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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #229691
Title: Use of recirculating aquaculture systems to increase production and quality of hatchery reared juvenile red drum for marine stock enhancement

Author
item WILLS, PAUL - HBOI-FAU
item Pfeiffer, Tim
item DAVIS, MEGAN - HBOI-FAU

Submitted to: American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/31/2008
Publication Date: 8/18/2008
Citation: Wills, P., Pfeiffer, T.J., Davis, M. 2008. Use of recirculating aquaculture systems to increase production and quality of hatchery reared juvenile red drum for marine stock enhancement [abstract]. 138th American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, August 17-21, 2008, Ottawa, Canada. p.147.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The abundance of economically important marine sportfish has declined in Florida’s waters due to factors such as over-fishing and critical habitat disturbance. Hatchery production and enhancement stocking has traditionally been used in freshwater systems as a means of mitigating for effects such as this. In the past stocking of marine systems was believed to be a fruitless effort, however, success has been recorded with marine fish stocking programs; red drum Sciaenops ocellatus in particular. Red Drum is one of the most important marine sportfish fisheries in the state of Florida with over 3 million fish caught per year. Based on the success of their stocking program in Tampa Bay, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) is developing the Florida’s New Saltwater Fish Hatchery Initiative (HNI) to expand the FFWCC’s saltwater fish enhancement stocking program. The conceptual designs and performance information collected in prototype systems at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in collaboration with the Engineering Unit of the Sustainable Marine Aquaculuture project of the USDA Agricultural Research Service will be used to design the new hatcheries that FFWCC plans to build throughout the state of Florida.