UMaine Aquaculture Research, Facilities on Display in Open House Event

The University of Maine’s Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) facilities and latest research findings will be the focus of a two-day open house event Aug. 23-24 at UMaine’s research centers in Walpole, Franklin and Orono.
Tours and activities will be held at all three sites at 1 p.m. on Aug. 23, and in Orono on Aug. 24, in a daylong research showcase.

The Aug. 23 events include a tour of the facilities at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole, including the UMaine shellfish hatchery, broodstock conditioning room, and a temperature controlled room, which provide researchers access to some of the most pristine and productive culture sites in the Northeastern U.S. At the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR) in Franklin, there will be tours of facilities for cold-water marine fish, tropical marine fish and a variety of invertebrates. In Orono, ARI staff will conduct a teacher workshop in aquaponics, the symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a recirculating environment. Teachers can use aquaponics in the classroom for lessons in biology, physics, chemistry, horticulture, zoology and nutrition. The workshop, which will be held at the Aquaculture Research Center on the UMaine campus, will offer opportunities for hands-on experience and ideas for lesson plans.

There is no fee for any of the events, although registration is required for the aquaponics workshop because space is limited.

ARI will hold a research showcase on Aug. 24 at Wells Conference Center to highlight the latest ARI efforts and findings. Some of the subject areas include urchin culture; seaweed production on mussel farms; the effect of ocean acidification on lobster larvae; the effects of high-pressure processing on abalone meat; carbon dioxide-induced cataracts in cod; razor clam hatchery; and aquaculture and the lobster industry.

Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association, will speak at 9:10 a.m.

Registration for the showcase begins at 8:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.

More information, including registration information, is available at umaine.edu/aquaculture/.

Contact: Anne Langston, anne.langston@umit.maine.edu; Jessica Bloch, (207) 581-3777 or jessica.bloch@umit.maine.edu