Aquaculture in the Classroom

Emily Hart & Dr. James WebbDepartment of Environmental Conservation

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Who Are We?

• Aquaculture team at UMass Amherst• James: small-scale aquaculture to alleviate

industry bottlenecks in the developing world• Emily: aquaponics as a teaching tool in science

and sustainability education• Main focus is technology transfer to partners

with little or no aquaculture background

What is Aquaculture?• Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic plants

and animals in controlled environments

The Future of Seafood?

Yes! Approximately half of seafood is currently farmed

What is Aquaponics?• Aquaponics is aquaculture combined with

hydroponics to grow plants and fish together

Aquaculture + Education?• STEM• Sustainability• Business

• No Child Left Behind• US technology gap• Environmental awareness• Experiential education

Gaining Momentum

• Development of aquaculture education in ‘90s• Focus on agriculture and vocational programs

• Sustainability, environmental awareness and school garden programs have renewed AITC

• Reaching wider school audience?

Aquaponics: Summer 2012

• Built small aquaponics system at a school in HI

• Taught summer course on aquaculture

• Chance to put our ideas into practice

How Did it Go?

Lessons Learned…

• Location, location, location• Building and teaching at the same time is hard!• Maintenance and upkeep everyday• Necessary to plug into entire community• Every situation is different need flexibility• Background knowledge extremely helpful• Cost

Do expectations match up with reality?

My Thesis Research

Aquaponics in Education: Challenges, Successes and Realities

• Literature review of aquaponics in education• Instructional strategies for incorporating aquaponics• Link to school garden and sustainability programs• Talk to educators about their experiences• SWOT analysis and how-to framework

Aquaculture in YOUR Classroom?

Emily Hart: emilyh@eco.umass.edu