Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, with the support of $575,000 from NOAA Fisheries, has selected four aquaculture pilot projects along the Atlantic coast to receive funding. NOAA Fisheries provided the funds as part of its efforts to foster responsible aquaculture and seafood security in the U.S. After rigorous reviews, which included an evaluation of the technical aspects of the proposals as well as their compliance with environmental laws, the following projects were selected. All four projects explore promising, but less commercially-developed, technologies for finfish and shellfish aquaculture, with projects ranging from flounder to seaweed aquaculture. The projects started in July and are scheduled for completion in 2021.
| FY2020 Aquaculture Pilot Projects Grants | |
| Principal Investigator | Title |
| Acadia Aquafarms, LLC | Maine Sea Scallop Aquaculture: Developing and validating the economic sustainability of the developing sea scallop aquaculture industry using automated ear hanging equipment |
| University of Massachusetts – Boston | Create low-cost automated sensor to ensure integrity of seaweed aquaculture operations by indicating undue stress that would occur during system failure or a large animal entanglement |
| University of North Carolina at Wilmington | Gag grouper Mycteroperca microlepis: New candidate high-value marine finfish for intensive aquaculture in the US; establishing hatchery technology and evaluating growth of wild-caught juveniles on formulated diets |
| Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami | Accelerating Growth of Sustainable Aquaculture in Atlantic States: Facilitating development and expansion of flounder aquaculture |
For more information, please contact Dr. Louis Daniel, at ldaniel@asmfc.org or 252.342.1478.