Expanding social license for public and private aquaculture on Martha's Vineyard

2024 eeBLUE mini-grant awardee - Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

Project summary

Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group (MVSG) and their partners at the West Tisbury Free Public Library and Honeysuckle Oysters are collaborating to increase public acceptance and participation in aquaculture on Martha’s Vineyard. This community education initiative is using informal learning to strengthen connections among aquaculture stakeholders and trusted community hubs. The library will offer free aquaculture and environmental science programs with biologists, MVSG will further its mission of preserving and enhancing aquaculture, and Honeysuckle Oysters will increase industry visibility by engaging with the public. The program is following the North American Association for Environmental Education’s best practices for environmental learning, and involves former island resident and aquaculture specialist Zachary Gordon (now Connecticut Sea Grant) to create high-quality, place-based hands-on learning experiences for diverse audiences.

A banner in an outside event tent reads “Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group 1976” with a photo of scallops, mussels, and clams. Underneath the banner is a table with a microscope set up for samples from three large glass jars of liquid containing microalgae: one orange, one green, and one brown.
Cultured microalgae light up the education tent at Martha’s Vineyard Oyster Fest. (Image credit: Emma Green-Beach, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, Inc.)
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Additional information

Lead institution: Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group
Other project partners: