Aquaculture

Sustainable aquaculture is currently an important societal need that will continue to grow in the future. With collapsing fish stocks and an increasing national demand for seafood, it is clear that natural fish stocks will not be able to sustain the fisheries markets. USC Sea Grant is uniquely positioned to assess the range of evolving coastal and open ocean aquaculture techniques at two environmentally disparate sites, within the Port of Los Angeles, the surrounding coastal waters and in the more pristine deep waters off of Catalina Island.

Research & Outreach Projects

Extension Education and Technology Transfer of Self-cleaning Larval Rearing Tanks to the United States to Improve Microbial Control and Larval Survival

Principal Investigator: Linda Duguay, Ph.D. (USC Sea Grant)

Co-Principal Investigator: Paul Olin (CA Sea Grant)

Partners: Linda Chilton (USC Sea Grant) & Mark Drawbridge, Mike Shane, Kevin Stuart, Frederico Rotman (Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute)

USC Sea Grant, in partnership with the California Sea Grant program, was recently awarded a grant to advance sustainable marine aquaculture in the U.S. by improving public awareness and larval rearing success and efficiency through enhanced microbial control.  Through pilot demonstration of self-cleaning tank technology, this project is expected to demonstrate significantly enhanced hatchery production capacity for marine fish, helping to address the increased need for seafood production in the United States. The expansion of Seabass in the Classroom program into Los Angeles County schools builds student awareness of the role of aquaculture in a way that textbooks cannot.  The integration of the aquaculture technology and student experiences helps students and their communities to visualize success in the growth of sustainable aquaculture.  The results of this project will benefit fish farmers using intensive production methods to improve larval survival and fitness.

Useful Aquaculture Resources

• California Coastal Acidification Network (C-CAN)
• Know Your Fish Farm (L.A. Food Policy Council Report)

For more information, please contact Linda Chilton, Director of Education, 213.740.1963