59 applicants to participate in the inaugural class of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s (Consortium) month-long Commercial Seafood Apprenticeship Program (CSAP).

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July 29, 2024
Aquaculture

Sea Grant Aquaculture Academy in New Hampshire

Sea Grant aquaculture professionals from across the country convened in Portsmouth, NH in early April for a 4-day intensive “Sea Grant Aquaculture Academy” hosted by New Hampshire Sea Grant with support from North Carolina Sea Grant.

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May 3, 2024
Images of Sea Grant's work in research, education and extension provided by (from left to right) Wisconsin, Guam and Florida Sea Grant programs. Design by Hallee Meltzer | National Sea Grant Office.
Alabama

Sea Grant takes center stage in Oceanography special issue

NOAA Sea Grant-funded research and work with coastal and Great Lakes communities across the nation are being highlighted in a special issue of “Oceanography,” the official journal of The Oceanography Society. 

This special issue, published in April 2024, features 36 articles contributed by Sea Grant authors across 29 programs and the NOAA National Sea Grant Office. 

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April 30, 2024
Oysters in a pair of gloved hands
Announcements

NOAA Sea Grant Develops 5-Year Aquaculture Investment Plan

Year-over-year, Sea Grant is committed to supporting aquaculture development across the nation, as a means of enhancing economic resilience and nutritional security in American communities. Sea Grant recently developed a five-year Aquaculture Investment Plan to guide its efforts in supporting aquaculture research, extension and education.

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February 16, 2024
Alabama

Sea Grant Continues to Support the U.S. Aquaculture Industry with FY23 Investments

In fiscal year 2023, Sea Grant invested $14 million in federal funding to support several new initiatives, including the Aquaculture Economics and Markets Collaborative, Aquaculture Technologies and Education Awards, Aquaculture Supplemental Awards and the previously announced Seafood Industry Workforce Development Awards. In addition, fiscal year 2023 investments supported the continuation of Early Stage Propagation Strategies for Aquaculture Species Awards, Marine Finfish Aquaculture Juvenile Production Technologies Awards, Advanced Aquaculture Collaboratives, and the Aquaculture Information Exchange.

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December 8, 2023
Aquaculture

Virginia Sea Grant Launches the USDA and NOAA-Supported Aquaculture Information Exchange Online Community Platform

The Aquaculture Information Exchange (AIE) online community platform website is now live and open for new user registrations. The AIE represents a joint effort between NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office, NOAA’s Fisheries Office of Aquaculture, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and Virginia Sea Grant.

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October 26, 2023
Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development

Biden-Harris Administration announces $60 million funding opportunity to help create a Climate-Ready workforce as part of the Inflation Reduction Act

Today, the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) opened a competitive funding opportunity for the Climate Ready Workforce for Coastal States, Tribes, and Territories Initiative to connect people across the country to good-paying jobs, such as landscape technicians, heat health outreach specialists and climate equity officers, that tackle the climate crisis and boost local resilience. NOAA will invest $60 million total from the Inflation Reduction Act for the initiative — a $50 million competitive funding opportunity and $10 million for technical assistance to support applicants and grantees.

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June 29, 2023
Aquaculture

Get to know the National Sea Grant Law Center

Ambulance chaser. Ruthless. Heartless. Greedy. Lawyers tend to be seen as villains, but the daily work of most lawyers is a far cry from what we see on television. Today, on International Be Kind to Lawyers Day, we want to take a moment to recognize the work of one of the most unique programs in the Sea Grant Network – the National Sea Grant Law Center.
 

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April 11, 2023
American Lobster

Sea Grant announces $1.2 million in support of 2022 American Lobster Research Program

Sea Grant announces $1.2 million in support of Sea Grant’s American Lobster Research Program to continue addressing emergent needs and priorities associated with this important fishery. Pursuant to congressional direction, this year’s funded projects shift focus on operational needs, specifically related to gear technology implementation, research and adoption.
 

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November 3, 2022
Aquaculture

NOAA Sea Grant announces $14 million in investments to strengthen U.S. aquaculture

NOAA Sea Grant today announced approximately $14 million in federal funding across four strategic areas for improving U.S. aquaculture. The competitively selected projects will advance early stage propagation strategies for various aquaculture species, marine finfish juvenile production technologies, aquaculture collaboratives and establishment of an aquaculture information exchange.

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September 22, 2022
Education

Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries Announce 2022 Joint Fellowship Program Awardees

Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries are pleased to announce the 2022 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Seven population and ecosystem dynamics fellowships and one marine resource economics fellowship will be awarded through this national program. Since 1999, the NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship program has trained the next generation of specialized experts in fisheries management. 

