NOAA Sea Grant has confirmed US$2.1 million has been allocated to fund four projects that advance aquaculture research and extension to support sustainable aquaculture in Maine.
The projects are part of a larger $14 million NOAA Sea Grant investment to strengthen aquaculture across the United States.
Investigators from the University of Maine Aquaculture Research Institute, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, UMaine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research, and Maine Sea Grant will lead projects to develop feed for finfish, improve Atlantic sea scallop hatchery techniques, diversify lumpfish broodstock, and advance the work of the Maine Aquaculture Hub, respectively.
“Innovation and diversification in Maine’s aquaculture industry have created new jobs and economic opportunities in our state. We welcome this investment from NOAA, which will support the ongoing, cutting-edge research by UMaine scientists and students. These projects will help to increase the sustainability and economic viability of aquaculture in coastal communities here in Maine and across the country,” said Senators Susan Collins and Angus King in a joint statement.
The Maine projects receiving NOAA Sea Grant funding are:
- · Nutritional strategies for improved larval production of marine finfish with an emphasis on Seriola sp. (PI: Matt Hawkyard, UMaine Aquaculture Research Institute)
- · Cracking the Shell: A collaborative approach to developing hatchery production of the Atlantic sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus (PI: Chris Davis, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center)
- · Domestication and breeding of lumpfish to accelerate successful commercialisation and use for sea lice biocontrol in the Northeast US (PI: Stephen Eddy, UMaine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research)
- · Supporting industry needs through Maine Aquaculture Hub (PI: Dana Morse, Maine Sea Grant)
