Registration open for 2025 shellfish farming course

Foundations of Shellfish Farming – Registration open – Financial aid available! 

  

Instructor Mike Gilman, right, explains the use of flip bags for oyster aquaculture to a few of the students in the 2024 Foundations of Shellfish Farming course.
Instructor Mike Gilman, right, explains the use of flip bags for oyster aquaculture to a few of the students in the 2024 Foundations of Shellfish Farming course.

About: Foundations of Shellfish Farming is an in-person training course for new and prospective farmers and those who simply seek to learn more about aquaculture practices and techniques. Topics that will be covered include how to establish and operate a shellfish business; leasing and permitting requirements; considerations for gear, vessels, and facilities, shellfish biology, aquaculture techniques and best practices, and risks involved in farming shellfish. Although the course will concentrate on Long Island Sound waters within the jurisdiction of Connecticut, the topics and practices covered are applicable in the Northeast United States and potentially beyond.  

  

When: Tuesdays, 5:30pm – 7:30pm, weekly Jan. 21 to April 8, 2025 

Location: UConn Avery Point Campus, Groton, CT, Lowell P. Weicker Jr.  Building, Room 312 

Instructors: Michael Gilman and Tessa L. Getchis 

Course Website: https://shellfish.uconn.edu/FSF/

Registration: http://s.uconn.edu/shellfish  

Cost: $300 

 

Financial aid: Scholarship Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Preference will be given to underserved/under-represented groups including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, followed by other students in financial need. If interested, contact us by email at shellfish@uconn.edu. Include your full name, company name (if applicable), and a statement explaining your request for financial aid. Please DO NOT register for the class. We will process registrations for all students receiving financial aid. 

  

Sponsors: Connecticut Sea Grant, UConn Extension, and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture 

  

*This course meets the Connecticut Department of Agriculture eligibility requirement for the submission of a Joint Agency Application for Marine Aquaculture. 

Download Foundations of Shellfish Farming flier here. 

  

Additional questions, including requests for financial aid, can be emailed to: shellfish@uconn.edu 

Students in the 2024 Foundations of Shellfish Farming Course, flanked by instructors Tess Getchis, far left, and Mike Gilman, far right.
Students in the 2024 Foundations of Shellfish Farming Course, flanked by instructors Tess Getchis, far left, and Mike Gilman, far right.