UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment –
 Annual Report for 2001-20002

Executive Summary – An agreement was reached with the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture, Agriculture Research Service, USDA, in West Virginia, to enter into a cooperative agreement to jointly conduct rainbow trout broodstock improvement studies. This work will be carried out at Idaho Springs, the trout farm on Billingsley Creek owned by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, but operated by the University of Idaho. Funding to support facility modifications to improve the water delivery system and fence the raceways where valuable ARS broodstock will be held was obtained.

Funding to augment the University of Idaho building allocation to expand the Hagerman Station was obtained from the Northwest Power Planning Council, through the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC). Facilities will be expanded to accommodate expanded genetic analysis of Pacific salmon stocks, and to allow distance learning activities to be developed for outreach activities, including those planned in cooperation with CRITFC.

Station scientists were awarded 11 new grants and contracts in 2002, plus nine continuing grants and contracts were renewed. Funding from these grants and contracts totaled $1,243,032, of which $639,774 was new and $603,258 was continuing. ARS support for its scientist at the Station ($250,000) continued, and additional ARS funding for a post-doctoral position and for high-tech research equipment was awarded. Two additional ARS scientist positions were created for the Hagerman Station, and recruitment efforts for these positions have begun.

Aquaculture Research Institute Director Dr. Ernie Brannon retired, and Dr. Ron Hardy, who now directs both the Institute programs on the Moscow campus and the Hagerman Station, filled his position.

Trout: 2002 Sales of Food Fish 12"or longer in the western US.

NASS Trout Production Report released 2-28-03    

Dr. Christopher Myrick

The Fisheries Biology program at Colorado State University (CSU) has undergone some significant changes in the past three years.  Dr. Steve Flickinger, an authority on the culture of warm-water fishes, retired at the start of the year 2000.  Instead of replacing him with one professor, the Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology (FWB) convinced the CSU administration to hire two assistant professors, both to fulfill Dr. Flickinger’s role, and to expand the fisheries program.  Dr. Marlis Douglas, a conservation geneticist who works extensively with fish, brings a new dimension to our department, as does Dr. Michael Douglas, who was hired as a senior research scientist.  Dr. Douglas converted the basement of the Wagar building into a first-class genetics laboratory and in addition to continuing their work on fishes in the desert southwest, are conducting research on fishes native to Colorado.

The other new professor, Dr. Christopher Myrick, is a fish physiologist with interests in both aquaculture and fish passage issues.  Upon his arrival at CSU, Dr. Myrick immediately began working with the FWB department head, Dr. Randy Robinette and a team of architects and engineers to design a state-of-the-art research facility where research on fish culture, fish physiology, and fish culture could be conducted.  The design process took two years, but construction of the Foothills Fishery laboratory was finally started in December 2001.  One year later, the building was completed, and following extensive testing during the spring of 2003, it will add an important new facet to CSU’s multi-faceted fisheries research capabilities.

Figure 1.  The new Foothills Fishery building at Colorado State University, completed in December 2002.  The building is 40 feet wide and 100 feet long.  The building houses a 20’ ´ 20’ analytical laboratory and a 40’ ´ 80’ multi-purpose wet lab.

The new building is designed as a flexible research lab that provides enough basic infrastructure to allow CSU faculty to conduct multiple simultaneous studies and/or course exercises. The building is 40 feet wide and 100 feet long, and hold a smaller 20 foot by 20 foot analytical or “dry” laboratory.  The water treatment plant occupies another 20’ ´ 20’ section, and the remaining 40’ ´ 80’ space is an open-plan “wet” laboratory.   A series of overhead pipes can deliver water and compressed air to any part of the building, and there are power outlets liberally spaced throughout the building.

Figure 2.  View of the interior of the new Foothills Fishery building.  The tanks on the left are being installed as part of a fish culture course, while the green troughs on the right are being used in a fish physiology laboratory.  Water and power are delivered from a system of overhead pipes and conduits, and wastewater is collected in a trench running along the center of the building.

