GOMESA Application Details
- Internal Project Number
- 281424
- 1. Title of Project
- Growing Mississippi's Blue Economy: Building the future of Spotted Seatrout Through Aquaculture Innovation
- 2. Location of Project
- Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center, University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Cedar Point Campus. Jackson County, Mississippi
- 3. Requesting Organization
- University Of Southern Mississippi
- 4a. Name
- Erica Kennedy
- 4b. Position
- 4c. Phone Number
- 601-266-4119
- 4d. Fax Number
- 4e. Address Line 1
- 118 College Drive #5157
- 4e. Address Line 2
- 4e. City, State Zip
- Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406-0001
- 4f. Email
- ora-pam@usm.edu
- 5. FundingRequested
- $838,647
- Awarded Amount:
- 6. Other State or Federal Funding Sources
- No
- 7a. Amount of Additional Funds
- 7b. Source of Additional Funds
- 8. Total Project Funds Amount
- $838,647
- 9. Project Description/Overview
- The spotted seatrout is historically one of the most important species in fisheries of the northern Gulf of Mexico, but except for some minimal allowances in Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana, no viable commercial fishery for spotted seatrout in the Gulf of Mexico exists. Without a dependable commercial supply of spotted seatrout, regional restaurants and fishmongers fill the gap with imported products that are consistently available. Although the spotted seatrout has a long history of pond (extensive) production for stock enhancement, limitations on the availability of suitable coastal land and inherent difficulties in managing pond dynamics to produce consistent, reliable outcomes has prevented the development of commercial culture of spotted seatrout in ponds. The University of Southern Mississippi's Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TCMAC) at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory has optimized technologies for the holding and maturation of brood seatrout and the intensive culture of seatrout in recirculating systems using artificial sea water that has overcome challenges such as unpredictability in seed and fingerling supply and cannibalism in rearing spotted seatrout to the 200-mm juvenile size in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Additionally, preliminary data have shown that fingerlings can be grown to 25 cm at salinities as low as 10 psu in approximately 9 mos. Predictable and consistent production of release- appropriate 12-20 cm (5-8 in.) juveniles for restoration and market size 35cm (14”) size adult spotted seatrout in RAS would potentially fill the gap in the fresh seafood market and facilitate an expansion of opportunities in the seafood industry, boost coastal economies and provide resource managers with an additional tool to expedite stock recovery, and build resilience in coastal communities.
- 10. Project Goals/Objectives
- The goal of this project is to produce 20,000 to 40,000 juvenile Spotted Seatrout, approximately 12–20 cm (5–8 inches) in length annually, for stock enhancement along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. To meet the release goals the project will fulfill the following objectives: 1) Develop a captive broodstock population a) Collect 20-40 adult seatrout in coordination with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) , c) Optimize volitional/spontaneous spawning techniques, 2) Produce juveniles in recirculating systems a) Optimize Juvenile husbandry protocols, b) Optimize transport and release protocols, b) Identify the best candidate locations for releases, 4) Workforce development and technology transfer; continue to partner with local high school aquaculture programs, the private sector, and DMR to provide educational opportunities, training, and internships.
- 11. Which of the following authorized uses set forth in the GOMESA Act does this project fall under?
- (A) Projects and activities for the purpose of coastal protection, including conservation, coastal restoration, hurricane protection, and infrastructure directly affected by coastal wetlands losses
- (B) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, or natural resources.
- Yes: Management actions implemented since 2018 have improved the status of Mississippi's spotted seatrout population since the 2016 stock assessment, however, the state’s premier recreational inshore fishery continues to experience substantial recreational and commercial fishing pressure due to its popularity and remains susceptible to episodic environmental disturbances and habitat loss as a result of both anthropogenic and natural causes leading to variation in cohort strength, which can contribute to population instability. Environmental factors that may affect Spotted Seatrout recruitment include increasingly long and severe low salinity events (e.g., when spillways are open), and increased pollution. Continued stock enhancement and restoration efforts are intended to improve the resilience and long-term sustainability of this economically
- (C) Implementation of a federally-approved marine, coastal, or conservation management plan.
- Yes: This project addresses goals outlined in the federally approved “Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Comprehensive Plan, Restoring the Gulf Coast’s Ecosystem and Economy.” Specifically, this project addresses Goal 4, Enhance Community Resilience and Goal 5, Restore and Revitalize the Gulf Economy. Recreational fishing has been impacted by freshwater flooding, hurricanes, habitat degradation, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Stock enhancement will improve the availability and consistency of an important fishery resource (Spotted Seatrout) and thereby facilitate resilience in the recreational fishing community. Increased opportunities for recreational fishing resulting from the project will enhance economic activity by stimulating the use of working waterfronts and fishing-related economic activities such as restaurants, fuel, boat, fishing tackle,
- (D) Mitigation of the impact of Outer Continental Shelf activities through funding of onshore infrastructure projects.
- 12. Project Timetable/Milestones
- July 2027-June 2028: 1. Develop a genotyping panel and genotype broodstock. 2. Quarantine, transfer to maturation tanks, and sex and condition broodstock. 3. Induce reproductively mature individuals to spawn. 4. Rear larvae to juveniles to develop and optimize culture protocols. 5. Pilot-scale release of juveniles, coordinating with the state management agency. 6. Assess release locations to improve post-release survival. 7. Establish genetic tagging using the genotyping panel. July 2028-June 2029 1. Collect brood animals to supplement inventory and improve genetic diversity. 2. Genotype broodstock. 3. Quarantine, transfer to existing maturation tanks, and sex and condition broodstock. 4. Induce reproductively mature individuals to spawn. 5. Improve and optimize culture protocols and transport and release protocols. 6. Assess release locations to improve post-release survival. 7. Establish genetic tagging using the genotyping panel and fish recovered during release trials. July 2029-June 2030 1. Collect brood animals to supplement inventory and improve genetic diversity. 2. Genotype broodstock. 3. Quarantine, transfer to existing maturation tanks, and sex and condition broodstock. 4. Induce reproductively mature individuals to spawn. 5. Improve and optimize culture protocols and transport and release protocols. 6. Release fingerlings. 7. Transfer technology.
- 13. Project Timing
- Short-term
- 14. Current status of architectural/engineering plans & specifications for this project (if applicable):
- Other N/A Funds Not Budgeted
- 15. In what way does this project meet the goals and objectives of the Department of Marine Resources, which includes enhancing, protecting and conserving the marine interest of Mississippi for present and future generations?
- This project promotes stainability and conservation of marine resources by providing stock enhancement as an additional tool for DMR to use in their fishery management plans. The program also potentially relieves pressure on wild harvests by facilitating the development of commercial aquaculture. Concurrently, the program promotes economic and workforce development through aquaculture industry development.
- 16. Estimated Years To Completion
- 3
- 17. Estimated Completion Date
- 6/30/2030
- Budget:
- Salaries,Wages, Fringe
- $242,850
- Travel
- Architecture & Engineering
- Legal
- Consulting
- Construction
- Site Work
- Equipment
- $176,625
- Indirects
- $220,674
- Other
- $198,498
- Total
- $838,647
- Application Submission Date
- 08/28/2026
- Fiscal Year
- 2028
- Project Status
- Application Status
- Submitted
- Meets Criteria
- Internal Notes:
- Attachments:
- https://gomesa.dmr.ms.gov/attachments/GOMESA_1424_Attachment.pdf
- Hyperlink:
- Attachments