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Aquaculture Science Hub

Development of Sustainable Aquaculture in Coastal Communities

Case Studies and Enabling Conditions for Success

A woman takes notes on a clipboard while two farmers load oysters into a boat.
Data Collection The Nature Conservancy's Alix Laferriere (left) records information with SOAR program participants Krystin Ward of Choice Oysters and Laura Brown (right) of Fox Point Oysters on the University of New Hampshire's JEL Lab dock on Great Bay in Durham, New Hampshire. © ©Jerry and Marcy Monkman/EcoPhotography

Many coastal communities have historically relied on wild-capture fisheries to support livelihoods and subsistence; however, recent decades have been marked by a rapid global increase in aquaculture. Governments, NGOs, and industry associations have aimed to support or accelerate the adoption of aquaculture in coastal communities with varying degrees of social, economic, and environmental success. The factors that led to the success or failure of these initiatives warrant further analysis.

This document assesses five different community-based aquaculture initiatives around the world: the Grouper Livelihood Project in Palawan, Philippines; Project Wave in Cedar Key, Florida, USA; Community-based sea cucumber farming in Madagascar; Seaweed Mariculture Project in Placencia and Turneffe Atoll, Belize; and Aquaculture in Shared Waters in Maine, USA.

Want to learn more?

Access the report here