The College of the Florida Keys (CFK) Southernmost Marine Aquaculture Research & Training (SMART) Center is open to all students on campus for open volunteer opportunities and select work study availabilities. Our aquaculture lab operates on a year-round production of various tropical ornamental species such as clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris , Amphiprion frenatus and Premnas biaculeatus), blue neon gobies (Elacatinus oceanops) , and orchid dottybacks (Pseudochromis fridmani ). The Tropical Ornamental Mariculture Technicians Certificate (TOMT) provides training for careers in production, aquatic animal husbandry, restoration, and public aquariums. Courses such as Diseases and Parasites in Marine Aquaculture, Aquaculture Best Management Practices, Mariculture Systems and Design, Tropical Ornamental Mariculture, and Nutrition of Mariculture Species reinforce student knowledge from course lectures by gaining professional, hands-on work experience with ornamental production. From larviculture of marine ornamentals to cultivation of microalgal and planktonic live feeds, aquaculture technicians and mentors at CFK encourage all students to come in and get their hands wet. The CFK aquaculture production utilizes natural ocean seawater from a nearshore intake off the college property. From the intake, ocean water is provided to the CFK outdoor flowthrough system and to our SMART Center for sterilization before use in aquaria.
Federal and state grants fund numerous restoration and conservation projects lead by Dr. Patrick Rice, Chief Science and Research Officer, and local partners, industry collaborations, and academic institution connections. Of these grant opportunities, the CFK SMART Center is home to the first known black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) aquaculture domestication effort. Since 2020, the CFK SMART Center has housed female black grouper broodstock. Now, technicians look to incorporate Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) to mitigate system challenges, such as water quality, through various macroalgae ( Ulva lactuca , Chaetomorpha sp., Gracilaria sp., Asperagopsis taxiformis ) and eastern oysters (Cassostrea virginica). The SMART Center is evolving with the reflected interests of current marine science students and their increasing enthusiasm for volunteer opportunities and paid internships in the aquaculture field.