How Did The Concept of Aquaculture Centers Begin?

The idea to establish a Regional Vocational Aquaculture Center here in New Haven has been in existence for over a decade. In 1983, the New Haven Board of Education was invited to provide a representative on a committee of Connecticut Legislators, educators and marine business owners (marine trades). This committee undertook the curriculum development work and the initial proposal to establish four Regional Vocational Aquaculture Centers within the Connecticut Regional Vocational Agriculture System.

The purpose of these schools were several fold:

• To provide motivated young people unique vocational educational programs about marine occupations within the aquaculture industry, especially Connecticut's oyster aquaculture industry.
• To encourage the teaching of environmental sciences that would include wise natural resource management and appreciation of Connecticut's coastal waters for commerce, recreation and food production.
• Finally, these schools were to prepare young people for future educational opportunities beyond a high school education both in aquaculture marine science and the marine trade fields.

In 1988, the New Haven Board of Education applied for and obtained a $25,000 grant to commence an aquaculture pilot project at The Sound School. The scallop aquaculture project was a collaborative one with area marine research institutions such as the State of Connecticut Aquaculture (Agriculture) Division and the United States National Marine Fisheries Service, both in Milford. Results of the pilot project were very successful, both in terms of students interest and the ability of The Sound School to offer such innovative programs. Of course, being aware of New Haven's rich heritage of its world famous oyster aquaculture industries was an added benefit. In 1989, funding to build the first Aquaculture Center in Connecticut was provided to the City of Bridgeport. The $7.5 million aquaculture education facility was constructed at Captain's Cove Seaport on Black Rock Harbor and was dedicated in October of 1993. In November of 1993, the New Haven Board of Education, with the Parks Department, reviewed the abandoned Boulevard Sewer Treatment Plant as a potential site for the second aquaculture center. In June of 1994, the formal application process commenced with the State of Connecticut for the construction of The Sound School Regional Vocational Aquaculture Center.