Some people revel in the dog days of summer, but for a dozen aquaculture interns, the season was all about fish.

In partnership with Wisconsin Sea Grant and funded through a grant from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, the interns were stationed at aquaculture facilities across the state, working alongside mentors to get hands-on experience raising and caring for fish. According to Wisconsin Sea Grant food-fish coordinator Sharon Moen, who led the project alongside aquaculture specialists Emma Hauser and Dong-Fang Deng, the purpose of the internships was to build awareness of fish farming and offer training opportunities for young people.

“We couldn’t be happier with the way this first-time program unfolded,” said Moen. “The students and mentors gained so much during a short 10 weeks.”

Raising fish was not the only new skill the interns acquired. They learned how to manage projects, work on a team, and — importantly — embrace the many utilitarian wonders of PVC pipes and power tools.

Here’s a snapshot of some of their projects.

Yellow perch, aquaponics, and renewable energy at Northey Farms

Aquaculture intern walks with a net of yellow perch

Rachel Virnig transports yellow perch at Northey Farms. Credit: Wisconsin Sea Grant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

University of Wisconsin–Madison undergraduates Jack Patterson, Erin Ross, and Rachel Virnig interned at Northey Farms in Deerfield, Wisconsin, a fish farm that uses both outdoor ponds and a recirculating aquaculture system to raise yellow perch. Under the supervision of Kyle Freimuth, a University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences graduate student, the team of interns learned how to monitor water quality, clean tanks, and care for more than 27,000 yellow perch.

Freimuth got a crash course in farm management. He developed a system for interns to track daily water quality, allocate tasks, and communicate with the farm owner. “I feel good about the work,” said Freimuth. “I was able to see all the little things that we were able to do to better care for the fish.”

For Patterson, Ross, and Virnig, the biggest project of the summer was building an aquaponic system in an outdoor hoop house. When it wasn’t being burglarized by racoons, the plant-and-fish production system supported bluegill and yellow perch alongside tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, basil, and tomatillos. The interns also constructed — from scratch and with no directions! — a mini wind turbine to power the whole system. The project was a point of pride for the team, who enjoyed creating a functioning, self-sufficient food system and learning new, practical life skills.

“I didn’t know how to use power tools before this internship, and that became a daily skill,” said Ross. “That was huge for me as a young adult.”

Research, education, and outreach at Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility

aquaculture intern, Wyatt Slack, stands in a black t-shirt in front of a green field

Wyatt Slack. Credit: Wisconsin Sea Grant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like most of the interns, Wyatt Slack was largely unfamiliar with aquaculture prior to this summer. Fast forward two months, and he was teaching others about what he learned.

Slack, an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, worked at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility in Red Cliff, Wisconsin. The facility supports aquaculture research and showcases the latest techniques and technologies while also educating others about the industry. As an intern, Slack got to do a little bit of everything.

“Some days we spawned salmon. Others, we took blood samples from lake trout or set up another experiment,” said Slack. “No day looks exactly the same.”

One task remained constant, however, and that was cleaning. Slack used a windshield wiper attached to a PVC pipe to clean the circular walls of the fish tanks. It was a funny but utterly functional tool that was, in a lot of ways, emblematic of the ingenuity of fish farmers.

“PVC pipes are the lifeblood of these systems,” he laughed.

Slack also practiced communicating the science of aquaculture to different audiences, from kids to adults. He gave tours to visiting groups, showed kindergartners big fish, and made art at Kid’s Fishing Day. His last assignment was serving walleye he helped raise to about 150 people at an event in Houghton, Michigan. During the event he talked to participants and a reporter about aquaculture in the Upper Midwest.

“Outreach was definitely one of the most fulfilling parts of this internship,” he said.

Raising zebrafish at the Morgridge Institute for Research

aquaculture intern Raatbek Baizakov holds a plastic tanks used for breeding zebrafish

Raatbek Baizakov explains zebra fish breeding tanks at the Morgridge Institute. Credit: Wisconsin Sea Grant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While aquaculture often produces fish for food, fish farms also raise fish for bait, stocking and, as University of Wisconsin–Madison student Raatbek Baizakov learned, research.

Baizakov spent his summer interning at the Morgridge Institute for Research, a biomedical research facility in Madison, Wisconsin. Originally from Kyrgyzstan, Baizakov grew up helping his dad raise trout.

