Support for Aquaculture and Fisheries Workforce Development

An educated and trained workforce is critical to ensuring that the aquaculture and fisheries sectors can sustainably adapt to ongoing changes and increasing demand for their products. This workforce must be able to tackle emerging challenges and possess the requisite knowledge and skills to enhance industry sustainability. To better understand career pathway options in these sectors, the Builders Initiative hired ERG to conduct a landscape assessment of North American (including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Greater Caribbean) aquaculture and fisheries education and training programs.

To gather information for this assessment, we performed web-based research on 234 programs and conducted qualitative interviews with representatives from more than 40 ocean-related businesses and academic institutions. Based on this input, we developed recommendations describing actions the Builders Initiative could take to strengthen training and career development opportunities and build a stronger, more sustainable workforce in both sectors. We summarized findings from the assessment and presented these recommendations in a “Workforce Development in Aquaculture & Fisheries” report, designed to provide a foundation for the Builders Initiative and others in the fisheries and aquaculture fields to address current gaps in education and training options. The report highlights strategies to strengthen perception of the sectors, improve hands-on training opportunities, and strengthen incentives for new entrants to the workforce.