Amy Schrank

Extension Program Leader (2023); Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator
Amy Schrank headshot

News

Amy Schrank named new MNSG Extension Program Leader (2023)

Biography

I am a fish biologist with more than 15 years of experience teaching and conducting research in Great Lakes aquatic ecosystems. My background includes work on trout movement, stream and lake fish ecology, the effects of dam removal on fishes, and how invasive plants impact fish communities in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. In addition to teaching University courses, I have particularly enjoyed my outreach work taking K-12 teachers and students into the field to learn about our Great Lakes water resources, and working on innovative methods of bringing the field indoors when field trips are not possible.

As an extension educator, I will be focused on collaborating with fisheries and aquaculture researchers and stakeholders around Minnesota to provide research support and a bridge to communicate technical information to stakeholders, managers, and the public. Currently I am collaborating with stakeholders and researchers to understand the potential for an environmentally sustainable aquaculture industry within Minnesota and across the Great Lakes region.

Education

Ph.D. - Zoology and Physiology
University of Wyoming
M.S. - Resource Ecology and Management: Aquatic Ecology
University of Michigan
B.S. - Biology and Spanish
University of Michigan

Outreach Projects

White research ship on calm lake

Center for Great Lakes Literacy

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL) helps create a Great Lakes-literate public capable of effectively contributing to the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Great Lakes.

Sailing vessel Denis Sullivan on the waters of a Great Lake is a replica three-masted, wooden, gaff rigged schooner from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Shipboard Science Workshops

Sea Grant's shipboard science workshops are part of the Center for Great Lakes Literacy and help transform teachers into motivated Great Lakes educators.

Trout being tossed from a hand-held net into an aquaculture pond.

Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) is a three-year (2019-2022) project to create a regionwide group to foster relevant, science-based initiatives that support aquaculture industries. Image credit: ©Damian Horațiu Sultănoiu. stock.adobe.com

Adult and child looking into a container filled with water and live bugs.

Bugs Below Zero

Winter Dynamics of Invertebrates in Trout Streams of Minnesota and Wisconsin: How Can the Public Connect with and Contribute to Research?

Diagram of the supply chain before COVID, Sourcing to hatchery to processing, vs after COVID, Sourcing to hatchery to processing to storage.

Fisheries and Aquaculture Supply Chain

The Minnesota Sea Grant fisheries and aquaculture supply chain project team seeks to identify viable scenarios for the effective processing and distribution of commercial fish and aquaculture products in Minnesota. 

Top down view of school of spotted fish

Aquaculture Market Study

The Aquaculture Market Study is a three-year (2020-2023), $250,000 project led by the University of Minnesota Sea Grant program that was created to determine the potential for a sustainable food-fish aquaculture industry in Minnesota.

Cattail removal plot.

Invasive Cattail-Dominated Shorelines

The goal of this project is to determine if small-scale removal of invasive, hybrid cattails can improve abundance and diversity of plants and fish on Minnesota lakeshores.

Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder, cartoon grocery cart with two jumping fish in the basket.

Great Lakes FreshFishFinder.org Website

FreshFishFinder.org was developed to meet a need to directly connect fish producers with consumers after the disruption of traditional markets during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two Golden Shiner bait fish laying next to a tape measure.

Increasing Golden Shiner Bait Production in Minnesota

The University of Minnesota Sea Grant program and partners are investigating new strategies for producing Golden Shiner fish for Minnesota’s bait industry.

Salmon filets and spears of asparagus on a baking sheet.

Consumer Education on Seafood and Aquaculture

Fish is recognized as a healthy source of protein, beneficial fats, and micronutrients leading the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to recommend that adults eat fish up to three times a week. Americans, however, are eating roughly half the recommended amount of seafood. This deficit could be filled by sustainable aquaculture production, reducing our dependence on dwindling wild fisheries.

Featured Stories

Fish laying on top of snow, ice fishers in background.

AFS Student Award and Cattail Project Update

Extension Column

Our three-part March Extension Column highlights Minnesota Sea Grant's annual fisheries and aquaculture student award, project presentations and updates.

Image credit: ©kremldepall - stock.adobe.com

Media Mentions

News Releases

2024 Wisconsin & Minnesota Aquaculture conference flier

2024 Wisconsin-Minnesota Aquaculture Conference Hooks Fish Farmers

The Wisconsin Aquaculture Association and the Minnesota Aquaculture Association will host the

Person feeding larval Yellow Perch (fish) in a tank.

2024 Minnesota Sea Grant Community-Engaged Internship in Fisheries and Aquaculture is Accepting Applications

Application Period is Open - Deadline April 14, 2024

Three people standing and talking. One person is holding a sign about aquaculture.

Sea Grant Offers Aquaculture Education for Midwest Seafood Consumers

Staff from Minnesota Sea Grant Fisheries and Aquaculture Program will be presenting recent and ongoing projects that addres