Fish Farming in the Great Lakes Region: Hatcheries, Private Farms, and Partnerships

As members of the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC), Minnesota Sea Grant (MNSG) Extension Program Leader and Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator Amy Schrank and MNSG Fisheries Specialist Don Schreiner helped organize and will be presenting at the symposium "Fish Farming in the Great Lakes Region: Hatcheries, Private Farms, and Partnerships," along with other GLAC members.

GLAC is a federally funded project that seeks to create a regionwide group to foster relevant, science based initiatives that support aquaculture industries in the Great Lakes region that are environmentally responsible, competitive, and sustainable.

This symposium will be part of the 153rd Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 20-24, 2023, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This meeting convenes fisheries professionals from across North America and countries throughout the world. This year's theme is Adaptive Approaches to Understand and Manage Changes in Fisheries.

Description

Government agencies in the Great Lakes region are responsible for managing fisheries as a natural resource, which includes growing fish in aquaculture systems to subsequently stock them into public waters. Although the Great Lakes region is renowned for recreational fishing, preliminary data shows that only 16% of fish consumers in the region catch fish for consumption. Most consumers access fish by purchasing it either in a grocery store or at a restaurant. Both of these sources obtain their seafood from the commercial fishing or aquaculture industries, and are often located outside of the Great Lakes region and overseas.

This session will provide:

Understanding about aquaculture
Examples of public-private partnerships
Discussion of opportunities to collaboratively support a sustainable aquaculture industry in the Great Lakes region

Registration

Participants are required to register. Registration cost is variable depending on participant and sessions attended.

Organizers

Lauren Jescovitch, extension educator, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University.
Titus Seilheimer, fisheries outreach specialist, Wisconsin Sea Grant, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Elliot Nelson, extension educator, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University.
Amy Schrank, extension program leader; fisheries and aquaculture extension educator, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth.
Don Schreiner, fisheries specialist, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth.