“I recently joined researchers from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa to visit several aquaculture firms on the island of Hawaii. Every company we visited expressed the same serious challenge: recruiting skilled workers in and to Hawai’i,” writes CTSA executive director Dr. Cheng-Sheng Lee in the latest issue of CTSA’s regional newsletter. He highlights the importance of workforce training opportunities for local youth and stimulating support for aquaculture related bills in Hawai’i’s legislature to foster a strong future for Hawai’i’s aquaculture industry and workers.
CTSA also released a summary of its comprehensive annual report outlining the progress and impacts of ongoing CTSA projects in this month’s newsletter. One such project focuses on improving commercial aquaculture by addressing the challenges of efficiently culturing Yellow Tang, a highly desirable species, to alleviate pressures on wild stock. Another project aims to improve the culture of Nenue fingerlings, a herbivorous reef fish to determine if commercial production of the fish is feasible. The full report summary can be found here.
Additionally, the Oceanic Institute of Hawai’i Pacific University has been selected to conduct a study on the feasibility of aquaculture in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Northern Marianas College hopes that the study will kickstart the development of a robust, sustainable aquaculture industry in the CNMI.
Lastly, those involved in aquaculture production are asked to register their operation with the 2022 Census of Agriculture and 2023 Census of Aquaculture. The online form can be filled out here.
For more information and the full newsletter, head to the CTSA website.