The mission of the Ohio Center for Aquaculture Research and Development (OCARD) at the OSU South Centers is to support the development of a sustainable aquaculture industry in Ohio. This is accomplished through a variety of research and Extension projects. Research and Extension efforts are designed after input from the industry and are focused on increasing the economic impact of aquaculture in Ohio. In 2010, OCARD personnel provided consultations to 15 private businesses and toured over 100 people through research and demonstration facilities in Piketon and Bowling Green, Ohio. Participants included prospective fish farmers, local school groups and visitors from Poland, Tajikistan, West Virginia, the Ohio Bee Keepers Association, the Ohio Young Farmers Association, and a local retirement community. Staff made over 25 presentations to audiences around the state at venues including the Ohio Aquaculture Association Annual Meeting, Ohio Small Farm Conference, Marietta College, Shawnee State University, and the Farm Science Review. Three intensive workshops: Perch School, the Ohio Soy-Aqua Bus Tour of Farms and the Live Feeds Workshop, were conducted in the past year. The OCARD program was featured in multiple media pieces including television, radio and newspaper.
In addition to our primary research initiatives on selective breeding and baitfish culture, several outreach and demonstration projects were initiated as well. These include: partnering with the Ohio Soybean Association and the OSU South Centers Business Development Network in writing two proposals; working with a bluegill producer on a large-scale on-farm production project, collaborating with other aquaculture Extension Specialists to develop an eXtension Community of Practice; continuing the freshwater prawn quality assurance demonstration work; and working with Ohio companies exploring algae as a biofuel or possible aquaculture feed ingredient. Six businesses were targeted for additional support and assistance in achieving their expansion plans in the areas of locally produced fish feeds, alternative protein sources for aquaculture diets, and increased tilapia and marine shrimp production. Two Ohio businesses were assisted with submitting a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant and three other producers were assisted with submitting a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant.
A significant amount of effort this year was put toward implementing the new Ohio State Plan for Aquaculture. OCARD worked closely with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) to develop, and now implement, this plan. Some results of this partnership include successful implementation of a USDA feed reimbursement program, where producers received partial rebates for feed purchased in 2008 and 2009, the hiring of an Aquaculture Coordinator at ODA to help with the development of the industry, the hiring of an Aquaculture Marketing Specialist at ODA, the support for a summer intern focusing on fish health and the completion of an in-depth feasibility and market analysis of the aquaculture industry in Ohio to help determine the best steps for industry growth.
The aquaculture industry continues to grow in Ohio. Currently there are over 250 mostly small farms catering to niche markets like pond stocking and food fish markets. However, there is growing interest in taking aquaculture to the next level. Many feel that the next level is the development of indoor recirculating aquaculture facilities that can capture larger markets by providing consistent, safe, locally raised product year-round. Activities in 2010 put us on the path to achieving the goal of continued growth in the Ohio Aquaculture industry in 2011.
