Adding koi milt to eggs at Induced Spawning Workshop

Fish farmers attend an extension program at the Tropical Aquaculture Lab

A group tours TAL facilities

Aquaculture Production Extension

Extension programs delivered through the UF Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory are primarily focused on addressing the needs of Florida’s ornamental aquaculture industry. The laboratory routinely provides support to local industry and extension agents to address a myriad of aquaculture production issues ranging from basic water quality analysis and fish husbandry to complex hormonal manipulations for captive spawning.

Other areas of extension programming include general nutrition, pond management, live feeds and algae production, pest management (including pesticide applicator training and testing), and recirculating system design and operation. Research results, technological developments, and general aquaculture information are transferred to end users through extension literature, phone calls, videos, emails, website content, social media platforms, site visits, and presentations at conferences, workshops, and in-service trainings.

The UF Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory also functions as a demonstration facility and in that capacity serves as a valuable tool for the education of stakeholders through tours of the facility. The ultimate goal of these outreach efforts is to educate and train clientele and assist in instituting new technologies or strategies that result in improved on-farm productivity.