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It’s been a long-term objective of CTAHR to establish an aquaculture facility on the UH Mānoa campus. That objective was realized in 2024. With funding from the UHM Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research, CTAHR, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Andre Seale of the Dept. of Human Nutrition, Food, and Animal Sciences has partnered with the UH Sea Grant College Program (Hawai‘i Sea Grant) to create the new “Tuahine Aquaculture Research and Education Center.”
The Hawaiian Islands have just the right water resources and climate to support the aquaculture farming of fish, shellfish, algae, etc. So what’s holding back this potentially profitable industry? A lack of affordable local feed. Feed accounts for 60%+ of aquaculture production costs, and all of it is imported.
In ancient Hawaiʻi, fishponds were remarkably successful in ensuring a steady supply of food. In modern times, these seafood “farms” can greatly relieve pressure on wild stocks and supplement market demands – especially local species that are increasingly important economically.
A decade ago, a college-to-college memorandum of understanding between UH and the Korea Food Research Institute had facilitated a robust exchange of research programs, labs, conferences, workshops, and more.
For the first time, researchers at the UH Health and Stranding Lab have successfully detected Fraser’s morbillivirus, which can cause respiratory and neurological disease, in the feces of a dolphin. And one co-author is CTAHR grad student Cody Clifton."Understanding disease threats is important to the animal sciences,” says Cody.