The opportunities for enhanced quality of life are many through the wise use of southern Lake Michigan resources and agriculture. The Midwest has the potential to be a rich source of seafood for the region and to have a well-informed population regarding the benefits and risks of eating fish. The Great Lakes also provide a potential source of cutting-edge biomedicine. Just as there are potential medicines from the sea, there may be opportunities in the Great Lakes for similar discoveries.

Chicago is one of the five largest U.S. seafood markets in the U.S. and imports 99 percent of the products consumed in the Midwest. Right now, less than one percent of the farm-raised seafood consumed in the U.S. is produced in the Midwest, but with such a large consumer base, these numbers are expected to increase. The region also can boast of a ready supply of corn and soybeans for low cost fish feed and potential producers receptive to diversifying their existing farm operations.

Many fish species found in Lake Michigan and nearby waters contain contaminants that exceed U.S. EPA advisory levels for consumption. The Chicago region and northwest Indiana are culturally diverse areas inhabited by many non-English speaking and lower income families who consume Lake Michigan fish for subsistence. These residents are in need of understandable information that will enable them to interpret and evaluate the potential health risks of consuming this food source.

Biotechnology and biomedicine play important roles in developing techniques and methodologies that can benefit human health and the health of the environment. These can include tools to improve feed for farm-raised fish, use reproductive strategies for nuisance species, determine ecological risks, and develop pharmaceuticals. The benefits of an ecologically sustainable technology industry in Illinois and Indiana are enormous and the need for further research is evident.

Goals

• Increase the safety and quality of seafood and aquaculture products produced, processed, and consumed in the United States
• Increase the use of aquaculture information in secondary education
• Improve the profitability of aquaculture industries in Illinois and Indiana
• Provide resources and opportunities for the growth of biotechnology and biomedicine
• Improve the understanding and application of fish consumption advisories by anglers and consumers

Featured Products

• Learn Not to Burn: A Guide for Reducing Trash Burning in Your Community
• A Guide to Marketing for Small-Scale Aquaculture Producers
• Educational Flipchart on Contaminants in Fish & Seafood
• Contaminants in Fish and Seafood:  A Guide to Safe Consumption
• The ABCs of PCBs

Featured Press Releases

• "Fish School" Informs Families of Health Risks and Benefits
• Building a Better Fish Using Embryonic Stem Cells
• The Troubled Youth of Lake Michigan Yellow Perch
• Reel in the Latest Fish Consumptions Advisories

Nourishing Healthy Community Links

• Inter-Agency Technical Task Force on E. coli
• Fish consumption advisories for Illinois | Indiana | Michigan | Ohio | Wisconsin