(BIVN) – The University of Hawaiʻi is joining a $13.5 million aquaculture consortium, set to “play a pivotal role in a new national effort to strengthen America’s seafood supply and expand sustainable aquaculture”, UH says.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the creation of the Cooperative Institute Fostering Aquaculture Research and Markets (CIFARM), which will be funded by an initial $13.5 million investment for its first year. The five-year cooperative institute “aims to harness partnerships with researchers to unlock the potential of U.S. marine aquaculture,” the university says. The University of New Hampshire will serve as the host institution. The University of Hawaiʻi will participate as one of five core consortium members.
Associate Professor Chatham Callan out of the UH Hilo Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center is leading the UH research team participating in CIFARM. Callan is joined by co-investigators Professor Maria Haws of PACRC, Associate Research Professor Erik Franklin of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at UH Mānoa, and Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Associate Director for Extension Darren Okimoto and several other UH Faculty partners.
From the UH news release:
“Being selected as a core member of CIFARM is a testament to the decades of world-class aquaculture research happening right here in Hawaiʻi,” said Callan in the news release. “Through our partnerships with Native Hawaiian communities, we draw on a tradition of ocean stewardship and fishpond engineering that stretches back centuries. Our UH team is excited to bring that unique Pacific perspective and expertise to the national stage. By focusing on cutting-edge tech, environmental forecasting, and real-world marine demonstration projects, we are actively building the blueprint for a more resilient, self-sufficient seafood industry.”
$24B in imported seafood annually
CIFARM’s core mission is to solve real-world challenges affecting seafood producers and consumers while reducing the nation’s reliance on imported seafood. Currently, Americans consume more than $24 billion in imported seafood annually, with approximately half estimated to be farmed overseas. By advancing domestic aquaculture, CIFARM aims to bolster national food security, create jobs and uplift coastal economies in complement to wild-capture fisheries.
The UH team will contribute to a broad range of research priorities. CIFARM researchers will investigate scientific solutions that can be leveraged for industry advancement. Key focus areas include engineering and technology development, artificial intelligence for aquaculture, environmental observations and forecasting, and marine aquaculture demonstration projects. The consortium will also conduct critical risk management, vulnerability analyses and seafood market research. The Hawaii team will also partner with USAPI researchers, including University of Guam Sea Grant and the Marine & Environmental Research Institute in FSM to extend CIFARM’s reach throughout the Pacific.
“This partnership underscores the University of Hawaiʻi’s vital role in advancing sustainable aquaculture systems that directly impact our global food supply,” said Norman Arancon, director of the UH Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management. “We have always championed practical, impactful science. Through CIFARM, our researchers and students will be at the forefront of a $13.5 million national effort, utilizing Hawaiʻi’s unique seascape to drive economic growth, bolster food security, and train the next generation of leaders in sustainable marine aquaculture.”
Hawaiʻi is uniquely positioned for this work. The state is already home to Blue Ocean Mariculture in Kona, currently the only offshore fish farm in the U.S., providing a vital real-world connection to the consortium’s demonstration and commercialization goals.
In addition to University of New Hampshire and UH, the network includes Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, New Hampshire Sea Grant, the University of Miami, Florida Sea Grant, the University of Southern Mississippi, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute and California Sea Grant.
