What is Aquaculture andWhy do we need it?
Science Cafe, March 26th 2019Kelly Lucas, PhD.
Director, Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center
Overview
• What is aquaculture?• What does it look like?• Why aquaculture?• Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center
• Who are we?• What do we do?
What is Aquaculture
• The breeding, rearing and harvesting of fish, shellfish, plants, algae and other organisms in all water environments (NOAA Aquaculture).
• What is it really?
Farming
What does it look like?
Hawaii: Blue Ocean Mariculture (Bofish.com)
Hawaiian Kanpachi (Seriola rivoliana)
What does it look like?
Republic of Panama: Open Blue (openblue.com)
The Fish SiteCobia (Rachycentroncanadum)
What does it look like?
A salmon farm in Norway. Credit: UBC Stock/Shutterstock.com
What does it look like?
Alabama: Murder Point Oysters (murderpointoysters.com)
Maine: Mook Sea Farm (mookseafarm.com)
Washington: Hama Hama(hamahamaoysters.com)
What does is look like?
Maine: Ocean Approved (oceanapproved.com) New Zealand: Mike Norton farms
USM-Microalgae UNH: Aquaponics
What does it look like?
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems - USM
What does it look like?
Texas: Global Blue Technologies(globalbluetechnologies.com)
What does it look like?
Mississippi: Catfish Ponds, photo credit: MSU Ext. Service
But it is also….
Shrimp farming among mangroves, photo credit Rupert Taylor, Owlcation
Farms Luoyuan Bay , China. Scale, this Overview shows approximately (1.5 square miles). Photo credit: DigitalGlobe/Daily Overview
Responsible Aquaculture
• Best Aquaculture Practices
• Environmentally responsible
• Socially responsible• Economically
responsible• Food safety• Animal welfare• Traceability• Science-based
Expectations
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Farmed Capture
Seafood supply
2006 2030
Mill
ion
Met
ric T
ons
Global Demand for Animal Protein
New Protein Needed by 2050
Why do we need Aquaculture?
Meeting 2050 Demand: Area Used
Meeting 2050 Demand: Fresh Water Used
Meeting 2050 Demand: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Nofima is one of the largest institutes for applied research within the fields of fisheries, aquaculture and food research in Europe. (nofima.no)
It has been clear for decades that the growth in seafood supply will come mostly from aquaculture. The supply of wild capture fisheries is stagnant.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2016
Economics
• U.S. Seafood Trade deficit was $16 Billion in 2017• American at 16 pounds of seafood per capita
(2017)• 6 Billion pounds of seafood imported $21.5B• 3.4 Billion pounds exported at $5.4B• 90% of the Seafood consumed in the US is
imported• Half of the 90% is farmed product.• Top Imports: shrimp, salmon, tilapia, catfish• Top Exports: lobsters, pollock, salmon, fish roe
• April 2016, Gov. Accountability Office
United States Imports
United States Exports
2014
USA Potential for Greater Production
Why should the US become a producer• Safe• Healthy• Local• Sustainable• Working waterfronts• Economic development• Job development
• The Choice1.) Source new supply from farmed imports (mostly from developing countries)2) Source new supply from a growing US aquaculture industry
USM- Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center
• We are dedicated to advancing and disseminating the science of marine aquaculture
• Integrated research and educational programs for students
• Technology development and transfer for solving problems faced by industry
• Professional development for employees• Facilitating economic development• Improved marine resource management.
What does all that mean?
We work to alleviate the bottlenecks that constrain the production of marine species and promote sustainable marine aquaculture.
Research and Development
• Aquatic Health • Genetics • Larviculture• Reproductive
Physiology • Live Feeds • Recirculating
Aquaculture Systems• Nearshore and Offshore
Aquaculture
Facilities:
• The Center consists of 100,000 ft2 in 13 buildings
• 50,000 ft2 of culture space for animals and live feeds
• 10,000 ft2 of experimental space designed to accommodate isolated and replicated disease, nutrition, and genetics/reproductive physiology research
• contains isolated small-, medium-, and large-scale systems with single-pass climate control
TCMAC News
• Live feed development • ARPAE- Macroalgae
production • Oyster hatchery• Oyster genetics• Crab hatchery
technology transfer• Gulf of Mexico Finfish
farm
Kelly Lucas, PhD.
Director
Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center
School of Ocean Science and Technology
The University of Southern Mississippi
228-818-8026