Tour Great Lakes fish farms virtually

Ohio Sea Grant, which is part of CFAES, and the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative will host a free public webinar called Great Lakes Aquaculture Days from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2. The program offers virtual tours of farms around the region and Q&A sessions with the farmers and Sea Grant specialists. Find out more. (Photo: Yellow perch, CFAES.)

How your pond can produce more fish

The Intensifying Pond Production of Fish workshop, its website says, will help pond fish producers “to intensify their operation and grow more pounds of fish per acre of water.” It’s July 14 in Marysville in central Ohio, in part at the Millcreek Perch Farm. CFAES’s Aquaculture Boot Camp is a co-host.

Find out more. (Photo: Yellow perch, Ken Chamberlain, CFAES.)

Now THAT sounds intriguing

Hanping Wang, director of CFAES’s Ohio Aquaculture Research and Development Integration Program, has succeeded in raising faster-growing fish — yellow perch and bluegills — “by artificially mating them in a not so typical way.” Ultimately, the breakthrough should have benefits to keeping Ohio fish farmers profitable, producing healthy protein for people and preventing overfishing of wild fish for food. It’s one of our CFAES Stories.

Top 10 service to Ohio’s fish farmers

Successful Farming magazine recently included CFAES aquaculture specialist Matt Smith (pictured) on its list of 10 exceptional Extension specialists from across the U.S.

Smith’s No. 1 priority, says the newsletter of CFAES’s Ohio State University South Centers in Piketon, where he’s based, is to “work toward expanding sustainable and profitable fish farms in the state of Ohio.”

Read the Succesful Farming story.

Class on getting started in fish farming

Want to be a fish farmer? CFAES’s Ohio Center for Aquaculture Research and Development has 30 slots open in its Aquaculture Boot Camp-2, a yearlong program for first-timers and beginners. It offers an in-depth introduction to aquaculture, aquaponics and the business of fish farming. Participation is free, but you have to apply and be chosen. The center is at CFAES’s OSU South Centers in Piketon in southeast Ohio. Net further details.

One-stop local, sustainable fish and veggies

Image of tilapia 2“There’s a noticeable trend throughout agriculture for local, sustainable produce and fish,” says CFAES aquaculture specialist Matthew Smith. “This lets consumers know exactly where their food is coming from.” The “this,” in this case, is aquaponics. He’ll talk about how it works at CFAES’s Farm Science Review next week. (Photo: Tilapia via Pixabay.)

Fish for dinner? How to keep it local, sustainable

Photo of meal of fish and veggies 2The Ohio Aquaculture Association’s 2016 annual conference, featuring talks by a whole school of experts from CFAES, is Jan. 29-30 in Columbus. Of note: An overall focus on helping Ohio fish farms be (or stay) (or be even more) profitable and economically sustainable. And a keynote talk by former CFAES aquaculture specialist and OAA supporter Laura Tiu, who’s now at the University of Florida. Learn more here and here.