Lincoln University

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. Aquaculture Remains as the Only Food Production Sector That Has Shown Double-digit Percent Growth in Several Countries Around the World. New Technologies Have Allowed Aquaculture to Occur in Confined Spaces Indoors and in Temperate Climates. However, the United States Has Shown a Decrease in Aquaculture of Finfish and Increases in Catch-fisheries Activities and Imports. This Is Mainly Due to Economic Restrictions and Environmental Regulations. Hence, United States Fish Farmers Need Alternative Production Strategies That Are Economically Viable and Have Reduced Environmental Impacts When Compared to the Traditional Practice of Fish Monoculture. in Small Institutions Like Lincoln University of Missouri, Limitations Such as Budgetary Constraints, Heavy Teaching Load of Faculty, Lack of Subject-matter Experts/faculty, and Lack of Access to State-of-the-art Equipment Restrict the Opportunities of Students in Innovational Areas. This Project Aims to Build Research, Extension, and Education Capacity by Carrying Out Experimental Aquaculture Systems That Will Serve as Nutrient Budget Models for the United States, Extension Models for Missouri Farmers, and an Outlet for Students to Acquire New Skills With Sophisticated Equipment. the Main Objective of This Project Is to Bring Faculty of Different Areas Together to Make Lincoln University the Model for Aquaculture Pond Nutrient Budgets. for Each of the Three Years of This CBG, the Experimental Production Systems Will Serve as Demonstrations for Missouri Fish Farmers, of Which These Systems Are Intended to Improve Economics and Environmentally Friendliness of Aquaculture by Integrating Multiple Species Within the Same Production Space and Time (integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture - Imta). We Will Be Making Use of Sophisticated Equipment for Students to Build Professional Capacity, of Which Lincoln University Is One of the Few Universities in the Region to Have an Aquaculture Laboratory and Relevant Analytical Equipment, Such as a Greenhouse Gas Analyzer. in General, Students Directly Involved With the Project Will Obtain a High Level of Experiential Learning While Other Students Will Receive Enhanced Education When Considering the Potential of Aspects of This Project to Be Integrated in Classroom Activities. We Also Plan to Utilize Land Adjacent to the Aquaculture Laboratory to Have Housing for International Students That Want to Do an Internship as Part of Their Degree Requirements. the Inclusion of International Students Will Enhance the Education of Current Lincoln University Students by Exposing Them to a Diverse Work Environment. Nevertheless, Research Capacity of Lincoln University Will Grow When Considering the Number of Personnel Needed to Carry Out Pond Productions on a Commercial Scale. Education Capacity Will Be Enhanced With This CBG When Considering the Integration of the Project Methods and Results in the Classroom, and the Potential of Aquaculture Students to Participate in Projects Overseas,according to Research Partnership Agreements.this Projectaims to Establish Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Budgets in the Grow-out of Freshwater Prawns (macrobrachium Rosenbergii) and the Phase Ii Production of Sunshine Bass (morone Saxatilis X Morone Chrysops) Farmed in Monoculture and Imta Systems in Earthen Ponds. Two Imta Systems Will Be Used, of Which One Will Maintain the Bass in Cages and the Other Will Rear the Bass as Free-swimming. This Is to Test If Antagonism Exists Between the Fish and the Prawns. the Pond Input Compartments Used to Analyze the Nutrient Budgets Are the Stocked Fish, Stocked Prawns, Rainwater, Inlet Water, Gas Diffusion, Fertilizers, and Feed. the Output Compartments Will Be Harvested Fish, Harvested Prawns, Gas Diffusion, Gas Ebullition, Output Water, Accumulated Sludge, Settleable Solids, and Total Suspended Solids. All Tested Systems Will Be Subject to Cash-flow and Economic Analyses.the Proposed Project Is Intended to Benefit Local, State, and Regionaleconomies by Elaborating Alternative, Economically and Environmentally Sustainable Aquaculture Production Systems and Having These Systems Serve as Demonstrations Through Extension. the Successful Implementation of This Activity Would Ease Pressure on Productions Around the World That Are Destined for the United States, Thereby Cutting Emissions Related to Transport and Increasing Food Security in Regions Where the Foreign Productions Occur. Specific Benefits for the Midwest Are Mainly Related to Diversifying Production Without a Decrease in the Main Target Aquaculture Species, Which Would Improve Economic Resilience for Activities Limited by the Temperate Climate. Economic Feasibility Must Be Given High Consideration When Considering Recent Trade Disruptions Related to SARS-COV2-19. Nevertheless, the Addition of an Unfed Secondary Species Would Improve Feed Conversion and Act as an Ecosystem Service. a Major Aspect Regarding the Social Sustainability of This Project Is the Creation of New Professionals to Participate in Aquaculture Activities Throughout the Region. on the National and International Levels, This Project Will Provide Sets of Empirical Data That Describe the Dynamics of Greenhouse Gases in Aquaculture. This Data Will Be Collected Simultaneously With Water and Sediment Quality Data, Which Can Be Used by Governing Bodies. the Major Benefit of This Project Is That Students Will Be Trained at a High Capacity and Become Competitive Professionals. More Specifically, Beyond the Traditional Animal Husbandry Aspects of Aquaculture, Students Will Gain Knowledge of Using Sophisticated Equipment for Environmental Analyses While Learning How to Build Enterprise Budgets.