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August 18, 2022
Extension

Sea Grant, DOE, NOAA Fisheries fund six projects for the coexistence of offshore energy with Northeast fishing and coastal communities

The Northeast Sea Grant Consortium—in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office and Water Power Technologies Office, and NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center—today announced six projects to advance social science and technology research on offshore renewable energy in the Northeast United States. This funding opportunity, which awarded over $1.1 million in federal funds, seeks to catalyze research for the coexistence of marine energy—including wind, current, tidal, and wave energies—with Northeast fishing and coastal communities.

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May 19, 2022
Healthy Coastal Ecosystems

Downriver and Out to Sea

Sea run fish – fish that migrate between fresh and saltwater – hold meaning to many New England communities as food, as income, as history and as a key part of a functioning ecosystem. But many unknowns about these fish remain. Across New England, Sea Grant researchers are working to understand how these populations are changing, what habitats are most important to them and how to restore once vibrant runs of sea run fish. 

 

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March 17, 2022
Aquaculture

Collaborative network for recirculating aquaculture moves into next phase

The National Sea Grant Office announced funding for the Recirculating Aquaculture Salmon Network (RAS-N) in 2019. While that three-year grant is now winding down, the collaborative network it helped build is not going away. Rather, it is entering an exciting new phase with $10 million in funding from a U.S. Department Agriculture program designed to enhance sustainability in agriculture.

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January 20, 2022
American Lobster

Sea Grant announces $2 million in support of 2021 American Lobster Initiative efforts

Sea Grant announces $2 million in support of the Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative to address scientific and stakeholder needs associated with this important fishery. This is Sea Grant’s third year of research and extension funding to address critical gaps in knowledge about how American lobster is being impacted by environmental change in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank and southern New England.
 

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October 28, 2021
Aquaculture

NOAA Sea Grant and Ocean Acidification Program projects to examine impacts of stressors on shellfish aquaculture

NOAA Sea Grant and the Ocean Acidification Program awarded more than $2.4 million to support projects that will address the impacts of multiple stressors on and increase resilience in shellfish aquaculture through research and industry partnerships. These projects will expand collaborations between researchers and the shellfish aquaculture industry throughout all aspects of the scientific process.

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September 29, 2021
Healthy Coastal Ecosystems

To Reef or Not Reef? Newly Funded Research Will Inform Decisions on the Fate of Gulf Oil Rigs

The National Sea Grant College Program and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement have awarded over $795 thousand to Texas Sea Grant and a team of researchers from Texas A&M University and LGL Ecological Research Services to produce information that could lead to the development of a decision-support tool modeling the ecological and economic effects of changing the composition of oil rigs in the gulf. 

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September 23, 2021
Extension

Multistate Sea Grant extension team awarded $2.4 million to share, inform reef fish science

The National Sea Grant College Program has announced that a regional collaborative of Sea Grant fisheries extension specialists, university scientists and fisheries managers will receive $2.4 million to develop and implement extension and outreach programming related to data and information from three large research projects focused on estimating the number of reef fish in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
 

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September 16, 2021
Education

Sea Grant Selects “Food from the Sea” Career Program Development Projects

NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program and Office of Sustainable Fisheries awarded approximately $900,000 of FY21 federal funds to support projects that will initiate “Food from the Sea'' career development programs. With these funds, Sea Grant programs and partners will work collaboratively with members of the fishing industry to identify training needs and develop updated and/or new resources and programming to address those needs.  

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September 10, 2021
Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development

NOAA Sea Grant Liaisons address critical research areas across federal agencies

NOAA Sea Grant, in collaboration with U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey, announces six new partnership positions. The Sea Grant Federal Partnership Liaisons will integrate Sea Grant extension expertise with science, products and services from NOAA labs and other publicly supported scientific research programs. These jointly-funded positions expand on a key component of Sea Grant’s work, extending science to end users and doing so through collaborative partnerships.
 

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September 8, 2021
Gulf of Mexico

Team selected to estimate abundance of Greater Amberjack in South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico

A team of scientists, selected through a peer-review process organized by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, will conduct an independent study to estimate the number of Greater Amberjack in the U.S. waters of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regions. The team will also investigate the fish’s movement and how it is distributed by habitat, including artificial, natural and uncharacterized habitats.

