Anoushka Concepcion

Associate Extension Educator

Anoushka Concepcion is an associate extension educator focusing on marine aquaculture with the Connecticut Sea Grant Program based at the UConn Avery Point Campus in Groton, CT. She is also a faculty member in UConn’s Department of Cooperative Extension. Her programming focuses on supporting marine aquaculture stakeholders in Connecticut, including the nascent seaweed aquaculture industry and associated stakeholders. Concepcion collaborates with industry and regulators to address emerging challenges associated with seaweed aquaculture. Specifically, she assists with the development of guidance on potential human health hazards associated with seaweed grow-out and processing, market development and permitting. She conducts one-on-one consultations with prospective aquaculture producers regularly, conducts research to address emerging stakeholder needs, organizes workshops for industry and general audiences, and presents at various research conferences. She earned a BS degree in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and an MS in Fisheries, Animal, and Veterinary Sciences from the University of Rhode Island. Between earning degrees, Concepcion worked at Shrimp Improvement Systems LLC in the Florida Keys where she managed microalgal production for the nursery facility. She leads the National Seaweed Hub, a collaborative effort of 11 Sea Grant programs and their stakeholders, which addresses the emerging needs of the national seaweed aquaculture industry. She also serves on the Steering Committee for the Safe Seaweed Coalition, a global partnership supported by the United Nation’s Global Compact and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, and on the Board of Directors for the non-profit organization Minorities in Aquaculture. Concepcion is passionate about providing the world’s population with responsibly produced food through aquaculture.