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.

The Sea Grant Aquaculture Academy is a year-long, cohort-based professional development opportunity for Sea Grant aquaculture and mariculture focused education and engagement professionals. The Academy is designed to strengthen the knowledge, skills, and networks of Sea Grant staff to support their work with a wide range of partners and diverse settings. A strong emphasis is placed on networking with Sea Grant peers and partners to promote short and long-term information exchange across the country.

The inaugural Academy cohort consists of 22 participants representing 19 different Sea Grant programs, as well as a representative from NOAA’s Office of Aquaculture. A series of guest speakers and regional partners provided presentations on relevant aquaculture topics interspersed with site visits to local aquaculture operations in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts.

The New Hampshire workshop will be followed by a series of virtual activities and sessions, and a second workshop in October 2024 hosted in North Carolina.

The Sea Grant Aquaculture Academy is funded by a grant to New Hampshire Sea Grant from the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium in consultation with the National Sea Grant Office as part of the National Sea Grant Aquaculture Liaison project. The funding enables New Hampshire Sea Grant and North Carolina Sea Grant to lead two cohorts of the Academy – the first in 2024 and again in 2025.