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August 25, 2021
Education

Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries Announce 2021 Joint Fellowship Program Awardees

Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries are pleased to announce the 2021 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Five population and ecosystem dynamics fellowships and two marine resource economics fellowships were awarded through this national program. The fellowships offered within this program are aimed at training the next generation of specialized experts in fisheries management. The program addresses the critical need for future fisheries scientists with expertise in stock assessment and related fields. 
 

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August 11, 2021
Home Page Carousel

Sea Grant Facilitates External Research to Determine Abundance of Red Snapper

Sea Grant and its research partners announced two updates on efforts to better understand red snapper populations in U.S. coastal waters today. These complementary projects, which are interdisciplinary and connected to multiple partners and stakeholders are being conducted by external, university-based teams and administered by Sea Grant. 

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March 24, 2021
Aquaculture

Relief that Restores: Shellfish Aquaculture

Several Sea Grant projects purchased farm fresh seafood originally intended for local restaurants and repurposed it to restore aquatic and marine environments. Not only did this creative solution aid in local restoration efforts but it also provided immediate relief to aquaculture producers whose sales were impacted by the pandemic.

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December 17, 2020
Extension

Sea Grant Recognizes Best in Program

As 2020 draws to a close, Sea Grant is reflecting on its best moments of what has been an especially challenging year. Several Sea Grant projects and people were recently recognized by the Sea Grant Association (SGA) for their exceptional work. 

 

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December 10, 2020
Education

National Sea Grant Aquaculture Initiative: 2020 Update

In 2020, Sea Grant continued to engage in hundreds of aquaculture-related projects and ongoing efforts, leveraging federal dollars well beyond the federal investment with partnerships and collaborative efforts. This year, several established projects selected in previous years received continued funding, and many new initiatives were launched. 

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October 28, 2020
American Lobster

Celebrating American Lobster Initiative successes on National Lobster Day

The Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative, created in 2019, works to understand ecosystem changes affecting American lobster and share findings with regional stakeholders who can use the information to influence lobster management. This National Lobster Day (September 25) take a look at the extension and research strides made by Sea Grant’s American Lobster Initiative in its first year.

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September 25, 2020
California

California Sea Grant-funded research finds warmer waters threaten red abalone recovery

While red abalone were once abundant throughout California, they have long been in decline due to overfishing and environmental changes. California Sea Grant-funded researchers identified conditions that promote consistent recruitment, but also found that prolonged heat stress can cause red abalone recruitment to fail, in a new study published in the Journal of Shellfish Research last month.

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September 23, 2020
Education

Sea Grant responds to COVID-19-related challenges across the country

As the country adapts to changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, coastal and Great Lakes communities, too, are rethinking how to resume what were once normal activities. Sea Grant programs are leading efforts to provide relief to the communities they serve. Read about a few of the initiatives Sea Grant created or enhanced in recent months.

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September 10, 2020
Home Page Carousel

Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries Announce 2020 Joint Fellowship Program Awardees

Sea Grant and the National Marine Fisheries Service (Fisheries) are pleased to announce the 2020 Fisheries-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Nine population and ecosystem dynamics fellowships and one marine resource economics fellowship were awarded through this national program. The two fellowships offered within this program are aimed at training the next generation of specialized experts in fisheries management. The program addresses the critical need for future fisheries scientists with expertise in stock assessment and related fields.

 

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August 11, 2020
Alaska

Seafood direct marketing: Sea Grant experts contribute to UN report

In a new report published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), California Sea Grant and Alaska Sea Grant contributed a case study to highlight the approach Sea Grant extension personnel take in working with fishing communities and the seafood direct marketing information products they have created since the mid 1990s.

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June 8, 2020
Focus Area

Researchers Find Offshore Aquaculture has a Low Nutrient Footprint

Large-scale offshore aquaculture may have much less environmental impact from nutrient pollution than people suspect, according to a recent study funded by Florida Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries.
Offshore aquaculture is poised to grow in the coming years to help offset the U.S. seafood trade deficit, but concerns have been raised about the potential for fish waste to pollute surrounding waters by introducing unnaturally high nutrient levels. In this new study, researchers found little evidence of nutrient pollution from a commercial cobia aquaculture farm located offshore the Republic of Panama. 

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December 11, 2019
Aquaculture

Sea Grant awards $16 million to advance U.S. aquaculture

New research and innovative collaborative efforts aim to advance domestic aquaculture. Forty two new projects funded by Sea Grant in three programs will work to increase understanding and transfer knowledge to end users for different topics and geographies across the U.S.

