The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Aquaculture National Program 106 and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) are hosting a series of listening sessions to inform priority setting and program planning actions for the next 5-years (2025-2029).

These sessions are to solicit stakeholder input regarding current commercial aquaculture research and extension challenges. This information will provide the framework for developing the next ARS National Program Action Plan and will assist NIFA in programming and administering research and extension support. Information describing these programs can be found at these links for ARS and NIFA.

The following dates and times are scheduled for online sessions for different species, all stakeholders are welcome to participate in any or all the sessions. General overviews of ARS and NIFA’s missions, goals, and programs will be followed by open time for stakeholders to provide input on current and future challenges, needs, and opportunities for commercial aquaculture.

May 16^th, 1 - 3 pm (EDT): Catfish

May 17^th, 1 - 3 pm (EDT): Salmonids

May 18^th, 1 - 3 pm (EDT): Basses and Baitfish

May 19^th, 1 - 3 pm (EDT): Mollusks and Crustaceans

June 6^th, 1 - 3 pm (EDT): Warmwater Marine Finfish

June 7^th, 1 - 3 pm (EDT): Aquaponics

June 12^th, 1 - 3 pm (EDT): Research and Extension in support of Tribal Aquaculture

If you are interested in providing feedback in one or more of the webinar sessions, please register by clicking on: https://forms.office.com/g/Nt0yhUEuDccontacting.

Written input can be sent via email to Aquaculture.Input@usda.gov thru June 30, 2023.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in providing feedback.

Sincerely,
Dr. Timothy Sullivan, NIFA National Program Leader for Aquaculture
Dr. Caird Rexroad III, ARS National Program Leader for Aquaculture