“I had experience with game fish. I didn’t really have experience with research fishes,” he said. “It’s not really similar at all.”

Instead of trout, Baizakov worked with zebrafish, a small striped fish with the unique ability to regrow damaged body parts like fins, heart tissue, and spinal cords. Researchers at Morgridge study the fish for this reason, hoping to find ways to heal similar injuries in people.

Working with a small team, Baizakov provided daily care for 2,250 tanks of zebrafish, which involved feeding and flushing tanks. He also enjoyed learning about the system that pumps and recirculates water through the tanks, which he described as “genius.”

“As a mechanical engineer, I appreciated this so much,” he said.

Lab research at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences

a hand holds a small net filled with tiny sturgeon

Baby sturgeon at the UW–Milwaukee School for Freshwater Sciences. Credit: Wisconsin Sea Grant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another set of interns kept busy learning about fish care and nutrition in the lab of Wisconsin Sea Grant aquaculture outreach and extension specialist Dong-Fang Deng.

Though not all were funded by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, Louis Benard, Kayden Knudsen, Alex Gregory, Cory Vines, and Tyler Gregorski worked side-by-side cleaning tanks, sorting fish, and pursuing individual projects, which ranged from the effects of microplastics on fish growth to incorporating novel ingredients like black soldier fly oil and soy cake into fish food.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said high school senior Knudsen, who investigated the impacts of microplastics on yellow perch. “Working at UWM has been a really good experience for developing ideas about my future.”

Mapping Wisconsin fish farms

Aquaculture intern Ryan Figueroa holds up a fish at the Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility

Ryan Figueroa visited the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility as part of his internship. Submitted photo.

Unlike the other interns, Ryan Figueroa didn’t work at a fish farm, but he did get a bird’s-eye view of the aquaculture industry across the state. Figueroa, an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin–Superior with an interest in GIS, worked with Moen to revamp the Eat Wisconsin Fish food fish maps to show the location and features of aquaculture and commercial fishing operations in Wisconsin. The goal was to make aquaculture visible and accessible to those wanting to buy locally raised fish.

“Maps help connect people to local food systems,” said Figueroa. That certainly was the case for him. He visited several fish operations to collect geospatial data and enjoyed eating some of their wares. He also appreciated having Moen as his mentor for the summer.

“She’s the best,” said Figueroa. “I really want to emulate what she does. I loved seeing how she works and how she communicates with people. She’s been a huge help for me.”

To learn more about the interns’ experiences, check out this video made by aquaculture outreach specialist Emma Hauser.

***

The University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center administers Wisconsin Sea Grant, the Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, and Water@UW. The center supports multidisciplinary research, education, and outreach for the protection and sustainable use of Wisconsin’s water resources. Wisconsin Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of marine resources through research, education, outreach, and technology transfer.

The post Summer students learn the ropes of fish farming first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/summer-students-learn-the-ropes-of-fish-farming/

Jenna Mertz

8th grade science teacher Dan Widiker stands next to a PVC-pipe rack for growing plants in an aquaponic system

Superior Middle School teacher Dan Widiker stands next to the PVC grow tubes that contain the plants in the aquaponic system. Photo: Wisconsin Sea Grant

Ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, and chances are they’ll rattle off a list of the usual suspects: doctor, firefighter, artist, astronaut. Sharon Moen, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s food-fish outreach coordinator, hopes to add “fish farmer” to that list.

Moen and Wisconsin Sea Grant aquaculture outreach specialists Emma Hauser and Dong-Fang Deng are partnering on a project to build awareness of fish farming and boost training opportunities for young people. The project, funded by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, is a step towards developing an aquaculture workforce in the state.

“When I speak with our farmers producing rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, tilapia and other fish for food, one of the biggest hurdles they report is that there are not enough workers. They need help. Meanwhile, many students don’t know working on a fish farm is a real job they can have,” Moen said.

One way to build awareness is to get more fish in front of more kids. As part of the project, the Wisconsin Sea Grant team invited educators to apply for $500 grants to set up, reboot, or improve systems that allow students to grow fish as part of their school day.

Dan Widiker, an 8th grade science teacher at Superior Middle School in Superior, Wisconsin, received one the six grants distributed so far. This spring he set up a fish tank and mounted a PVC-pipe system to circulate water and grow buttercrunch lettuce. The sprouting seeds provide not only proof of concept but also serve as effective learning tools.