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September 19, 2019
Home Page Carousel

NOAA Sea Grant and Fisheries announce 2019 Ecosystem and Population Dynamics Fellows

Sea Grant and the National Marine Fisheries Service (Fisheries) are pleased to announce the 2019 Fisheries-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship recipients. Eight population and ecosystem dynamics fellowships were awarded through a competitive selection process. The Fisheries-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship program supports students pursuing doctoral degrees in population and ecosystem dynamics as well as marine resources economics. The program is a focused workforce development effort to train highly qualified professionals in areas of critical need for NOAA’s science-based approach to fisheries management.

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August 21, 2019
Education

New Jersey Sea Grant to Host Workshop on Fisheries Population and Ecosystem Dynamics

NOAA recently awarded New Jersey Sea Grant funding to plan and host an event focused on workforce development for the field of fisheries population and ecosystem dynamics. The program is a partnership effort supported by Sea Grant, NOAA’s Office of Education and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) aimed at engaging undergraduate students in the specialized field of population and ecosystem dynamics, which combines science with mathematics for science-based management of U.S. fisheries.

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June 14, 2019
Education

Sea Grant Celebrates National Fishing and Boating Week

The sun is shining and the water is calm: what better way to spend a warm summer day than dropping anchor, kicking back and casting a line? Every year, tens of millions of people flock to U.S. coasts to enjoy recreational fishing and boating. Sea Grant supports the recreational fishing and boating enthusiasts and industries by providing resources that teach people learn how to fish and boat, help boaters and anglers determine when and where to go on the water, how to get the most out of their excursions while staying safe, and how to protect the environment so future generations can enjoy the same experiences.

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June 6, 2019
Aquaculture

How does shellfish aquaculture interact with Puget Sound’s marine life?

In Puget Sound, The Nature Conservancy in Washington wants to learn more about shellfish aquaculture structures and how they impact the marine environment for specific organisms or life stages. They partner with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Washington Sea Grant, as well as the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and shellfish farms, to study which fish and crab species use shellfish aquaculture habitats.

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May 29, 2019
Funding

Sea Grant Announces Funding Opportunity for Highly Migratory Species Research

Sea Grant is announcing a Federal Funding Opportunity focused on research of HMS species, including the interactions between yellow-fin tuna and oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, to address critical gaps in knowledge about HMS in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean regions. Letters of intent are due May 15, 2019, and full proposals are due June 19, 2019. 

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April 22, 2019
Climate

Sea Grant Fellow Publishes Research on Impacts of Temperature Change on Global Fisheries

NMFS-Sea Grant Population and Ecosystem Dynamics Fellow Chris Free and colleagues published a study in the March 2019 edition of Science that “used historical ocean temperature and fisheries data to determine how ocean warming affects the amount of fish that can be harvested sustainably from wild-populations.” Free’s dissertation adviser, Olaf Jensen, says that the NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowship was instrumental in allowing Free to pursue this groundbreaking work. “This fellowship gave him the freedom to really devote himself to this research rather than [teaching] or applying for small grants,” said Jensen.

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March 11, 2019

Sea Grant Activities at the Triennial Aquaculture Conference 2019

Sea Grant professionals from across the country will attend the triennial aquaculture conference in March 2019. The conference is a joint meeting of the World Aquaculture Society, National Shellfisheries Association, Fish Culture Section of the American Fisheries Society, and the National Aquaculture Association.

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March 7, 2019
California

NOAA Sea Grant and Fisheries announce 2018 Joint Fellowship Recipients

The National Marine Fisheries Service-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship program supports students pursuing doctoral degrees in population and ecosystem dynamics as well as marine resource economics. The program is a focused workforce development effort to train highly qualified professionals in areas of critical need for NOAA’s science-based approach to fisheries management.

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August 15, 2018
California

Teach the Kids to Fish

“By training the next generation of fishers through a hands-on mentorship program, scientists and fishers hope to feed the world for many lifetimes.”

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November 1, 2017
Researcher holds saugeye broodstock kept in one of the recirculating aquaponics systems.
Aquaculture

Aquaculture’s Next Big Thing?

Wisconsin Sea Grant funded a two-year aquaculture research project designed to compare the production of walleye, a native Wisconsin fish, and saugeye, a natural hybrid of walleye and sauger, in a recirculating aquaculture system and a closed aquaponics system.

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October 23, 2017
Aquaculture

My Day with a Sea Grant Extension Professional

The day started with a typical greeting one would expect when meeting someone for the first time. As we walked towards Paul’s aging truck, which I could only describe as “having lots of character,” I knew I was about to embark on an entertaining adventure.

 

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October 18, 2017
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