Expanding Awareness and Participation in the Eastern North Carolina Aquaculture Industry

Expanding Awareness and Participation in the Eastern North Carolina Aquaculture Industry is sponsored by Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). Aims to increase awareness and participation in North Carolina's aquaculture industry.

Project Type: Professional Development Program Funds awarded in 2025: $89,285. 00 Projected End Date: 06/30/2027 Grant Recipient: Carteret Community College * Animal Production: aquaculture * Education and Training: youth education * Sustainable Communities: employment opportunities Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector of food production globally.

Eastern North Carolina has a well-established aquaculture industry that is expected to grow significantly in the near future to meet the demand for high quality, sustainable domestic seafood. One of the hurdles to industry growth is a lack of awareness of industry practices and career opportunities in the field.

This project will provide immersive training and experiential learning opportunities for educators and extension personnel to increase aquaculture literacy and develop industry connections so that the field of aquaculture will be included in the state’s existing youth agriculture programs.

Workshops presented by subject matter experts from the Carteret Community College Aquaculture Technology Program and specialists from North Carolina Sea Grant will target advisors of Future Farmers of America and 4-H youth clubs as the primary audience.

Tours of local farms will provide participants with an understanding of the types of sustainable aquaculture operations that exist in their community and develop a network of contacts for future programming with their student groups. ### Project objectives from proposal: Goal: Increase entry of Eastern North Carolina K-12 students into aquaculture career pathways inclusive of underserved counties in the region. 1.

Introduce advisors for high school Future Farmers of America (FFA) clubs and 4-H Youth Development Coordinators (NC Cooperative Extension) to aquaculture education resources, industry support personnel, industry practices, and career opportunities. After the training workshop, participants will be expected to include aquaculture activities in their programs and promote career opportunities in the field to agriculture oriented youth. 2.

Provide on-farm learning opportunities to connect educators with farmers in their region through site visits to local aquaculture operations in their region. After the site visits, club advisors will have personal connections with the farmers and an increased awareness of the types of aquaculture operations available for student activities.

It is anticipated that this will increase the number of student groups that will visit aquaculture operations and spur interest in aquaculture careers. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.