GOMESA Application Details
- Internal Project Number
- 281425
- 1. Title of Project
- Advancing Southern Flounder Restoration through Recirculating Aquaculture Technology and Commercial Production
- 2. Location of Project
- Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TCMAC), 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
- 4f. Email
- ora-pam@usm.edu
- 5. FundingRequested
- $1,269,904
- 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
- $1,269,904
- 9. Project Description/Overview
- The Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) is one of the most popular coastal fishes in Mississippi. It is highly sought after by recreational anglers due to its fine flesh quality. Data on the abundance of Southern Flounder in the north central Gulf of Mexico including Mississippi are limited and insufficient in most areas, but a recent assessment conducted in Alabama (Powers et al. 2018) indicated that, while the stock was not yet overfished, overfishing was occurring. In Mississippi, recreational and commercial landings fluctuate annually, however the trend since 2012 suggests that the fishery is in a state of decline (Burris, R. personal communication, June 23rd, 2022, Waters, 2022). The Southern Flounder’s popularity as a recreational fish combined with its dependence on inshore habitats affected by environmental stressors such as pollution, temperature rise, and extended low salinity stress make it potentially vulnerable to depletion. Fluctuating abundance leads to an unreliable market supply and negatively impacts recreational fishing opportunities. Aquaculture could contribute to addressing the insufficiencies and fluctuations of the resource by providing an independent source of fingerlings to support recruitment in a stock enhancement program where Southern Flounder juveniles produced in aquaculture are released in Mississippi coastal habitats. Stock enhancement will provide managers with an additional tool, alongside traditional fishing regulation approaches, to manage and maintain a sustainable fishery for this species. This project thus aims to establish the culture of juvenile Southern Flounder in Mississippi as a source of seeds for stock enhancement. This will involve acquiring a captive broodstock for seed supply, developing effective spawning protocols, optimizing larval culture techniques to produce weaned juveniles for release, selecting appropriate sites for release, optimizing tagging and release protocols, and quantifying success of releases, and growout. Methods and technologies developed for both culture and stocking will be available for transfer to potential industry partners interested in producing Southern Flounder, through sponsored onsite and off-site hands-on workshops thereby mitigating the risk of poor performance in the existing industry and creating the potential for new job opportunities and workforce development
- 10. Project Goals/Objectives
- The goals will be to: 1) Develop a captive broodstock population a) Collect 40-180 more adult flounder by collaborating with DMR and the local charter fleet, b) Develop a method to identify the phenotypic sex of candidate brooders, c) Develop volitional/spontaneous spawning techniques, d) Develop induced/alternative spawning techniques. 2) Produce juveniles in recirculating systems a) Optimize larval feeding protocols, b) Optimize post- larval husbandry conditions protocols, 3) Develop tools for stock enhancement and implement pilot releases a) Optimize transport and release protocols, b) Identify the best candidate locations for releases, c) Develop tools for large-scale genetic tagging and monitoring of stock enhancement and domestication of Southern Flounder d) Conduct pilot short-term releases of juveniles. 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: The trend since 2012 suggests that the Southern Flounder fishery is in a state of decline. The Southern Flounder's popularity as a recreational fish combined with its dependence on inshore habitats affected by environmental stressors such as pollution, make it potentially vulnerable to depletion. This project could contribute to mitigating damage of the resource by providing a fishery-independent source of of fingerlings to support a restoration program. Recruitment of Southern Flounder to the fishery could be increased through the stocking of juveniles produced in aquaculture and released in Mississippi coastal habitats.
- (C) Implementation of a federally-approved marine, coastal, or conservation management plan.
- Yes: 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 Southern Flounder and thereby facilitate resilience in the recreational fishing community. The project will enhance economic activity by stimulating the use of working waterfronts and fishing-related economic activities. Aquaculture technologies can be transferred to facilitate the development of an industry that could revitalize the economy in local communities.
- (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 genotyping panel, 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 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, 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, 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 sustainability 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
- $397,989
- Travel
- $15,900
- Architecture & Engineering
- Legal
- Consulting
- Construction
- Site Work
- Equipment
- $130,800
- Indirects
- $369,585
- Other
- $355,630
- Total
- $1,269,904
- 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_1425_Attachment.pdf
- Hyperlink:
- Attachments