Aquaculture America 2024

February 18 - 21, 2024

San Antonio, Texas

FACILITIES SHOWCASE: THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA’S TROPICAL AQUACULTURE LABORATORY

Matthew A. DiMaggio*

 

Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory

Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences

University of Florida/IFAS

Ruskin, FL 33570

mdimaggi@ufl.edu

 



The University of Florida’s Tropical Aquaculture Lab (TAL) is part of the Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences within the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. This laboratory was started in 1996 to better address the needs of the Florida ornamental aquaculture industry. Fish health and applied aquaculture production research were two of the early programs at the TAL. These programs have since expanded to include disciplines such as aquatic ecology, physiology, non-native species ecology and management, reproduction, restoration aquaculture, as well as extension programming in public and youth education. The facilities at the TAL have also expanded over time to now include a 5,000 square foot office building and disease diagnostic laboratory, a hatchery facility, 5 greenhouses, and a 6.5 acre fish farm with 48 ponds. This infrastructure allows the faculty, staff, and students of the TAL the flexbility to address a broad diversity of research foci in an interdisciplinary fashion. Partenerships with Hillsborough Community College, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services and USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, have helped to further strengthen aquaculture programming at the TAL and broaden the resources available to the Florida aquaculture community. Serving Florida’s aquaculture industry by solving problems and creating opportunities, the TAL is committed to working with stakeholders to promote the growth and resilience of US aquaculture.