Aquaculture Home

Project Managers

• Marty Riche (USDA)
• Timothy Pfieffer (USDA)
• Charles Weirich (USDA)
• Megan Davis
• Paul Wills

Project Team

• Richard Baptiste
• Terri Breeden
• Meghan Anderson
• Fernando Cavalin

Project Description

Worldwide, seafood demand is on the rise and wild fisheries cannot meet demand. United States aquaculture production must rise to the challenge. Significant growth in the US requires addressing:

• the high cost of scarce coastal land and water resources,
• environmental impact concerns,
• high production costs, and
• the lack of quality fish seedstock.

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institutute and USDA's Agricultural Research Service have formed a collaborative world-class, research and development program to expand marine aquaculture opportunities in Florida and the southeastern United States. The goal of this program is to design and test cost-effective, energy efficient aquaculture systems and production strategies capable of reliable year-round production of marine food fish in low salinity environments. Transfer of the project's successes will increase employment opportunities for inland rural sectors and displaced farmers, increase crop diversity, and enhance food biosecurity.

Program Objectives

• Develop land-based, recirculating production technology to produce marine or brackish water species in low-salinity, water environments.
• Develop energy efficient production systems for pompano, cobia, black sea bass and other potentially high value marine fish species.
• Determine nutrient requirements and develop feeding strategies and diets for optimal growth, efficiency, and reproductive success of marine fish reared in low-salinity systems.
• Develop year-round methods for sustainable seed production of selected marine fish species.

Visit www.sustainableaquaculture.org & www.ars.usda.gov/spa/snarc for more information.