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Aquaculture Program

Education, research, outreach and policy aimed at promoting the development of one of the country's fastest growing segments of agriculture.

School of Natural Resources , College of Agricultural & Life Sciences , University of Wisconsin-Madison

Aquaculture is Agriculture

Aquaculture involves the controlled rearing of aquatic animals and plants for food or natural resource enhancement. For many years scientists have realized that the wild-capture fisheries throughout the world have expanded to their limit, and any future increase in the production of seafood products will come from aquaculture.

Due to the expanding U.S. population and increasing awareness of the health benefits of seafood in our diets, the demand for seafood products continues to soar. More and more seafood is being imported into the U.S., and in 1999 the U.S. trade deficit in seafood was over $7 billion, ranking third among all imported products.

During the last decade the commercial culture of food fish in the U.S. has increased at an annual rate of greater than 15%, making it the fastest growing sector of food production in the country. The U.S. aquaculture industry is currently valued at over $1 billion.

Today, Wisconsin boasts a well-established aquaculture industry. According the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state ranks as the nation's fifth largest producer of rainbow trout, and more than 350 fish farmers raise a variety of food, game, and bait fish.

Education, Research, Outreach, Policy

UW-Madison aquaculture education and research span a wide range of disciplines -- animal science, veterinary medicine, endocrinology, genetics, physiology, nutrition, limnology and engineering -- cooperating to bolster aquaculture in Wisconsin. Together with Sea Grant Advisory Services, researchers provide on-site consultations and work closely with fish farmers, food manufacturers and private-sector investors.

UW aquaculture scientists also provide information for planning and policy decisions. For example, investigators from the Program helped design the Wisconsin State Aquaculture Plan. This plan highlights the potential for a growing aquaculture industry in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region. Other advisory responsibilities include contributing to the national Sea Grant Aquaculture Plan, extensive participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture North Central Regional Aquaculture Center, and playing an active role on the Wisconsin Aquaculture Industry Advisory Council.

A Cooperative Effort

The UW-Madison Aquaculture Program receives help and cooperation from private-sector investors, industry and the following organizations:

• UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
• UW-Madison College of Engineering
• University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
• Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
• Wisconsin Aquaculture Association
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
• North Central Regional Aquaculture Center
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Great Lakes Fishery Commission
• Great Lakes Water Institute

Goals of the Program

The climate of the Great Lakes Region favors aquaculture production of cool water species such as yellow perch, walleye, muskellunge, and bass, and cold water species including trout, salmon, and whitefish. The UW-Madison Aquaculture Program aims to expand and improve the body of scientific and technical information available for raising and propagating these species.

Aquaculture research is currently focusing on genetics, control of sex and reproduction, stress physiology, disease resistance and other aspects of fish health and growth. Additionally, applied studies aim to improve on established fish culture methods and develop new and innovative strategies and procedures.

Over the next five years, the UW-Madison Aquaculture Program plans to: (1) evaluate the potential of hybridization, genetic manipulations, genetic selection and hormonal methods for enhancing growth and controlling reproduction in yellow perch and walleye; (2) characterize the physiological stress responses of rainbow trout and yellow perch, and develop methods of producing domesticated fish strains which are highly tolerant of stressors commonly encountered under aquaculture conditions in the Great Lakes region; and (3) evaluate various intensive tank and pond methods for producing yellow perch and walleye.

Fishery enhancement programs and commercial aquaculture alike stand to benefit from the new knowledge and techniques garnered from these efforts of the Program.

Facilities

The UW-Madison Aquaculture Program has one primary research facility located at the Lake Mills State Fish Hatchery, thanks to a cooperative agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Features of the Lake Mills Hatchery include over 40 ponds ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 acres, 2 outdoor raceways, 8 indoor raceways, and an abundant supply of lake water, well water, and charcoal-filtered municipal water.

To accommodate the UW-Madison Aquaculture Program, in the mid-1980's one hatchery building was remodeled and expanded, and new analytical and wet laboratory facilities were constructed. A total of over 5,000 square feet of wet- and analytical laboratory space are available at Lake Mills for Aquaculture Program researchers.

In 2000, the Aquaculture Program, with assistance from the U.S. Army, UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, WDNR, and various private sector donations, completed the construction of a set of 10 new research ponds at Lake Mills. Being the only ponds designed for aquaculture research in the state, this investment has significantly improved the research capabilities of the Aquaculture Program.

The Aquaculture Program also has a sizeable on-campus research facility located in the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory. These facilities, which became fully operational in 1991, consist of well-equipped analytical and wet laboratories as well as office space. The on-campus location of these facilities greatly facilitates the education and training of both graduate and undergraduate students.

If you would like further information about the UW-Madison Aquaculture Program, contact:

UW-Madison Aquaculture Program
Department of Animal Sciences
658 Animal Sciences
1675 Observatory Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 263-1242
jmalison@facstaff.wisc.edu

Other Sites

• More information on the Aquaculture Program from CALS.
• Wisconsin Aquaculture Association
• Aquaculture Network Information Center

Staff

Dr. Jeff Malison, Director
Dr. Terance Barry