“With eighth graders, if they can’t see it and touch it, the abstract concepts don’t always land,” said Widiker. “[Now] they have something a little bit more concrete. And if they can interact with it and see value with it, then it’s a lot more meaningful.”

Widiker and his fellow science teachers recently revamped their curriculum to be more place-based — that is, to focus on the local environment rather than far-flung locales across the globe. He hopes the fish-and-plant aquaponic system will encourage students to think about the ways humans intersect with the environment, particularly when it comes to food, which is often shipped across the country and world.

Two middle school students, Ava and Liam, pose for a photo on either side of the guppy tank in Mr. Widiker's 8th grade science class.

Middle school students Ava and Liam with the guppy tank in Dan Widiker’s classroom. Photo: Wisconsin Sea Grant

That’s especially true when it comes to seafood. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that 70% to 85% of seafood consumed in the United States is imported from abroad, and more than half of those imports are produced via aquaculture. What if, instead of transporting food thousands of miles across the globe, it could be raised locally?

For that vision to become a reality, the industry needs to cultivate a workforce. To that end, in addition to putting fish in schools, the project team is making it possible for undergraduate students to work in aquaculture facilities near Milwaukee, Madison, and Bayfield this summer. Already two students are working with Deng in her lab at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, and three are learning the nuances of raising yellow perch alongside a commercial fish farmer.

Back in Widiker’s 8th grade classroom, students Ava and Liam await the introduction of fish into the tank. Both are fans of their teacher’s dynamic approach to science.

“I personally think it’s going to be great because it’s hands-on and more like you can see it. You can see the effects,” Ava said. “It’s cooler to see, and it makes me pay attention more.”

Added Liam, “There’s always something we don’t know that we learn each day.”

Educators interested in setting up an aquaponic system in their classroom can email Sharon Moen at smoen@aqua.wisc.edu.

The post Getting kids hooked on fish farming first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

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https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/getting-kids-hooked-on-fish-farming/

Jenna Mertz

A man in a blue t-shirt holds up two walleye in a net

Josh Fox transports walleye donated by the UW-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility to Woods and Waters, a private fish farm in Juneau, Wisconsin. Photo: Emma Hauser

The Wisconsin Aquaculture Association will host the annual Wisconsin Aquaculture Conference Feb. 21-22 at the Hotel Marshfield, in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The conference is the largest event of its kind in the upper Midwest, bringing together fish farmers, researchers, educators and vendors to learn, share and network with aquaculture professionals across the state and region.

Aquaculture, or the raising of aquatic organisms, is an important part of the global agricultural landscape. Wisconsin has around 2,000 registered fish farms of various sizes. Of these, around 50 farms are commercial-scale operations that produce local seafood, baitfish and fish for stocking as well as support local jobs and the economy. Although small, the industry is diverse, raising different types of fish using a variety of aquaculture systems.

Emma Hauser, aquaculture outreach specialist with University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility and Wisconsin Sea Grant, assists in organizing the event each year. “This annual conference continues to be a critical event for anyone currently involved or interested in becoming involved in aquaculture. We are fortunate to have a great lineup of presenters sharing their expertise from across the Midwest,” said Hauser. “The most important part of this conference is networking and connecting with others in the industry to support the growth and sustainability of aquaculture into the future.”

Peter Fritsch, owner of Rushing Waters Fisheries, agrees. “These events are important to producers. You can learn just as much in conversations in the hallways as the lectures while building relationships with other producers that can last an entire career. These are now like reunions to me,” he said. 

The two-day conference will feature talks and breakout sessions on fish health, aquaculture feed, regulation, business resources, fish processing and aquaculture systems. On the second day, participants will have the option to tour Gollon Brothers Wholesale Live Bait, a local fish farm operated by Wisconsin Aquaculture Association President Ben Gollon.

People it at several round tables in a conference room and listen to a speaker at a podium.

Randy Romanski, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, welcomes attendees to the 2024 joint Wisconsin and Minnesota Aquaculture Conference. Photo: Emma Hauser

Several Wisconsin Sea Grant staff will be presenting at the conference. Aquaculture outreach and extension specialist Dong-Fang Deng will discuss current research on aquaculture feed, and Sharon Moen, food-fish outreach coordinator, will offer ways for fish farmers to connect with local legislators. Last year, Moen successfully organized a fish-farm tour for state lawmakers to learn more about the industry.

