Durham, N.H. ­ United States Senator John Sununu (R-NH), chairman of the Commerce Committee’s National Ocean Policy Study Subcommittee announced that Portsmouth’s GreatBay Aquaculture (GBA) will receive $249,000 to support the development of sustainable Atlantic cod production through aquaculture. GreatBay is an industry pioneer and a partner of the UNH's Open Ocean Aquaculture Project. The funding is a portion of $3.6 million that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is awarding for sustainable marine aquaculture demonstration projects.

“Aquaculture accounts for the rising percentage of the fish and shellfish that Americans consume every day with companies such as GreatBay Aquaculture playing an integral role in the research and development of sustainable fish production,” said Sununu. “Atlantic cod, in particular, is one of the prime candidates for expansion of aquaculture in the United States. This funding will support the development of technology that will help further the sustainable growth of this species for both nursery culture onshore and offshore grow-out operations.”

According to George Nardi, Chief Technology Officer of GreatBay Aquaculture and UNH alum, “This project is all about demonstrating the commercial production of cod in an environmentally sustainable manner from the hatchery through harvest.  In the long term, this is a great opportunity for the New England seafood community, providing new skills and jobs as the industry grows and high quality seafood to the consumer on a year round basis.  For success, we must all have the same vision, and GreatBay looks forward to working with the NOAA and the project’s university partners in New Hampshire and Maine.”

Part of the grant will be used to explore the development of feed formulated with native seaweed grown on-site as a partial substitute for fish meal in the diet of farmed fish.  This work is being led by David Berlinsky, UNH associate professor of zoology and Chris Neefus, UNH associate professor of plant biology.

"Securing sustainable sources of feed is a necessary step in the development of an offshore aquaculture industry," says Richard Langan, director of UNH's Open Ocean Aquaculture Project. "We appreciate NOAA's confidence that a UNH/GreatBay Aquaculture partnership can help address this critical challenge."

Sununu is a leading advocate of the potential for offshore aquaculture in American waters. As Chairman of the Commerce Committee’s National Ocean Policy Study Subcommittee, Sununu has held two hearings this year regarding offshore aquaculture. Statements from both Capitol Hill hearings can be found at http://www.sununu.senate.gov/pressapp/releases.cfm