Recent efforts focus on identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in U.S. waters as Congressional interest in improving aquaculture regulation increases. Whether inshore or offshore, sustainable aquaculture wades into crowded waters where multiple, complex layers of stakeholders are present. The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)—and particularly the Coastal Aquaculture Siting and Sustainability Program (CASS)—are well equipped to meet these challenges and have created many resources to aid decision making by coastal ocean stakeholders. Key to a science-based approach, these NCCOS tools and services often use marine spatial planning as a continually evolving method to analyze and address the challenges of ecosystem and human interactions in coastal ocean areas.
This presentation describes a new project that will build the capacity of the Sea Grant Network to assist stakeholders to use and be informed by coastal science products and resources developed by NCCOS CASS. We propose a comprehensive approach that will build capacity and collaboration among Sea Grant (SG), NCCOS, and other coastal ocean stakeholders for environmentally, economically, and socially equitable aquaculture development. Central to this work is the creation of a National Aquaculture Extension Coordinator position to oversee extension of NCCOS resources, inform broad SG/NCCOS marine spatial planning efforts, and facilitate a series of collaborative, regionally-tailored workshops to advance aquaculture siting conversations. This four-year project and its workshops will take place in the Mid-Atlantic (Summer 2022); Gulf of Mexico (Winter 2023); Southern California (Fall 2023); Pacific Northwest (Summer 2024); Pacific Islands (Fall 2024); and New England (Spring 2025). Through this approach we aim to complete three project objectives: (1) Extend the reach of NCCOS aquaculture planning resources; (2) Improve Sea Grant–NSGP–NCCOS–stakeholder connections through regional workshops that co-create aquaculture siting and development roadmaps; and (3) Inform broader Sea Grant/NCCOS marine spatial planning efforts.