Celebrating Aquaculture Week: Farming from Tide to Table

Thomas Piecuch flips floating oyster bags on his farm (Credit: Holy Ground Oyster Company).

Welcome to National Aquaculture Week, when we celebrate increasing our access to fresh seafood while protecting coastal resources. Seafood farming, if done responsibly as it is in the United States, is one of the most environmentally sustainable ways to produce food and protein. Marine aquaculture can help reduce our seafood trade deficit while uplifting coastal communities and economies.

Celebrate Aquaculture Week by learning about members of the aquaculture community who provide valuable jobs and increase access to fresh, sustainably sourced American seafood. Aquaculture is more than seafood production. It is about ecosystem stewardship, coastal communities, and economic opportunities.

Tide to Table Profiles

This year, we are highlighting five exceptional growers who represent a wide variety of seafood producers. From geoducks and abalone, to kelp and oysters, these Tide to Table profiles feature some of the many outstanding aquaculture operations in the United States.

Meet Holy Ground Oyster Company, Oyster Growers in Mississippi

After a career as a NOAA Fisheries observer in Alaska and the Gulf, Thomas Piecuch founded the Holy Ground Oyster Company-rooted in family values. He hopes to contribute to a sustainable and economically resilient seafood future in the state.

Read about Thomas's Farm

Thomas and Sean Piecuch, the father-son team that owns and operates the Holy Ground Oyster Company. Credit: Travis Tank

Meet Stonington Kelp Company, Seaweed Grower in Connecticut

After a corporate career in New York City, Suzie Flores is now making a splash in the seaweed aquaculture sector.

Read about Suzie's farm

Suzie Flores harvesting sugar kelp in Stonington, Connecticut (Credit: Elizabeth Ellenwood).

Meet Blue Ocean Mariculture, Finfish Growers in Hawaiʻi

Blue Ocean Mariculture sustainably raises a native Hawaiian Almaco jack species called Kampachi. The company practices "food self-sufficiency," a strategy to keep fresh seafood accessible to their local community.

Read about farming kampachi

The Kanpachi are grown in large submersible net pens off of the Big Island of Hawaii near Kona. Credit: Blue Ocean Mariculture.

Meet Salish Seafoods, Geoduck Farmers in Washington

Salish Seafoods is a tribally owned company that sells wild salmon and farms clams, oysters, and-notably-geoducks. In this story, Rod Schuffenhauer, Salish Seafoods' operations manager, describes how farming upholds long traditions held by the Squaxin Island Tribe.

Read about Rod's farm

A geoduck, a long-lived clam native to the West Coast of the United States. Credit: Washington Sea Grant

Meet The Cultured Abalone Farm, Shellfish Growers in California

The Cultured Abalone Farm in Santa Barbara opened in 1989 to preserve part of California's abalone culinary culture. Devin Spencer plays a vital role in the farm's mission.

Read about abalone farming

Red abalone grown at The Cultured Abalone Farm in Santa Barbara, California. Credit: The Cultured Abalone Farm

Story Map: Farming from Tide to Table-Aquaculture Recipes and Stories from Across the United States

Explore the map to learn about aquaculture growers across the country, and pick up a few new recipes!

View the story map

More Aquaculture Features

Press Release: Aquaculture Opportunity Areas Bolster America-First Seafood Production

The Gulf of America. Credit: Commander Jeremy Adams, NOAA Corps.

Read the announcement

Video: Do Alaskan Kelp Farms Provide Habitat For Animals?

NOAA researchers are investigating whether seaweed farms in Alaska could provide habitat to local species, just like natural kelp beds.

Watch the video

Photo Story: Training Future Seafood Farmers

Embark on a visual voyage with 50 Seattle-area middle schoolers at the first-ever NOAA Aquaculture Science Camp.

Read the photo story

Accomplishments Report: "Growing" American Seafood

A report showcasing the science, planning, and investments NOAA's Aquaculture Program made to foster sustainable domestic aquaculture growth.

Read the accomplishments report

AI Meets Aquaculture to Study Hawaiian Monk Seal Interactions With Net Pens

NOAA Fisheries and Blue Ocean Mariculture are leveraging technology to study Hawaiian monk seal interest in aquaculture net pens in Hawaiʻi.

Read about aquaculture and AI

NOAA Fisheries, in collaboration with Blue Ocean Mariculture, is conducting a multi-year pilot study to evaluate observational methods and tools for studying Hawaiian monk seal behavior. Courtesy of Blue Ocean Mariculture

New Calculator Helps Oyster Growers Measure the Water Quality Benefits of Farms

The new tool provides a science-based estimate of how much nitrogen oyster farms remove from local waterways.

Read about the nutrient calculator

Eyes in the Sky for Aquaculture Farmers: Location Scouting Using Satellite Data

Scientists at NOAA Fisheries and CoastWatch leverage remote sensing technology for aquaculture.

Read about satellites and aquaculture

The Visible and Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite is a NOAA satellite sensor that collects valuable data used by fisheries scientists (Credit: NASA).

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