Multi-species facility

Our facility holds a diversity of cold or warm water marine, brackish and fresh water species.  This is possible because we have multiple rearing units, ranging in size from small to very large, located in several greenhouses and insulated buildings equipped with recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).  RAS reduces our dependence on external water supplies and allows precise environmental control suitable for a wide range of organisms. We have broodstock populations of cold water fish such as Atlantic halibut under the same roof as California yellowtail, a more tropical fish.  With advanced RAS technology and heat recapture, industry partner Sea & Reef Aquaculture can rear marine ornamental reef fish in the Maine Aquaculture Business Incubator.  With access to both fresh and brackish well water we can grow species such as trout and American eels on one part of the site, while in another area we rear marine invertebrates such as sea urchins and sand worms.  With interest growing in sea vegetable aquaculture, our species portfolio also includes macroalgae including kelp, dulce and porphyra.

For more information about any of the many species reared at the CCAR facility since 2000, please click on our aquaculture species links.