Regulatory barriers are starting to come down for offshore farming in Southern California and the Gulf of Mexico—NOAA’s two initial Aquaculture Opportunity Areas. Additionally, land-based recirculating aquaculture systems, widely known as RAS, are already in place at several locations around the country with robust interest to add more. What’s needed next is a steady supply of marine fish deemed commercially ready for farming to support this industry.
Armed with a new funding award from NOAA National Sea Grant Office, California Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist Luke Gardner in collaboration with Senior Research Scientist Mark Drawbridge at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) will be working to develop reliable broodstock, hatchery and larval technology for year-round production of high-quality California yellowtail (Seriola dorsalis) fingerlings to support farming operations. Improving hatchery efficiency and fingerling quality will help ensure economically viable domestic commercial production for the species.
Yellowtail is a high-value farmed marine fish with production topping more than 130,000 tons annually. The vast majority of production occurs internationally using wild juveniles to stock farms. Based on a large predicted increase in demand for nutritious fish, governments and farmers are looking to develop more production capacity. With limited supplies of wild juveniles, reliable hatchery techniques must be developed and optimized to support the increase in production. With a number of commercial yellowtail farms being proposed and undergoing permitting review in the U.S., including a proposed offshore farm in Southern California, this research will lead to better techniques not reliant on wild collections, for year-round production and increased quality among yellowtail fingerlings that can be used by farming operations across the U.S.
Luke Gardner