Dr. Anne Kapuscinski, professor of Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz and director of UCSC’s Coastal Science and Policy Program, and Dr. Pallab Sarker, associate research professor of Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz, are researching how to raise food fish using sustainable aquaculture-agriculture practices.
At their research facility on the UCSC Farm, the team is focusing on shifting the feed used in aquaculture from fishmeal and fish oil extracted from wild fish populations to a sustainably produced, microalgae-based feed free of fish products, as well as reducing the phosphorous load in water compared to conventional aquacultural practices. Dr. Kapuscinski and her colleagues will also explore the potential of raising native freshwater fish, such as rainbowtrout and Sacramento perch. The results of this research could potentially open new business opportunities in coastal communities based on sustainable aquacultural practices and conserve biodiversity in those regions.
The researchers will also integrate aquaculture with agriculture at the UCSC Farm by examining ways that nutrient-rich water periodically flushed from the recirculating fish tanks can be used on crops in order to “close the loop” of nutrient use, reduce waste, and conserve energy. Learn more about this research at https://kapsar.sites.ucsc.edu/.
UCSC Participants: Anne Kapuscinski, Pallab Sarker, Devin Fitzgerald