12 SEPTEMBER 2015 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Higher education institutions need to prepare current and future generations to meet labor market demands that increasingly require the ability to adapt and adopt emerging technologies to actively participate in the global knowledge system (National Research Council 2015). These investments helped train a new generation dedicated to aquaculture science and development. This coterie of aquaculture professionals is now aging (average age range 61-70 years old today) and transitioning out of professional life. New generations of aquaculture professionals are needed to replace retiring ‘boomers’ and fill professional positions. However, in response to failures to meet expectations for commercial development and increasingly competitive extramural funding, some institutions with traditionally strong aquaculture programs have forgone continued investments in aquaculture in favor of other emerging fields of science that are perceived to have greater potential return on investment. An aging workforce coupled with fewer educational opportunities for younger generations is clear cause for concern in any industry, including aquaculture. To advance sustainable, socially acceptable aquaculture development in diverse aquatic environments, one major challenge is to connect student interest with future job opportunities in the public and private sectors. In recent decades, there have been more job opportunities outside the U.S., where aquaculture growth and demand for professionally trained individuals have outpaced domestic industry expansion and new jobs. Pioneering research on salmon, tilapia and shrimp aquaculture in the U.S. coupled with worldwide technical assistance efforts helped stimulate early international development. The private sector has also provided a critical role through trained technical service teams. Over the years, U.S.- trained international students have become a critical factor in advancing aquaculture in many countries. This article summarizes key findings of a national project conducted by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), in collaboration with three professional organizations with interest in and support for U.S. aquaculture, education, and student professional development: the United States Aquaculture Society (a chapter of the World Aquaculture Society), the Fish Culture Section of the American Fisheries Society and the National Shellfisheries Association. This project was undertaken to document and establish a historical baseline of aquaculture-related instruction, teaching and training at postsecondary institutions in the U.S. It represents an essential step toward assessing current status, future trends and critical issues related to national workforce readiness to support aquaculture-related sciences, educational programs, Education and training are driving forces to develop and maintain the skilled workforce required to meet the global challenge of providing more sustainably produced food to meet the demands of a growing population. Diverse educational opportunities are critical for the success and expansion of aquaculture locally and globally. Competent individuals are needed to fulfill a wide variety of roles including business owner/ producer, research scientist, extension educator and government policy specialist, among many others. Quality training supplemented by real-world experiences creates the core skills, knowledge and abilities essential for sustainable development. Unlike well-established areas of agriculture or capture fisheries, aquaculture is a relatively new field of science. Aquaculture education blends many different sciences and technical fields that characterize the complexities of managing an aquatic production system in wide-ranging environments with evolving adaptations and advances in technology. Prior to the 1970s, there were few postsecondary institutions in the U.S. that offered specific educational training and degree programs in aquaculture. Since this early period, many postsecondary institutions developed a menu of education options, including programs at vocational-technical schools and community colleges. Numerous universities invested in new aquaculture-related programs and permanent faculty as excitement intensified over the ‘blue revolution.’ Programs supporting aquaculture range widely across diverse fields of science and academic departments, including fisheries, wildlife, aquatic sciences, forestry, veterinary medicine, animal science, economics, engineering, marine biology, food technology and more. The development of aquaculture increased demand for formal education to fill jobs in the field from the 1970s through the 1990s. Most early aquaculture-specific programs focused initially on freshwater culture environments followed by interest in marine systems. A nationwide survey conducted in 2003 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Sea Grant Office revealed that the average age range of aquaculture extension educators in the U.S. was 50-59 years at that time (Jensen et al. 2005). This group of trained aquaculture professionals started their careers during an earlier era of strong growth and optimistic forecasts for expansion. This was also a period when numerous U.S. institutions made major investments in research, teaching and extension, and expanded experimental infrastructures to realize the commercial culture potential of various aquatic species as new crops in rural inland and coastal communities, advanced by pioneering discoveries. National Assessment of Aquaculture Education at Postsecondary Institutions in the United States Gary Jensen, Michael Schwarz, Sandra Shumway, Jesse Trushenski, L. Curry Woods III, Thomas Broyles and Maxwell Mayeaux
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