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Auburn University. (Photo: Auburn University)
USDA grants USD 1.2 million for aquaculture projects
(UNITED STATES, 11/18/2016)
The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has granted USD 1.2 million to support the development of environmentally and economically sustainable aquaculture in the country.
These awards were made through the Aquaculture Research Program authorized by the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grants Act, administered by NIFA.
“In 2015, Americans spent USD 96 billion on seafood, but only a small portion of that was produced by US aquaculture,” pointed out NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy.
The director explained that to meet the growing demand for this healthy source of protein, NIFA investments are helping enhance US aquaculture production to promote both economic opportunities and a safe, reliable domestic seafood source.
Global demand for seafood is projected to increase substantially while harvests from capture fisheries are stable or declining. In cooperation with land-grant university partners and diverse stakeholders, NIFA provides leadership and administers federal funding for aquaculture research, technology development, and extension programs.
NIFA Aquaculture Research Program grants support the development of a globally competitive and profitable US aquaculture industry through investments that help improve domestic aquaculture production efficiency, sustainability, safety, marketing, and information sharing, as well as access to global science-based information and advanced technologies.
NIFA provides leadership in coordinating federal activities related to aquaculture through the Interagency Working Group on Aquaculture, under the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Science.
The awards for 2016 will be destined to fund the following projects:
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, will be granted USD 307,869 destined to a research project to identify strains of a common bacteria that threaten farmed rainbow trout as a step toward improved disease prevention and control.
- Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, will receive USD 275,887 to develop work with commercial farmers to compare profitability of both pond and recirculating-water commercial business model.
- Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, will be granted USD 326,250 to carry out a project that will evaluate and optimize the economics, fish and plant biology, and food safety aspects of a high-yield aquaponics system that utilizes fish waste to generate additional revenue.
- The Research Foundation of State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York, will obtain USD 326,963 for the use of molecular genetics techniques to identify disease-resistant clam germlines to help improve commercial shellfish stocks.
editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media
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