SUPPORTING A SUSTAINABLE AQUACULUTRE INDUSTRY IN MINNESOTA

Interest in the aquaculture industry is growing in Minnesota. Both aquaculture producers and the 2025 Minnesota State Aquaculture Plan have indicated that to advance the aquaculture industry there is a need 1) for applied research. 2) demonstration projects directly applicable to farmers, 3) regulation clarity, and 4) workforce development. The goal of our 2022-2023 aquaculture supplemental initiative, supported by the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO), was to support the Minnesota aquaculture industry through increasing the capacity of producers to grow fish, better understand regulations, and access a trained workforce. In this session we will describe four projects that met these goals in Minnesota.

1. Our first subproject aimed to increase the understanding and accessibility of producers rearing early life stages (hatching through first feeding and feed training) of Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) in indoor systems. Specific objectives included developing a reliable method to enumerate eggs within skeins, determining if disintegration of eggs from egg skeins is beneficial, and developing a low-cost protocol for live feed (rotifer) production.

2.                       Our second subproject goal was to increase the ability of producers to grow Golden Shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas) indoors. Golden Shiner (GOS) is a species of bait fish in high demand and in short supply in Minnesota and the Midwest. Funds from the NSGO enabled us to continue a project funded by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as determined by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Natural Resources through a third field season. This project examined four methods for increasing production of GOS by growing them indoors for some or all their life cycle.

3.                       Subproject three responded to a need expressed by producers for clearer regulation guidelines. Aquaculture licensing in Minnesota can be confusing and involves multiple agencies. To simplify access to regulations, we collaborated with the Minnesota Department of Natural resources to compile information in one location on our Minnesota Sea Grant website that is easy for potential, new, and existing producers to reference.

4.                       Our final project aimed to initiate a workforce development pilot program to support Minnesota aquaculture. We originally planned to select mentors from the aquaculture industry to help host interns. However, because our industry is small, this approach was not feasible. Consequently, we hosted interns at our Minnesota Sea Grant Aquaculture Lab where we raise Yellow Perch. We also provided interns with experience and training during the GOS project by engaging them in field collections, biological data collection, and data entry protocols. Both initiatives ensured interns had opportunities to visit and work with producers in Minnesota through their positions.