Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative

Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms in both coastal and inland areas involving interventions in the rearing process to enhance production.

Sustainable aquaculture is the ability to raise and harvest food-fish without degrading or depleting the environment, in a manner that is economically competitive, and in a manner that can be sustained indefinitely.  

Responsibly managed aquaculture can provide growers with a livelihood and produce a nutrient-rich protein source that can help feed the world while not negatively affecting the environment. 

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) seeks to help Great Lakes region fish farmers develop businesses that meet the following criteria:

• Economic sustainability means that a fish business is economically viable indefinitely or for a prolonged period of time.
• Environmental sustainability means that a fish business actively protects the environment. This includes an operation that does not release pollutants, does not deplete or destroy natural resources, and does not (un)intentionally introduce fish or pathogens or other species into public and other waters.
• Social sustainability means that fish businesses are good neighbors and actively contribute to the health and well-being of their communities. This includes fair wages, safe working conditions, and workforce diversity.

Why aquaculture? Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food sectors worldwide. Although people have cultivated aquatic species for thousands of years it was not until relatively recently that farm-raised products accounted for more than 50% of seafood consumed by people. When the volume of wild-caught fish began to level off in the late 1980s, aquaculture was seen as a means of fulfilling a need for protein. The aquaculture industry continues to grow as the need for protein increases and as people seek safe, local, and sustainable food systems to provide food for a global population that is estimated to reach nine billion people by 2050.

Project activities:

2023

• The GLAC project team has developed a plan for the next iteration of GLAC to continue providing support of sustainable aquaculture in the Great Lakes region.

2022

• In November 2022, GLAC hosted and recorded the webinar "Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative Research Roundup: Regional Findings and Insights."
• In October 2022, GLAC received an additional two years of funding from the National Sea Grant Office which extends the project to 2024.
• In October 2022, the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) hosted Great Lakes Aquaculture Days 2022, a two-day event focused on fish health. This was a hybrid (virtual and in-person) event hosted simultaneously in seven states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The event featured talks from around the Great Lakes region and an in-person, expert-led fish health dissection demonstration in each state. Attendees participated in this hands-on dissection as well as other in-person talks and tours; all participants received a dissection kit and digital microscope to take home with them.
• In May 2022, GLAC hosted and recorded the webinar "Finding Fish for Food or Fun: Exploring the Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder."

2021

• August through September 2, 2021, GLAC hosted Great Lakes Aquaculture Days 2021. This event provided virtual tours of six different aquaculture production facilities in the Great Lakes region. Each tour was followed by a Q&A session with the farm owner. The videos of the six tours are available on the GLAC website.

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative supports Sea Grant's mission to enhance the practical use and conservation of coastal, marine and Great Lakes resources in order to create a sustainable economy and environment. The project’s primary goal is to provide relevant, science-based initiatives that support an environmentally responsible, competitive, and sustainable aquaculture industry in the Great Lakes region.

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) serves aquaculture businesses and fish farmers throughout the Great Lakes through mass media, targeted communications, email lists, and state advisory groups.

Target audiences for this project include aquaculture producers, consumers, and fish/seafood marketers in the Great Lakes states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois-Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York. Details are on the GLAC website. 

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative is funded by a three-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Sea Grant Office.