Ribbon cutting took place on a $2.6 million aquaculture research facility at the University of Idaho in Moscow early June. Construction of the 9,000-square-foot research facility began last year and was completed in January.

It features three recirculating aquaculture systems, a new system for rearing juvenile shrimp, a laboratory for fish sampling and sample preparation, Professor Ron Hardy, director of the university’s Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) told the Idaho Aquaculture Association at its annual conference. Research will focus on salmon, tilapia, burbot, shrimp and other marine species. ARI is moving all its non-trout research done at the Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station to Moscow, he said.

“I think we’re in a position now where we have the best aquaculture research facility in the Western U.S.,” he said.

The new facility will allow more research, working with more faculty and more species. With its recirculating systems, it will also allow researchers to explore new technologies in water quality that could be applied around the world.

It will also expand ARI’s offerings for graduate students and increase its ability to obtain funding through grants and contracts, he said.

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