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Courtesy of the HSWRI Aquaculture Program Research Report, a publication of Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Japanese National Research Institute of Aquaculture have been working together since 1971 to enhance the development of freshwater and marine aquaculture.  Each year Japanese and U.S. scientists attend the aquaculture panel meeting to present and discuss current research on a specific aspect of aquaculture.  In addition, a number of scientists visit their colleagues’ laboratories to advance research and share resources.  This fall, the 42nd annual scientific symposium of UJNR was held at the new Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) in La Jolla.  Participants were treated to tours of the facility and ocean views from the conference room.  The theme of the symposium was “Genetics in Aquaculture”.

HSWRI has taken an active role in the UJNR meetings, especially in recent years.  The opportunities for collaboration are readily apparent given HSWRI’s emphasis on culturing flounder and yellowtail, which are two of Japan’s top species as well.  This year we participated as a member of the organizing committee with others from NOAA, California Sea Grant, and USDA.  The program also offered tours of HSWRI’s hatchery facilities in San Diego and Carlsbad.  Among the presentations at the symposium, talks on Seriola spp. dominated, owing largely to recent expanded collaborations between HSWRI and the SWFSC on yellowtail genetics and physiology.  This work has subsequently expanded to other research centers around the country.
The UJNR meeting returns to Japan next year.

Acknowledgements 

This document reports on aquaculture research projects supported by numerous grants, contracts and private contributions.  It also represents the hard work of many dedicated staff and volunteers throughout southern California, as well as collaborators around the country.  This information was contributed by HSWRI staff and compiled by Senior Research Scientist and HSWRI Aquaculture Program Director Mark Drawbridge.

The aquaculture research program has been active for more than 35 years at HSWRI. The primary objective of this program is to evaluate the feasibility of culturing marine organisms to replenish ocean resources through stocking, and to supply consumers with a direct source of high quality seafood through aquatic farming.  Please direct any questions to Mark Drawbridge at mdrawbridge@hswri.org.