Welcome!

The Sea Grant Aquaculture Leadership Academy (ALA) is a professional development and training program for early- and mid-career aquaculture extension professionals across the United States. It focuses on building extension skills, expanding professional networks, and exposing participants to aquaculture in different regions of the country to support a growing U.S. aquaculture industry. 

Texas Sea Grant and Minnesota Sea Grant will co-host ALA with one week of in-person programming from October 4 to October 7, 2027, held in Palacios, Texas, and one week in St. Paul, Minnesota, from May 3 to May 6, 2027. The program will support 60 participants through a mix of virtual and in-person training sessions. Individuals from Sea Grant extension programs, land-grant extension programs, federal agencies, and minority-serving institutions are eligible to participate.

Interested? Fill out this Google Form to indicate your interest in attending the Sea Grant Aquaculture Leadership Academy (ALA) and to receive updates, including when the application portal opens, when field trips are announced, and when the agenda is posted.

Key highlights 

• Hands-on learning: Participants will visit farms and receive specialized training pertinent for aquaculture extension personnel. 
• Regional focus in the Great Lakes & Gulf: Participants will travel to Minnesota and Texas for a week of in-person training in each location. 
• Cohort-based leadership model: Participants will go through programming in two cohorts, which supports more engaged and impactful networking and long term connections.

Why Aquaculture Leadership Matters 

Aquaculture is a rapidly growing sector in the United States, with the number of farms increasing by 18% and the value of cultured products rising by 3% from 2018 to 2023 (USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022). Aquaculture is important to meeting the growing global need for protein (FAO 2024), supports recreational fisheries, and though it is increasing in the U.S., there is untapped potential and barriers to the industry in many regions. 

Existing issues include limited social license for aquaculture, fewer programs supporting farmers compared to other agriculture sectors, and a need for clearer regulations and policies (Carlton et al., 2021, Lester et al., 2021; Whitmore et al., 2022, Rubino, 2023). Many of these problems can be addressed by aquaculture extension staff, and research has shown that extension programs — Sea Grant in particular — are essential to industry success (Walton and Swann, 2021). 

There remains a strong need to expand aquaculture extension capacity to support the industry in economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable ways, and this is particularly true for the Great Lakes (Carlton et al., 2023) and Gulf regions (Walton and Swann, 2021). Establishing professional development in the form of a second Aquaculture Leadership Academy (ALA) in these regions is timely and has the potential to support this burgeoning industry.

Program Experience 

By attending the Sea Grant Aquaculture Leadership Academy, you will help build a national cohort, strengthen long-term networks, and gain hands-on, active learning through interactive curriculum, farm tours, and producer engagement, while advancing collaboration, communication, and innovation in extension. These outcomes will be delivered through the following program experiences:

• Cohort Model
  • Community building
  • Long-term professional networks
• Hands-On Learning
  • Active learning approach
  • Interactive curriculum
• Industry Engagement
  • Farm and facility tours
  • Conversations with producers
• Leadership & Professional Skills
  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Innovation in extension