The Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture, one of five regional aquaculture centers in the U.S. established and funded by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, has announced six new projects that have been approved and will begin this month or very soon. They include:
Initial Land-Based Growth Evaluation of Cultured Kūmū Juveniles
Kumu, the endemic whitesaddle goatfish is a highly prized food fish with a recent market price of up to $40/kg. But with catch rates falling dramatically, we need to track the growth of kumu juveniles in order to evaluate their potential for larger scale aquaculture production, and establish a new species for aquaculture in the region.
Hawaiian Aquaculture for Disease Mitigation and Control
What are the needs for Hawaii aquaculture producers with regard to diseases? The project will work with stakeholders to establish the greatest areas of concern in terms of pathogens and disease related-issues, and assess the feasibility of tilapia farmers to enter a specific pathogen-free certification program.
Āholehole - The Next Tilapia?
Development of native fish species for aquaculture in Hawaiʻi and Pacific Basin brings opportunities for diversification, production of high-value fish, reduction of potential environmental impacts, social acceptance and may ease permitting issues. This CTSA project will support further research into optimizing and scaling-up aquaculture of aholehole, a promising species.
Expanding Aquaponics in American Samoa
This aquaponics project in American Samoa will integrate economic considerations in local aquaponics production, as well as advance the art in sizing different components of aquaponics systems, many of which are being tested at Kahauiki village for the formerly homeless, another previous CTSA project.
Affordable and Efficient Photobioreactor and Biofiltration Systems for Microalgae
A major challenge for algal products is how to harvest microalgae due to their small size. This CTSA project will develop a BioCube system using natural fungal filters to control growth conditions and optimize algal growth and biomass.
Macroalgal Biomass Production with Nanobubble Technology and Phase-change Materials
Macroalgal growth is affected by delivery of CO2 gas. This CTSA project will utilize cutting-edge bubbling technologies to generate and deliver CO2 nanobubbles, along with phase-change materials, for regulating temperatures to significantly improve macroalgal biomass production.