What is Aquaculture?

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

What is the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative?

The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC) is a federally funded project that seeks to create a regionwide group to foster relevant, science based initiatives that support aquaculture industries in the Great Lakes region that are environmentally responsible, competitive, and sustainable. The project began in 2019 and runs through August of 2023.

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

Outcomes include:

  1. Identifying research needs of Great Lakes aquaculture producers and developing strategies to meet those research needs.
  2. Quantifying consumer demand for desired species, attributes, labeling, and production processes for Great Lakes aquaculture products. 
  3. Identifying policy-related challenges and opportunities.
  4. Generating a compilation of science-based recommendations for environmentally responsible, competitive, and sustainable aquaculture in the Great Lakes region.

Image credits:

Aquaculture pond: ©Damian Horațiu Sultănoiu
Fish in wooden boxes: ©Gorilla – stock.adobe.com