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University of Miami receives federal funding to build RAS

University of Miami students studying aquaculture are very grateful for a federal grant that they can use to build a design a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS).

The Aquaculture Program at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science (RSMAES) recently received US$750,000 worth of federal funding, a report from the Miami Hurricane said.

The Rosenstiel School is helping to advance hatchery and growout technology in the United States and beyond. The RSMAES’s aquaculture program plays a major role in aquaculture development, consultation and participation, technology transfer of marine fish hatchery and growout for commercial operations around the globe, according to the the university. The schools places emphasis on close collaboration with academic and research institutions, industry leaders, environmental organizations, government agencies, and regulators.

Students and researchers in the program work on various species including: yellowtail snapper flounder, mahi-mahi, red snapper, cobia, almaco jack, Nassau grouper, hogfish, and even stone crabs.

The funding will be used to design and create a RAS that will allow fish in the program to reach commercial size and the seafood market, said Dr. Daniel Benetti, aquaculture director for the UM. Aquaculture is key to sustainable seafood production in the southeastern United States, he added.