Not only will fish be on the agenda, but also on plates. The conference will feature a “Taste of Wisconsin” reception, where participants can try local fish products.

Conference registration is $225 for general admission (which includes membership to the WAA), $150 for current members and $100 for students. Children 12 and under are free.

The conference is supported by various organizations including the Wisconsin Sea Grant, the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative, Minnesota Sea Grant, the UWSP Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, as well as other sponsors and vendors.

 

 

 

 

The post Wisconsin Aquaculture Conference returns Feb. 21-22 first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/wisconsin-aquaculture-conference-returns-feb-21-22/

Jenna Mertz

Aquaculture Outreach and Extension Specialist Dong-Fang Deng discovered her love for fish in the long, winding gut of a grass carp.

“I didn’t think I was going to do any animal research,” said Deng, but a fish dissection at the lab she worked at while an undergraduate sparked her interest. The fishes she examined—the grass carp, tilapia and Japanese eel—all had differently sized intestinal tracts, with the grass carp having the longest. Talking with her professor about the diets of each fish, Deng had a realization: A “different gut [is] related to different food.”

Aquaculture Outreach and Extension Specialist Dong-Fang Deng discusses stands behind a teal-colored fish tank in her lab.

Aquaculture Outreach and Extension Specialist Dong-Fang Deng discusses fish nutrition in her lab at the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences. Photo credit: Wisconsin Sea Grant

Unlike tilapia or Japanese eel, grass carp are herbivores, and a long gut allows them to break down and absorb nutrients from plants. Deng credits her professor for encouraging her curiosity.

“I really appreciate that my professor worked with me,” she said.

Deng’s curiosity propelled her into a career in animal nutrition. In addition to her Sea Grant appointment, which began in February 2023, Deng is also a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, where she researches and develops fish feed for the aquaculture, or fish farming, industry.

“We want to make the right diet for the right fish, that’s our general goal,” said Deng.

Formulating fish food, however, is no simple task. Different fish have different nutritional needs, and what works for one fish may not work for another. Take, for example, the yellow perch. Unable to tolerate the high-fat diets of rainbow trout and salmon, yellow perch will accumulate excess fat in their liver, which affects their metabolism. “If the liver isn’t functioning right, they can’t grow very well,” said Deng. “We need to figure out how to optimize the feed.”

Another consideration is the cost and availability of food. Aquaculture researchers have been investigating alternative ingredients, like black soldier flies and fungi protein, to replace more expensive fish meal. Plant-based ingredients in aquaculture feed are also common. Said Deng, “Plant ingredients like corn and soy have been in research for decades.”

A small blue net holds a handful of pinky-sized lake sturgeon, which Deng researches in her lab.

Deng formulates feed for fish raised in aquaculture systems, such as these fingerling lake sturgeon. Photo credit: Wisconsin Sea Grant

Deng is currently experimenting with a new plant ingredient, alfalfa, which is a common forage crop for livestock like cows. She is researching whether the protein-rich plant could replace fish meal protein in the diet of rainbow trout. 

While cheap, abundant ingredients are desirable, dietary changes shouldn’t negatively impact fish health, whether those fish are raised for food or for stocking purposes.

For example, Deng is working with Mole Lake Fisheries to develop a dry feed to replace the live minnows fed to walleye raised in outdoor ponds. Minnows are expensive, and while dry feed may be cheaper, walleye must be strong enough to be stocked in local lakes.

Deng must consider how the new diet impacts their long-term survival. “Can they run well in the lake?” asked Deng. “Can they survive? [Can they] still get used to catching live food?”

Working with fish farmers to develop a new feed or adopt a new technology is part of Deng’s work as an outreach specialist, but she also spends much of her time working with students—from high school to graduate-level. Some students seek out her lab because they love to fish; others just want to build their research skills. Deng then collaborates with students to tailor lab work to their interests or career goals. One undergraduate, Deng recalled, wanted to pursue dentistry, so she got creative.

“I asked him to look at different teeth of the fish to see the evolution of different food habits,” said Deng.

Deng holds up two yellow perch as two lab students look on.

Deng holds up two yellow perch for two students who work in her lab. Photo credit: Wisconsin Sea Grant

She has also worked with students interested in environmental law, public policy and communications and stresses that students don’t need to major in biology to work in her lab. “My goal is to open the window and the door to anyone who likes to learn,” she said.

