Cooperative Agreement 5980825002

INNOVATING NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES OF RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS -- OVER THE PAST DECADE, THE U.S. FARMED SALMON INDUSTRY HAS DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT GROWTH AND SUBSTANTIAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN LARGE-SCALE LAND-BASED, CLOSED-CONTAINMENT OPERATIONS UTILIZING WATER RECIRCULATION AQUACULTURE SYSTEM (RAS) TECHNOLOGIES. THERE ARE NUMEROUS ADVANTAGES TO LAND-BASED RAS COMPARED TO MORE TRADITIONAL FARMING METHODS; THESE ADVANTAGES INCLUDE INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF FISH CULTURE CONDITIONS FOR OPTIMIZED AND BIOSECURE FISH PRODUCTION, THE ABILITY TO STRATEGICALLY LOCATE FARMS CLOSE TO MARKETS OR REGIONS SUPPLYING INEXPENSIVE POWER, AND THE ENHANCED ABILITY TO CAPTURE WASTES TO REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION SIGNIFICANTLY. AS A RELATIVELY NEW APPROACH TO SALMON FARMING, HOWEVER, THERE REMAINS CONSIDERABLE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN REFINING AND OPTIMIZING THE TECHNOLOGICAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF RAS PRODUCTION. THE CONSERVATION FUND FRESHWATER INSTITUTE (TCFFI), AN EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH PROGRAM OF THE USDA-ARS, HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF RAS TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SINCE THE 1990S, AND CONTINUE TO BE UNIQUELY SUITED TO SERVE THIS GROWING AGRICULTURAL SECTOR THROUGH FOCUSED STAKEHOLDER-DRIVEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION. THE NEXT 5-YEAR RESEARCH PLAN WILL FOCUS ON CRITICAL AREAS AND KNOWLEDGE GAPS HINDER GROWTH IN THE U.S. LAND-BASED, CLOSED-CONTAINMENT RAS SALMON INDUSTRY. SPECIFICALLY, OBJECTIVES ARE TO 1) OPTIMIZE GENETIC X ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS FOR ATLANTIC SALMON PERFORMANCE IN RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS, 2) DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE IMPACTS OF EARLY MATURATION IN ATLANTIC SALMON ON GROWTH AND PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY, 3) DEVELOP PRECISION AQUACULTURE STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEM PRODUCTION EFFICIENCIES, 4) DEVELOP AND OPTIMIZE METHODS TO TRANSFORM RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEM WASTE PRODUCTS TO VALUABLE, ALTERNATIVE REVENUE STREAMS, AND 5) OPTIMIZE RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEM PARAMETERS FOR COHO SALMON.