Aquaculture Information Exchange Online Community

In late 2023, Virginia Sea Grant announced the launch of a new Aquaculture Information Exchange Online Community Platform.

The Aquaculture Information Exchange (AIE)) online community platform website is now live and open for new user registrations.

The AIE represents a joint effort between NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office, NOAA’s Fisheries Office of Aquaculture, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and Virginia Sea Grant.

The AIE is an online community involving individuals from both the public and private sector with interests in U.S. aquaculture and related topics.

The AIE will serve as a communications platform, actively being moderated to facilitate discussions about current issues facing the industry, the latest research and developments in aquaculture, and will be a space where users from across the nation can connect with other members of the aquaculture community.

According to National Sea Grant Aquaculture Managers Dr. Chuck Weirich and Mark Rath, the development of a resource such as the AIE to help connect and facilitate information exchange and resource sharing between members of the entire US aquaculture community – including researchers, Land and Sea Grant Extension, and industry – has been a priority for a number of years.

The AIE is a space where experts from across the nation can connect and work with like-minded collaborators on projects and deliverables such as grant-funded research projects, specific contracts, science advice products, and other projects.

The site features subject matter work groups that can have access restricted to a small team or be open to any member of the AIE. Teams can store document files, image files, and video files, but can also use built-in collaboration tools like video conferencing and group-editable documents.

Groups will be led by a Working Group Chair who will manage the team’s progress towards achieving project goals or creating specific deliverables.

The AIE uses an interface similar to popular social media sites. In addition to working groups, it also includes features like keyword-searchable member profiles, job postings, community discussion forums, and an events calendar.

The Aquaculture Information Exchange will be advised by a diverse committee representing geographies and topical expertise from across the U.S. field of aquaculture.

source: Virginia Sea Grant