And that includes the public. Deng offers educational tours of her lab to schools and community groups where participants learn more about aquaculture and get the opportunity to see tanks of juvenile sturgeon or eyelash-sized yellow perch. It’s a popular event, one that has inspired students to pursue working in her lab.

“You have to let the public learn what we are doing,” said Deng. “If you always close the door, then why are we here?”

Those interested in scheduling a tour of Deng’s lab should reach out to dengd@uwm.edu. Deng will also have open lab exhibitions at Harbor Fest in Milwaukee on Sunday, September 24, 2023.

The post New Wisconsin Sea Grant aquaculture outreach specialist formulates “right food for the right fish” first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

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Jenna Mertz

Two new grants set to build water-related workforce development

The labor landscape in Wisconsin is closely bound to demographics and it comes down to this simple reality: shoes are not being filled.

U.S. Census data shows Wisconsinites of traditional retirement age, 65, have increased 42% since 2005. At the same time, the number of people entering the workforce is contracting because state birth rates have slowed and there are fewer young people. Another aspect of this workforce-shortage trend is that young people are bypassing Wisconsin, choosing to work and live elsewhere as they chase their American dreams.

Now, thanks to an infusion of two new grants, Wisconsin Sea Grant is positioned to facilitate the paths young people are considering as they sort through workforce choices, including where they may eventually want to find training and education, take a job and make a home.

With $592,332 in support from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin (FWC) over two years, the Freshwater@UW Summer Research Opportunities Program will continue its work to develop Wisconsin’s next generation of freshwater scientists.

The program matches water-related mentors from throughout the University of Wisconsin System with undergraduates to guide them in an immersive research experience and acquaint them with the many graduate school opportunities in Wisconsin.

 The program just wrapped up its second summer, which attracted 31 students from across the nation to work on the system campuses at Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh and Superior.

Closeup of a smiling person

Alison Mikulyuk is coordinating the work of summer research scholars.

Sea Grant’s Alison Mikulyuk coordinates the program which, she said, is growing freshwater research and the workforce through collaborative, cross-system programming that trains and will, ultimately, recruit, retain and diversify the next generation of water professionals.

“The program attracts talented students to the Badger State where they gain skills that are directly applicable to future work in Wisconsin,” Mikulyuk said. “Having just seen these young people through the summer, I’m incredibly inspired. The students made an impressive showing at the recent Summer Research Symposium, and so many of them have had life-altering experiences that I know will fuel their future accomplishments.”

The second two-year FWC grant will provide $207,400 for a project called “Partnering to Boost Aquaculture Workforce Development in Wisconsin.”

Sharon Moen, food-fish outreach coordinator, conducted a 2020 needs assessment of Wisconsin’s food-fish farmers and heard over and over again the need to bring young people into the industry.

“The U.S. imports more than 70% of its fish and shrimp. About half of these imports come from overseas farms. Meanwhile, consumers are calling for locally produced food that supports American jobs, and the health of themselves and their loved ones. Wisconsin aquaculture, aquaculture being another word for fish farming, is primed to meet that demand,” Moen said. “The industry just needs workers and this project will expand training opportunities, linking commercial fish farms in the state to high schools, colleges and universities to foster farm experiences and skill-building workshops.”

Close-up of smiling person

Sharon Moen will work with colleagues on aquaculture industry workforce development.

She said one such idea for that skill-building will be supporting high school teams to participate in an existing annual aquaculture competition. Students design and build a system to grow fish.

Moen will work with Sea Grant colleagues Dong-Fang Deng and Emma Hauser, both aquaculture outreach and education specialists. Deng is based at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Hauser works out of UW-Steven’s Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility on the Bayfield Peninsula, not too far from Lake Superior.

“With Dong-Fang’s and Emma’s connections and our collective enthusiasm for this project, we are looking forward to successfully inspiring young people to enter the aquaculture workforce. It can offer a good standard of living and a remarkable quality of life,” Moen said.

The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin is a partnership of Wisconsin’s 13 public universities, connecting with industry partners, local communities, policymakers and advocacy groups. Its mission is to establish Wisconsin as a world leader in freshwater science, technology, entrepreneurship and economic growth. The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin is training the next generation of scientists to solve global water resource problems through academic programs, collaborative research and career development across the UW System.

The post Filling water shoes first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Moira Harrington