Current Status and Future Directions of the Aquaculture Network Information Center (AquaNIC): LaDon Swann and Kimberly Hamilton Auburn University and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium Mark Einstein Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program John W. Ewart Delaware Sea Grant College Program

 Little coordination/delivery of Internet- based aquaculture information by the CES or SG prior to 1994 Situation  Challenge of increasing educational programs for a growing audience without increase in program funding  Centralized gateway to the world's electronic resources for aquaculture beneficial to the extension community

Web site established in 1994  USDA CSREES & Sea Grant  DOC Aquaculture Information Center & NCRAC  Matching support: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, Auburn University & Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Response AquaNIC houses or links to thousands of publications, newsletters, visual media, calendars, job services, directories and specialty sections for species and production systems

Objectives  Provide access to all electronic aquaculture information at the national and international level  Increase the quantity and quality of electronic information available to the aquaculture industry  Provide self-paced aquaculture instruction to the aquaculture industry  Obtain user input in directing AquaNIC services AquaNIC the gateway to the world’s electronic resources for aquaculture information and education

 Sea Grant Network of Aquaculture Information Services (NAIS)  Delaware, Maryland, Illinois-Indiana & Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, National Sea Grant Depository, and the DOC/NOAA Aquaculture Information Center Collaborating Institutions  Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC)  Alliance among the National Agricultural Library (NAL), university librarians, and subject matter specialists at Land Grant and Sea Grant institutions  NAL Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, 12 LG/SG institutions, the Gateway to Educational Materials & the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center

AgNIC Land and Sea Grant Institutions Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium Auburn University Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program Kentucky State University Maine Sea Grant/Cooperative Extension University of Arizona University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff University of California Davis University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Center University of Idaho Cooperative Extension Service Texas A&M University Virginia State University

Results Connection with Users  first U.S. aquaculture Web site  Internationally - one of the most widely accessed and cited aquaculture Web sites

AquaNIC Statistics (2002)  1.2 million visitors; > 140 countries  > 1,000 individual, educational, commercial, and governmental, Web site links  Visitor sessions: U.S. (63%), international (14%), unknown origin (23%)

AquaNIC Statistics (2002)  >10K files and links; 11 root directories discussion groups (41%), publications (15%), multimedia (11%), jobs/resumes (10%), and beginners sections (9%)  1994: >75% of visitors (.edu); < 10% (.com) >80% private sector domains  2002: (.com, 33%), network (.net, 48%), education (.edu, 14%), organizations (.org, 2.7%), and government (.gov, 1.4%)

Partnerships

Future Directions  Continuing improvements in the delivery of existing information services  Development of online instruction for K-12, university and adult learners  Convert the Web from a source of information to a source of instruction  Curricula, narrated slide sets, streaming audio and video, chat rooms, discussion groups, one- and two-way video, virtual reality and other media

Future Directions  Additional Partnerships and Industry Support  Expansion of digital image inventory (w/Extension)  International collaboration: Aquaculture Technical Training (AquaTT)  “Get the Facts: Aquaculture Science Advisory Panel” (w/ National Aquaculture Association)

The future success of AquaNIC depends on continuing improvements in delivery of existing information services provided and an increased emphasis on on-line instruction for adult learners. To achieve the goal of increased educational programming on the Internet, there must be increased collaboration across state, regional, and national boundaries using the collective, worldwide expertise of aquaculture specialists Summary