One initial concern was the ability to replicate physical and chemical water characteristics for most regions in Colorado.  To meet this concern, the building receives water from two sources: a surface water source that is supplied with relatively soft water from the western slope of the Continental Divide, and a local well that provides relatively hard water that has characteristics similar to eastern slope waters.  Because of disease concerns, incoming surface water is mechanically filtered and then treated with both ozone and ultraviolet light.  All wastewater can be routed to the municipal sewage system (e.g., when the facility is being disinfected) or it can be mechanically filtered and treated with ozone before being discharged.   The new facility also includes a boiler that can deliver 25 gpm of lake or well water at 104°F, and a chiller that can deliver 25 gpm of lake or well water chilled to 40°F, thus giving researchers the ability to mix recreate most water temperatures fish are likely to encounter.

The new building is already being put to use—Dr. Myrick is using some of the space for laboratory exercises in his Fish Physiology and Fish Culture courses, and Dr. Kurt Fausch is setting up a series of 18 stream tanks to study the effects of competition from juvenile brook trout on the over-winter survival of juvenile Colorado River cutthroat trout.  In the summer of 2003, Dr. Myrick plans to start a study on the design of fish passage structures for some of the smaller native non-gamefishes from Colorado’s eastern plains.  As with any new facility, there will be bugs and glitches that need to be discovered and fixed, but this process will hopefully be complete by the end of 2003.  At that time, it is expected that the facility will start to make a significant contribution to CSU’s research productivity.

In 1998, the Fisheries Biology program at Colorado State University was ranked among the best in the nation in an informal poll conducted by the American Fisheries Society.  Today, we continue to strive for excellence, and with the recent additions to our program, we are confident that we will be able to do so, both in terms of undergraduate and graduate training, and basic and applied research in fish ecology, fisheries management, fish culture, fish physiology, and fisheries conservation.

Steve Harbell
Marine Resources Agent
Cooperative Extension
Washington State University

More than half of the oysters on the west coast are grown in Washington’s coastal estuaries, with annual production  of  nearly five million pounds shucked weight. Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor have just the right conditions of high quality water, abundant phytoplankton food sources, and extensive intertidal ground  for rapid growth of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. Yet growers have been struggling to deal with a serious weed problem that threatens this important industry.

The exotic cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, introduced into Willapa Bay nearly a hundred years ago from the east coast, has grown rapidly in its new environment, taking over critical areas for shellfish production. Like other weed species, the plant is able to out-compete native plants, and grows at a variety of tidal elevations. It’s unique root structure allows it to successfully over-winter in areas with low substrate oxygen levels, then rapidly grow in the spring, to a height of over three feet. As the clones of Spartina spread, their root systems increase in size, elevating the ground surface, and the dense foliage captures sediment in the water column. The result is a complete change in inter-tidal habitat, and a displacement of native plants and animals, including both commercial marine species, and waterfowl.

Various control measures have been tried on Spartina, including physical controls like mowing and crushing, and herbicide applications with Rodeo. However, in the wet and muddy marine habitat, these methods are both difficult and expensive. A new biological control program was initiated four years ago, using the leafhopper, Prokelesia marginata, a natural pest of Spartina on the east coast. The leafhopper attacks the plant by piercing its leaves and feeding on the flowing plant juices. In large numbers, these insects can completely kill the plants, before moving on to the next area. Carefully designed testing and release strategies were developed before the insect was released in 1999 at six sites in Willapa Bay. The bugs grew rapidly, feeding on the huge marshes of Spartina, that had evolved to be naturally susceptible to this formerly absent pest. Additional releases were made the following three seasons, and over-wintering populations were monitored for survival and reproduction.

In the coming fourth summer season following release, scientists, growers, and resource managers will finally be able to get some sense of the success or failure of this biological control approach. The leafhopper populations are now almost high enough to impact the many Spartina infested areas that continue to threaten shellfish operations. Only after careful monitoring and evaluation this summer, will we know if Prokelesia is the answer to the Spartina problem.

Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center (NRAC) Releases Aquaculture Digest

The Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center recently released its first issue Volume 1,  No.1 (January 2003) of an Aquaculture Digest summarizing events and activities of interest within the northeast region. Categories include: Publications, Production & Technological Innovations, Business Development & Economics, Environmental & Legal Issues, Meeting & Conferences and Research & Extension.  The digest is offered online in pdf format that the NRAC Web site. For a copy of the Digest see < http://www.umassd.edu/specialprograms/NRAC/welcome.html

