UW-Stevens Point: Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility

09/03/2026

We want to thank Olivia for her time as our UW-Stevens Point 2026 summer intern! "Out of every summer I have had during college, the summer I spent at the NADF was by far the most impactful. This beautiful little facility offers training and experiences like no other, that may be entirely unique to this university. It allows interns to get an amazing set of skills like fish fry rearing and hatching, scientific fish sampling, data entry, fish tagging, fin clipping, daily aquaculture system maintenance, on-the-job water chemistry monitoring and testing, calculating feed ratios, PVC plumbing, Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) experience, tour group guiding, experience with Excel and R studio, AND a chance to participate and contribute to real, ongoing research that affects the future of sustainable food and fisheries. There is truly nothing better for an aspiring aquaculturist, or even a fisheries professional who wants to get their masters and get into research. It truly offers both, and I consider myself the luckiest person in the world to have spent my summer here. THANK YOU NADF!"
- Olivia

UWSP College of Letters and Science

08/25/2026

News 3 Now / Channel 3000 Madison Magazine "The Fish Fry Paradox: How a Wisconsin tradition is changing" includes details of our walleye research with UWSP NADF Assistant Director, Tyler Firkus.

Is your fish fry changing? This thought-provoking article in Madison Magazine includes a visit to UW-Stevens Point: Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility. https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/the-fish-fry-paradox-how-a-wisconsin-tradition-is-changing/article_333bb821-c68f-44f7-8b84-f9c140817d01.html
News 3 Now / Channel 3000 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant/Water Resources Institutes

08/12/2026

We are proud to co-host the 2027 National Aquaculture Extension Workshop with Minnesota Sea Grant and Eat Wisconsin Fish University of Wisconsin Sea Grant/Water Resources Institutes. Anyone involved in aquaculture extension, communications and education mark your calendars! This national opportunity only happens once every 5-7 years, you don't want to miss it! Learn more: https://seagrant.umn.edu/articles/naew-save-date

07/30/2026

Time flies! or swims... 2027 marks our 20-year anniversary of UW-Stevens Point: Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility being a part of the UWSP College of Letters and Science at UW-Stevens Point . Read more about our journey through the years in the Point of U newsletter:

Seven days a week filtered water is flowing and feed is nurturing freshwater fish at the Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility (NADF) in Bayfield, Wis. The UW-Stevens Point facility is one-of-a…

07/28/2026

Check out our latest video highlighting research on Atlantic salmon broodstock with various partners in Wisconsin, Maine and Maryland
https://youtu.be/EdnQEzQasyo?si=38BJXj0cds5vovC-
with University of Maine University of Maryland Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology USDA Agricultural Research Service National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center (NCWMAC)

Effective broodstock management and the ability to control reproduc...

06/17/2026

Last week Bayfield School District harvested 12 walleye that the students had raised in their aquaponics system. These feed trained walleye were donated by the facility to the school back in March 2025 to support aquaculture and hands on learning for the school's alternative education classes. A dissection activity to teach the students internal and external fish anatomy as well as a fillet demonstration followed the harvest.

06/03/2026

Welcome Olivia as our 2026 summer intern! Olivia is an undergrad at UW-Stevens Point pursuing a degree in Fisheries and Water Resources. Olivia has already been involved in several facility tours, reaching over 60 students, educators and public. She has also been fully involved in larval walleye culture as well as collected growth information on our walleye and salmonid species.

06/02/2026

Nearly 60 students toured the facility last week from Bayfield School District and Chequamegon School District. Students learned all about walleye and salmonid culture, while getting a hands-on lesson in spawning walleye, sampling plankton in the ponds, gathering fish growth data, and comparing various aquaculture systems.

05/20/2026

Larval walleye culture at UWSP NADF

04/30/2026

Getting ready to stock walleye fry in our indoor larviculture system UW-Stevens Point: Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility . The fish innately concentrate towards a light source looking for food (zooplankton). These fish are part of a project to further optimize walleye for food fish production, research funded by University of Wisconsin Sea Grant/Water Resources Institutes . Thanks to Genoa National Fish Hatchery and Great River Road Interpretive Center for providing the eggs.