UF IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory

10/01/2026

HARVEST Applications are NOW OPEN!

Whether you're interested in starting a career in aquaculture or hosting an apprentice at your operation, HARVEST offers a unique opportunity to learn, grow, and support Florida's aquaculture industry.

Applications close October 31.
Apply today! https://www.flseagrant.org/harvest-program/

Applications now open!

HARVEST helps connect future aquaculture professionals with Florida businesses for hands-on training, skill development, and real-world experience. Whether you're looking to start a career in aquaculture or host an apprentice at your operation, now is the time to learn more.

Click here to apply! https://bit.ly/4dPSgwf

A big thanks to our partners on this project: Florida Aquaculture Association (FAA); Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association (FTFFA); Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association (FSAA); Cedar Key Aquaculture Association (CKAA); Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium; Florida Marine Aquaculture Coalition (FMAC)

08/14/2026

The Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory is hiring a PhD student in ornamental and finfish aquaculture to start in the Spring 2027 semester. See below for details!

07/01/2026

Congratulations on a well-deserved promotion to Josh Patterson!

One of UF's leaders in marine restoration, SFFGS' Josh Patterson recently received a promotion from associate professor to full professor.

Areas of research and extension in the Patterson Lab are the use of aquaculture in coral reef restoration — corals, sponges, sea urchins — restoration and protection of seagrasses, bay scallop population enhancement, and fisheries aspects of large-scale habitat restorations.

In addition to The Florida Aquarium as a primary stakeholder, Patterson works directly with agencies like MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and others, non-profit organizations, and private businesses engaged in restoration aquaculture.

02/19/2026

Excellent and important research from Josh Patterson and his student Casey Hudspeth at the UF IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences SFFGS! Awesome!

Sea urchins are the “lawnmowers of the reefs.” 🌊

They graze down algae that would otherwise smother corals and block sunlight. But after a devastating die-off in the 1980s, reefs across the Caribbean lost one of their most important protectors.

Now, UF IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences SFFGS researchers at The Florida Aquarium's Coral Conservation and Research Center are helping bring them back, starting with better nutrition for baby urchins. By identifying the right microalgae diet, researchers can increase survival rates and send more young urchins to Florida reefs to restore balance.

Sometimes saving coral starts with feeding the babies. 🪸

Learn more 🔗 tr.ee/xJJT8dpz2w

01/28/2026

10/08/2025

The abstract submission deadline for World Aquaculture Society’s “Aquaculture America 2026” has been extended to 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. The conference takes place February 16-19, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

https://www.was.org/Meeting/abstract/Submit/AA2026

*Note that any student abstracts submitted after the original September deadline will not be considered for student awards.

10/01/2025

Call for abstracts for the 118th Annual Conference of the National Shellfisheries Association. The abstract deadline is December 15th 2025 – please review the detailed instructions prior to submitting (https://shellfish.memberclicks.net/annual-meeting---abstract-submission).

Register now: https://shellfish.memberclicks.net/annual-meeting---registration The early-bird deadline is January 16, 2026.

10/01/2025

Podcast Episode · Get Aquacultured! · 09/24/2025 · 1h

07/23/2025

Ovaprim has now been Indexed for use in all finfish broodstock in the US. Ovaprim is an injectable ovulating/spermiating agent used to promote and facilitate reproduction in fish. The product may now legally be used on any species of finfish broodstock as long as those individuals will never be harvested for consumption. Previously Indexed only for use on ornamental fish, the label expansion was facilitated by the Expert Panels Report authored by Dr. Roy Yanong and Dr. Matt DiMaggio here at the UF/IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Lab and Dr. Shane Ramee of the Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership Program.

Indexing is an alternative to the drug approval process for non-food producing minor species (which includes fish) and non-food early life stages of food producing minor species. Indexing provides a faster and less expensive path to legal marketing status for eligible products. To learn more about indexing, visit: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/minor-useminor-species/drug-indexing

07/21/2025

Our peer-reviewed publication, "Developing larval nutrition protocols for Hogfish, a new candidate for marine finfish aquaculture", is the featured article in the April 2025 issue of the North American Journal of Aquaculture!
Check out the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1093/naaqua/vraf003