Federal Grant Award Summary

Texas State University received a $440,877.13 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), effective January 15, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2028. The project addresses critical production challenges in aquaculture by characterizing genetic variation in hypoxia tolerance among selectively bred rainbow trout lines and investigating nutritional strategies to enhance hypoxia tolerance. As aquaculture production must increase by approximately 157% to meet global protein demand, this research targets the unintended negative consequences of selective breeding for growth and disease resistance traits—specifically reduced tolerance to low dissolved oxygen—which currently forces farmers to employ costly mitigation strategies that reduce production capacity.

The primary deliverables include comprehensive research characterizing how genetically improved rainbow trout lines with high fillet yield and enhanced disease resistance respond to hypoxia stress, coupled with evaluation of nutritional interventions to improve oxygen tolerance. By combining genetic analysis with nutritional research, the project aims to enable farmers to maintain production efficiency without requiring economically infeasible supplemental oxygen systems or capacity-reducing operational adjustments. The research is conducted at the recipient institution's location in San Marcos, Texas, and contributes to the AFRI program's priority area of animal health and production.