A UNIQUE STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY
The UWSP NADF joins only a handful of facilities in the nation that offer similar capabilities in research, demonstration and education.
IMPORTANCE OF AQUACULTURE
Aquaculture, or the culture of aquatic organisms, is currently the fastest growing segment of food production globally and now supports over 50% of seafood consumed. With the world’s population increasing and the high demand for seafood, aquaculture is working to meet this demand with wild caught fisheries.
PROTECTING AND PRESERVING WILD FISH WHILE PROVIDING SAFE, HEALTHY SEAFOOD FOR A GROWING WORLD
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility (UWSP NADF) is the university’s northern most campus located in Bayfield, Wisconsin. The University’s College of Letters and Science directs the facility in collaboration with various partners based on projects and program goals.
ABOUT US
UWSP NADF is a one-of-a-kind facility in the Midwest and joins only a handful in the U.S. that provide applied research, demonstration, education and workforce development capabilities. The state-of the-art, dynamic facility, showcases new advances in aquaculture system technology such as sustainable land based recirculating aquaculture, while also providing traditional aquaculture systems such as flow through raceways and outdoor ponds for industry-based research projects.
MISSION AND VISION
Our mission for the UWSP-Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility is to promote public education and advance the discovery, dissemination, and application of knowledge for sustainable aquaculture in a northern climate.
Our vision for the facility is a center that shall be recognized for promoting sustainable aquaculture among the public, private and tribal sectors through technology transfer, applied research, demonstration, and outreach.
Wisconsin’s has over 2,000 registered commercial fish farms, 14 state hatcheries, 2 federal hatcheries and all the resources needed to accommodate significant expansion. The facility serves as an incubator for new aquaculture practices, providing students and faculty resources for the development of life-long learning.
THE FACILITY
Commercial Application of Research and Demonstration
The facility operates a variety of semi-commercially scaled systems including incubation, larval and grow-out systems with tanks ranging in size from 260L to over 11,000L.
The facility’s main 790m2 (8,500 ft2) aquatic production barn contains adaptable, open work areas with access to both cold and heated water, aeration, and oxygen support.
The aquatic barn contains:
- Custom Bell jar and Heath tray egg incubation systems for various cold and coolwater fish.
- Two larval rearing rooms with 43 replicated 260L tanks with complete water temperature, turbidity, lighting, tank inflow, and environmental control.
- Two modern semi-commercially scaled 23,000 – 44,000L RAS grow-out systems (cool-water and cold-water, respectively) with 6-8 replicated tanks. These main recirculating systems utilized for grow-out include modern efficient technologies such as Cornel-style dual drain tanks, microscreen drum filter, fluidized sand biofiltration, degassing column, temperature control, oxygen cone or low head oxygenators, and ultraviolet sterilization.
- Six 1,780L replicated RAS systems with 24 tanks, 260L each. These systems include Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) controlled pumping stations, solids removal, moving bed biofiltration, various oxygen supplementation and UV sterilization.
- Analytical water quality testing and research laboratory.
Outdoors the facility operates:
- Four, 0.16-hectare aerated clay lined, drainable ponds with a common fish collection basin for harvest.
- A high-tunnel building containing two, linear raceways (20.4 m3) with flow through, degassed and aerated, cold (7.6°C) water.
- A second high-tunnel building containing partial RAS technology utilizing dual-drain round 1960L tanks with integrated radial flow separators, degassing/aeration column, common sump and pump station.
- Two effluent drainage settling ponds and a created wetland for final polishing of effluent water before discharge into an intermittent stream.
PARTNERSHIPS
The University’s College of Letters and Sciences directs the facility along with various partnerships based on projects and program goals. Our partnerships include federal, tribal, and state fish hatcheries, natural resource agencies, private fish farms, various universities, Wisconsin public schools (K-12) and others. These partnerships may involve technology transfer, providing fish and assistance, outreach and demonstration, education, and research.
The facility has a wide range of partnerships from private, federal, state and tribal hatcheries and facilities to various schools, universities and other organizations.
“The NADF provides a range of invaluable and unique services for Wisconsin and the Midwest…Presently, we are working cooperatively with at least three stakeholders that rely heavily on the NADF facilities for research and support.”
-Dr. Steven Summerfelt
Past Director of Aquaculture Systems Research
The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute, West Virginia
RECENT NEWS
Articles, Publications, Conferences
SERIES OF VIRTUAL MEETINGS
VIRTUAL FISH VACCINATION EDUCATION
NETWORKING & RESOURCES
If you are an aquaculture farmer or veterinarian and have interest or questions regarding fish vaccines, please register for a series of virtual sessions on fish vaccination. These meetings will be led by Myron Kebus, Fish Health Specialist and Dr. Tom Loch, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pathobiology & Diagnostic Investigation, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University. There will be two meeting series, one targeted towards farmers and another targeting veterinarians. Information shared and gathered at the meetings will be used to share current resources, generate new resources and plan future in person workshops to assist farmers.
FISH MUSCLE HYDROLYSATE
METHOD FOR PRODUCING DIETARY PROTEIN FOR LARVAL FISH
AQUACULTURE FACT SHEET
This fact sheet explains the methodology in producing dietary protein for larval fish by hydrolyzing the muscle tissue of invasive carp species. This fact sheet was created for aquaculture feed manufacturers and is a deliverable from a project funded by the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
GETTING KIDS HOOKED ON FISH FARMING
NEW VIDEO
UWSP NADF, Wisconsin Sea Grant and UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences 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. This video showcases the experiences of a group of students that were able to intern at various aquaculture facilities over the summer due to this project.
New Publication
Influence of stocking density on growth and survival of larval walleye
Research
The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of stocking density on the early growth performance and survival of intensively reared walleye by stocking fry at different densities in a replicated, flow-through larval culture system. The publication is free access through American Fisheries Society North American Journal of Aquaculture.