Momentum is clearly continuing to build for the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association (ECSGA), which wrapped up its first official meeting in Charleston, SC on Nov. 21 at the International Conference on Shellfish Restoration. The group decided that its number one priority is to produce tangible products that support the industry. The first will be a position paper on the beneficial impacts of shellfish culture on the environment. The goal is to submit it as a short opinion piece to the journal Science. The next step will be to distill the information in that paper into simple language and print it as a glossy brochure that can be distributed to consumers, members of the press, public officials, lawmakers, and environmental groups. ECSGA hopes eventually to hire an executive director who could travel to conferences and to Capitol Hill, getting the facts about shellfish and shellfish culture and making sure that public money is focused on issues and research important to the industry. On of ECSGA's founding organizers, Bob Rheault of Moonstone Oysters in Wakefield, RI, acknowledged that getting the group off the ground has been challenging because "the East Coast industry is a very diverse group, composed of hundreds of small growers spread across a huge geographic range". Because these growers don't have the resources to deal with the big issues facing the industry on their own, they need a unified voice. "If we don't speak up for ourselves, then someone else is going to be setting the agenda for our industry," Rheault said. "Whether that is the regulators, the NGOs, or the powerful Gulf coast growers, it is not going to be in our best interest"

For further information, and a membership application, check out ECSGA's new web site at www.ecsga.org.  

Or contact them at:  
East Coast Shellfish Growers Association 
C/O Gef Flimlin 
RCE of Ocean County 
1623 Whitesville Rd. 
Toms River, New Jersey   08755 
Email: flimlin@aesop.rutgers.edu

Through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture, the MAA has developed a program to help improve the demand for high quality shellfish raised in the waters surrounding Cape Cod and the Islands. The goal is to educate the public, chefs, and seafood markets to support local aquaculture  and increase demand for locally grown shellfish.

Marketing items for those producers participating in the program include:

1. Point of Purchase ice display tags with a new logo and the words; "Our Quality Comes From Caring" 
2. A full color informational brochure to educate the consumer about aquaculture and the benefits of eating shellfish. 
3. A window sticker with our new logo and the words: "Proudly Served Here" for use at participating restaurants and markets. 
4. Tear off recipe cards with simple shellfish recipes to be displayed at participating markets.

For additional information about the marketing program, contact the Massachusetts Aquaculture Association, P.O. Box 500, North Eastham, MA 02651 
Voice and Fax: (508) 247-9122; Email: <info@massaqua.org> or visit the MAA Web site at <http://www.massaqua.org/>.

A multi-institutional executive committee comprised of Rhode Island state, university, industry, and other aquaculture leaders was formulated to determine priorities for projects to be funded with the $1.5 million obtained for aquaculture development in Rhode Island by U.S. Senator Jack Reed. Funds were routed from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research to the Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program at the University of Rhode Island (URI) and managed by David Alves, Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) state aquaculture initiative coordinator, assisted by Barry Costa-Pierce, Rhode Island Sea Grant Director, and Ames Colt, Rhode Island Sea Grant Associate Director. Rhode Island Sea Grant  reports to the NOAA-Sea Grant Project Manager, Jim McVey, in Washington, DC. CRMC has signed a  memorandum of understanding with Rhode Island Sea Grant, the University of Rhode Island, and Roger Williams University to manage the project.  The Rhode Island Aquaculture Initiative has awarded $600,000 toward aquaculture research and development in the state through a series of multi-year research grants and one-year "mini-grants."  For information on funded projects and other aspects of the program, contact David Alves, State Aquaculture Initiative Coordinator, Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, Stedman Government Center, 4808 Tower Hill Rd., Wakefield, RI 02879. Phone: 401-783-3370; Fax: 401-783-3767; Email: <dalves@crmc.state.ri.us>.

Orono, ME --- On Thursday, April 3, 2003 salmon industry personnel, scientists, fish health specialists, and agency representatives met at the University of Maine at Machias for the 11th Annual New England Farmed Fish Health Management Workshop. Experts from Canada, Norway, Scotland and the U.S. will give presentations on current issues, including the benefits and consequences of marking farmed salmon, indicators of stress in fish, infectious salmon anemia and its control, biosecurity, emerging diseases in finfish, and monitoring the environmental impact of salmon farms. The workshop provided practical information to fish farm and allied industry personnel that could help them fine-tune fish health management practices.

