The University of Maine is trying to teach the next generation of skilled people how to work in aquaculture.
This fall, work will begin on plans for a new $10 million Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce Innovation Center on the Orono site.
Debbie Bouchard, an associate extension professor and head of the Aquaculture Research Institute, said that students will learn how to grow fish in recirculating tanks on land in the real world.
“Having the extra space to engage more students in systems that resemble those of commercial scale is going to be really exciting for us,” said Bouchard.
Bouchard said that four big fishing companies that are moving to Maine have already called the school to hire people. The Maine Aquaculture Association said that over the next fifteen years, they will need more than 1,300 more workers.
Aquaculture is one of the world’s food systems that is growing the fastest. This is because many wild fish populations are recovering from being overfished, and the demand for fresh seafood keeps going up.
Bouchard said the center would help aquaculture grow in Maine in a way that is sustainable and teach kids how to run their own shellfish or fin fish businesses.
“Being able to assess water quality, being able to determine production systems, animal husbandry for fin fish, fish health sort of observation,” Bouchard said.
Bouchard stressed that the new aquaculture center will help make food more secure and more resistant to climate change through study and new ideas. At the moment, the U.S. imports about 65% of its fish.
She also said that students have a unique chance to help support coastal communities and improve food production in the United States.