AQUACULTURE INFORMATION CENTER - DOC/NOAA
NOAA Partnership Program for 2001
During the process of setting the NOAA budget for FY 2001 it was agreed to
have a budget set-aside to guarantee the participation of key NOAA agencies
such as the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Ocean Service
in key research and policy areas. With this agreement came the understanding
that all aquaculture funds created through the NOAA budget process would be
placed in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and that projects selected
in this set aside would go through an internal competitive process and would
be reviewed by the NOAA/DOC Aquaculture Steering Committee. Seven Projects were
received from the various NOAA agencies and the following three were selected
to compliment those selected through the broader Federal Register process:
Project:
Development and testing of a recirculating seawater nursery system for the culture
of bay scallops (Argopecten irradians).
State: Connecticut, NMFS laboratory
Principal Investigators:
James Widman, Gary Wikfors, Barry Smith, Sheila Stiles, Ronald Goldberg, Joseph
Choromanski
National Marine Fisheries Service
Abstract: This project will develop the techniques for the culture of large
bay scallop seed using an experimental greenhouse for large-scale culture of
micro algal feeds supplying an experimental recirculating seawater shellfish
hatchery. The economics of culturing large bay scallop seed in recirculation
systems will be investigated in four different filter designs. Water quality
and algal additions will be monitored and adjusted by process control systems.
Each system (biofilter plus rearing tanks) will be evaluated for cost per scallop
reared and the final size that provides the best economic return.
Go to 2003 Summary Report
Project:
Development of polyculture systems for the production of marine fishes pre-adapted
for stock enhancement.
State: North Carolina, National Ocean Service Lab at Beaufort
Principal Investigators:
John Burke, Jud Kenworthy, Jon Hare, Gary Matlock
National Ocean Service
The objective of this proposal is to develop juvenile rearing techniques that
produce fishery seedlings with the behavioral attributes necessary for survival
after release in the wild. They will test the hypothesis that reef fish reared
in a polyculture system with sea grass communities will be behaviorally suitable
for stock enhancement.
The Project investigators will:
- conduct pilot scale rearing trials comparing the performance of a fish/sea
grass polyculture system with standard marine culture techniques in terms
of fish growth and survival
- conduct laboratory experiments comparing the behavioral quality of juveniles
produced in standard and polyculture situations
- plan for pilot scale field enhancement trials with tagged hatchery reared
juveniles to evaluate their survival and growth in the wild.
(August 2002)
- Broodstock of five important coastal species has been established.
Currently we are domesticating five new species as potential candidates for
our polyculture experiments. In the summer of 2001 we collected juveniles:
30 gag grouper, 30 black seabass, 20 pigfish, 10 oyster toadfish and 5 gray
snapper. To date black seabass, pig fish and gray snapper have matured. Gag
grouper are not yet large enough to spawn but are growing well and mortality
has been very low.
- Spawning and rearing protocols for two coastal species has been established.
We have developed techniques for tank spawning black sea bass and pigfish
and have adapted our rearing methods so that these species can be reared through
the juvenile stage. Larvae and juveniles of these species were provided to
researchers for a variety of experiments. Oyster toadfish spawn volitionally
and juveniles are currently being reared.
- Green house construction is complete. Contractors have completed
construction of the green house that will house the polyculture experiments.
Electrical and plumbing contracts have been awarded and equipment for water
quality control and monitoring purchased. Cement burial vaults have been purchased
plumbed and sealed for seagrass culture.
- Personnel training. An ORISE contractor, James Morris, was hired
in 2001 and has been involved in all aspects of the project. This summer an
intern, Barry Guthrie, from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington
worked with us on the project and received academic credit for his fish husbandry
experience from UNCW
Project: Broodstock
development, reproduction, and larval rearing of Canary rockfish (Sebastes
pinniger) a new species of the Pacific Northwest.
State: Washington, NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Principal Investigators:
Robert Iwamoto, Michael Rust, Northwest Fisheries Science Center
The long term objective is to develop a viable commercial aquaculture system
for the production of rockfish and to investigate the potential for stock rebuilding
with cultured juveniles.
The specific technical objectives are:
- document and describe adult spawning and parturition behaviors of fish held
in public aquaria and tanks
- use the information from number 1 to develop broodstock holding tanks that
allow for and encourage mating behaviors
- develop rearing methods
Accomplishments:
- Succeeded in raising the first yelloweye rockfish ever in captivity this
year. This is significant because Yelloweye and three other species of rockfish
(including Canary) will likely cause much of the west coast fishery to shut
down in the next few years due to by-catch of these depleted rockfish. Plans
to partner with Hubbs-Seaworld Research Inst. in California to jointly address
all four rockfish species along the Pacific coast and gain some synergism
with the collaboration.
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