Abstract
Aquatic literacy is universally needed, yet access to water and knowledge about it is often a privilege. Vessel-based education (VBE) is an approach to improve aquatic literacy through interdisciplinary, shipboard experiences, often in coastal and freshwater ecosystems. To characterize the audience, content, and support for freshwater VBE, we (1) surveyed 24 vessels that operate on the Laurentian Great Lakes and Northeastern USA, (2) analyzed 13 years of participant data from a well-established VBE program, Science on Seneca (SOS; Seneca Lake, New York, USA), and (3) interviewed high-school teachers who utilize SOS. We document that individual VBE programs educate hundreds to thousands of participants annually, and, to do so, often rely on in-kind support from universities and funding from foundations. Primary and secondary students from a broad geographic and socioeconomic range attend programming, which serves high-needs urban and rural districts and enhances advanced-course curricula. Many freshwater VBE programs focus on the life and environmental sciences at the secondary level. Although few formally address social dimensions of aquatic stewardship, some programs bridge locally important water quality issues to global, multidisciplinary concerns, such as the climate and biodiversity crises. Teachers articulate that the shipboard experience improves students’ learning through citizen science and their environmental stewardship through increased intellectual and emotional associations with water. Additional support for English Language Learners and transportation to VBE sites could improve the accessibility of education about freshwater, which is critical for supporting biodiversity and providing equitable access to safe drinking water, recreation opportunities, and economic growth.