Speakers and panelists for the workshop included Hugh Mitchell of Novartis/Aqua Health, Washington; George Iwama of the National Research Council, Canada; Diane Elliott of Northwest Biological Science Center, Washington; Grete Baverfjord of Akvaforsk, Norway; Lori Gustafson of the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service; Hugh Ferguson of the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Scotland; and Ragnar Thorarinsson of Alpharma Animal Health - Aquatic Products, Norway.

The workshop was preceded by an evening reception on Wednesday, April 2, at the Machias Motor Inn Banquet Room, sponsored by the Maine Aquaculture Association. On Friday, April 4, Bob Hukki from Atlantic Salmon and Sea Grant/Cooperative Extension Associate Chris Bartlett took interested participants on a tour of Atlantic Salmon of Maine's facility in Machiasport.

Sponsors of the Farmed Fish Health Management Workshop included the Maine Sea Grant Program, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, and Maine Aquaculture Association. 

For more information, contact Chris Bartlett at (207) 853-2518 ext 4212. 

This authoritative text on ecological aquaculture, aquaculture ecosystems, and sustainable aquaculture is now available from Rhode Island Sea Grant. The first text relating modern, ecological principles and analytical approaches to aquaculture.

The book:  Provides in-depth analysis of household and village ecosystems and the social ecology of international aquaculture development includes detailed discussions of aquaculture farming systems methods used to revise the entire way  traditional aquaculture extension is organized and conducted suitable for ecosystems managers and researchers concerned with the roles of aquaculture in aquatic resource management, fisheries enhancement, and natural ecosystems illustrated hardback book. 328 pages. $110 plus $10 shipping and handling to U.S. addresses, $20 shipping and handling to non-U.S. addresses. For more information on this title, please contact Jean Gallo, <jgallo@gso.uri.edu>.

The Seafood Watch Program http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp rates various species as to their suitability for consumption based upon either the environmental impact from capture fisheries or aquaculture. The Seafood Watch Program had rated farmed rainbow trout with a "proceed with caution." However, with new and correct information supplied by Dr. Randy MacMillan, Dr. Jeff Hinshaw (North Carolina State University), Idaho DEQ, Dr. Ron Hardy, and Gary Fornshell the Monterey Bay Aquarium reconsidered and now offers the following at their web site: Several species of trout inhabit freshwater streams in Europe and North America. The rainbow trout, native only to western North America, is now widely farm-raised. All trout you’ll find in U.S. markets is farm-raised, mainly from the states of Idaho and North Carolina. U.S. trout farms are regulated and monitored by the EPA and state water quality departments. Though there has been concern that farmed trout could spread disease to wild trout populations, research shows that disease outbreaks and their effect on wild populations are minimal. Although trout are carnivorous fish, they are efficient at converting their feed into edible protein. To reduce their impact on wild fisheries, trout farmers are reducing the amount of fishmeal in trout feed. Therefore, we can recommend trout as a "Best Choice".

MONCTON, NB - Salmon farming is often blamed for damaging the environment, but a researcher from Rhode Island says he believes the $200-million industry is good for the environment. 

Aquaculture professor Barry Costa-Pierce from the University of Rhode Island was this year's Distinguished Lecturer at the AquaNet conference that took place September 14-17, 2002 in Moncton.  Costa-Pierce would like to see more farming of the waters, saying it could actually restore some damaged fisheries.

"There is really good evidence from Iceland that aquaculturally enhanced salmon populations are not displacing the wild salmon. They're adding to the wild and helping make it as healthy as it once was," he said.

Atlantic salmon has been commercially farmed since the 1970s, but the potential of aquaculture in Atlantic Canada hasn't been fully tapped, said Costa-Pierce. David Rideout of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) agrees.

"There's huge potential in Atlantic Canada, not only in the traditional species such as mussels, oysters, salmon, trout, but also in the emerging species:  cod, haddock, halibut," Rideout said.

Many environmentalists in the province would oppose the idea of expanding aquaculture.  Apart from the potential problem of displacing traditional fisheries or spawning grounds, environmentalists say the aquaculture industry pollutes.

Costa-Pierce acknowledges there is an environmental impact. "That environmental impact can be well-managed, well-sited, well-planned for, but it's not irreversible. You move on and the marine environment comes back very quickly," he said.  Huge advances have been made in limiting feed waste, a major pollutant. As those advances continue, said Costa-Pierce, the benefits of aquaculture will far outweigh the risks.

-Courtesy CBC New Brunswick