The Aquaculture Collective (AquaCo) is the Student Subunit of the United States Aquaculture Society at William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). AquaCo was established at VIMS in the Fall of 2023 and obtained registered student organisation (RS status with William & Mary in the Spring of 2025. The purpose of AquaCo is to engage in diverse initiatives that offer educational opportunities, professional development, and social activities for enhancing aquaculture. This Student Subunit is open to both graduate and undergraduate students from a diversity of majors at VIMS and William & Mary.
Throughout the academic year AquaCo hosts member meetings and social activities that include trivia nights and shellfish themed cookie decorating. For professional development AquaCo has offered opportunities to network with aquaculture professionals at VIMS. AquaCo has also hosted different graduate student and professional presentations for undergraduates to learn more about what is being done in aquaculture at VIMS. Additionally, AquaCo collaborates with other chapter organizations at VIMS such as the Society of Women in Marine Science to host events that bridge various sectors of marine science to educate broader audiences such as the Shellfish Social, which will be happening for a third year in May 2026.
An area of improvement for our chapter is holding meetings and activities that entice both graduate and undergraduate students to attend regularly. AquaCo strives to help connect the W&M undergraduate community to opportunities for learning about and becoming involved with aquaculture. Moving forward, AquaCo plans to host aquaculture professionals to speak at VIMS and create more aquaculture fieldwork opportunities for undergraduates at W&M, such as touring Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery, participating in a spawning day with the Aquaculture Genetics & Breeding Technology Center and touring the shellfish research farm at VIMS.