Harvest stories: Updates from eeBLUE aquaculture literacy partnerships

Each month, follow along as awardees of the North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) eeBLUE Aquaculture Literacy Mini-Grants share their stories of implementing innovative educational experiences that explore aquaculture topics in local communities.
 

Jump to an aquaculture blog:

Hands-on community learning in a distanced world

Bringing aquaculture mainstream

Offshore optics: Taking a closer look at open-ocean aquaculture

Students carry on an important cultural and economic touchstone through oyster aquaculture

Ocean Farmers: Learning together through play

The magic of Martha's Vineyard oysters

When it comes to aquaculture in the classroom, connection is everything

Sustainability, Environmental, and Economics (SEE) of oysters

Using stories to grow an industry that grows our favorite fish

Seaweed farming brings hope in the face of climate change

January 2023: Seaweed farming brings hope in the face of climate change

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on January 10th, 2023

Buoys and a boat on the water at a kelp farm.
A Casco Bay, Maine kelp farm. (Nicole Wolf)

With support from the eeBLUE program, Atlantic Sea Farm's "Kelp to Kitchen" program creates dynamic content and experiences that encourage consumers and chefs to include kelp in everyday dishes, both at home and in the industrial kitchen.

Read the full blog: Seaweed farming brings hope in the face of climate change

November 2022: Using stories to grow an industry that grows our favorite fish

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on November 21, 2022

Tabletop display materials will be used at outreach events such as here at the Ohio Fish and Shrimp Festival in September 2022.
Tabletop display materials will be used at outreach events such as here at the Ohio Fish and Shrimp Festival in September 2022. (Nicole Wright, Ohio Sea Grant)

Learn about how NAAEE eeBLUE grantees from Ohio Sea Grant are collaborating with industry members and informal learning institutions to develop outreach and education materials that tell the story of yellow perch aquaculture in the Great Lakes.

Read the full blog: Using stories to grow an industry that grows our favorite fish

September 2022: Sustainability, Environmental, and Economics (SEE) of oysters

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on September 21, 2022.

Lady's Island Oysters provides seed to local oyster growers. The final products are large, single oysters, which don't compete with the wild harvested cluster oysters in the area.
Lady's Island Oysters provides seed to local oyster growers. The final products are large, single oysters, which don't compete with the wild harvested cluster oysters in the area. (South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium)
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Learn about how NAAEE eeBLUE grantees from Georgia Sea Grant and the Georgia Aquarium are collaborating on an online teaching platform for oyster aquaculture.

Read the full blog: Sustainability, Environmental, and Economics (SEE) of oysters

August 2022: When it comes to aquaculture in the classroom, connection is everything

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on August 11, 2022.

A teacher wearing a gray shirt that says “educator” lifts a large piece of brown seaweed from a tank.
Since 2019, Maine Sea Grant(link is external) and partners have organized Aquaculture ME!, a state-wide collaborative network focused on building aquaculture education in Maine classrooms by providing support and professional connections for educators. (Kathy Tenga-Gonzalez, Maine Sea Grant)
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With support from the eeBLUE program, teachers and sea farmers in Maine are working together to link classrooms to the coast, create new educational programming, and build job pathways on the water for younger generations.

Read the full blog: When it comes to aquaculture in the classroom, connection is everything

July 2022: The magic of Martha's Vineyard oysters

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on July 7, 2022.

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. (Emma Green-Beach, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, Inc.)
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With support from the eeBLUE program, the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group partnered with Martha’s Vineyard Oyster Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and Cottage City Oysters to share the stories of Martha’s Vineyard shellfish farming through their own voices.

Read the full blog: The magic of Martha's Vineyard oysters

May 2022: Ocean Farmers: Learning together through play

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on May 27, 2022.

A person stands in front of a table with a plastic toy and scuba fins while conversing with a guest.
Playing with and sorting objects related to farming is one key activity developed through the Ocean Farmers project. Educator Jeyleen is discussing these ideas with a guest. (Aquarium of the Pacific)
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With support from the eeBLUE program, the Aquarium of the Pacific has partnered with colleagues at USC Sea Grant and Holdfast Aquaculture to develop and test a new series of activities that encourage young learners and their families to learn about ocean farming through play.

Read the full blog: Ocean Farmers: Learning together through play

April 2022: Students carry on an important cultural and economic touchstone through oyster aquaculture

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on April 25, 2022.

Two students hold a bucket and dump its contents into an oyster cage.
OysterCorps students Elijah Mathes (left) and Morgan Smith (right) transferring oysters to larger cages during a visit to the lease, January 2022. (Todd Bracken)
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Students with the Conservation Corps of the Forgotten Coast are learning about the cultural and environmental importance of oysters in their own backyard.

Read the full blog: Students carry on an important cultural and economic touchstone through oyster aquaculture

March 2022: Offshore optics: Taking a closer look at open-ocean aquaculture

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on March 30, 2022.

An outdoor exhibit with photos of ocean life and text. Title: How can we feed the world?
New offshore aquaculture exhibit at Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida. (Danielle Mosteller, Mote Marine Aquarium)
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What’s 30 feet long, nine feet high, and teaches us something about the ocean? Find out about how Florida Sea Grant and Mote Marine Lab are partnering to create an interactive offshore aquaculture exhibit.

Read the full blog: Offshore optics: Taking a closer look at offshore aquaculture

February 2022: Bringing aquaculture mainstream

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on February 22, 2022.

A group of people stand in front of a painted shipping crate. The crate says "The Cultured Abalone Farm."
Santa Barbara Sea Center staff toured The Cultured Abalone Farm in September 2021 to expand their knowledge of abalone aquaculture. Their goal was to learn how they can better teach aquarium visitors about large-scale aquaculture and how it is helping save the endangered white abalone. (Owen Duncan, Santa Barbara Sea Center)
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Educators and seafood farmers in central California are collaborating on hands-on abalone aquaculture experiences through the eeBLUE aquaculture literacy mini-grants program. Read about how The Cultured Abalone Farm and Santa Barbara Sea Center staff are bringing abalone aquaculture mainstream.

Read the full blog: Bringing aquaculture mainstream

January 2022: Hands-on community learning in a distanced world

This blog was originally published on NAAEE's website on January 21, 2022.

A group of teachers wearing masks stand around a raised garden bed that has small sprouts of vegetation.
Science teachers from Brunswick High School explore the Canopy Farms facility with hosts Kate Holcomb and Theo Willis, discussing connections to their course curriculum. (Pamela King)
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Maine educators and students are getting to know their local farmers through the eeBLUE aquaculture literacy mini-grants program. Read about how Science Cafes, cooking classes, and education tours are helping one Maine community to better connect with each other.

Read the full blog: Hands-on community learning in a distanced world