Mississippi researchers join effort to help U.S. produce own seafood

Mississippi researchers are joining a new national effort to help the United States produce more of its own seafood.

Justin Glowacki with the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center spoke with researchers who say the Gulf Coast could play a major role in shaping the future of aquaculture.

Most of the seafood Americans eat comes from other countries. But NOAA is investing 13.5 million dollars in a new effort aimed at changing that.

Mississippi researchers will help lead the Gulf Coast region’s role in the project.

Reginald Blaylock, director of the Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center at Southern Miss, says the U.S. still has a long way to go when it comes to aquaculture. “The U.S. still doesn’t do very much aquaculture, particularly marine aquaculture. You know, and we eat a lot of seafood and we import it.”

According to NOAA, Americans consume more than 24 billion dollars in seafood each year, half of that being imported.

Blaylock says researchers hope to help produce more of that seafood here at home, creating jobs while strengthening the nation’s food supply. “For years we’ve been interested in trying to change that so that, you know, we actually produce the food that we eat here and get the economic benefits of the jobs that the industry creates and the food security.”

The project will bring together researchers from across the country, but Mississippi’s role will focus on the Gulf Coast.

That includes working with industry leaders, coastal communities and others to identify the region’s biggest needs and opportunities.

Steven Sempier, director of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, says that work starts by listening. “We try and do a combination evening and daytime events so that different people can participate because we earnestly do want to hear what people’s thoughts and ideas and concerns are and what the research questions are to you so we can address those.”

Researchers say that feedback will help shape future studies on everything from production methods and environmental challenges to new technologies that could help the industry grow.

Blaylock’s goal for the project is a little simpler. “What we want to see come out of this is American products on American plates.”

The institute will also study ways to overcome regulatory and permitting challenges that have slowed aquaculture growth across the country.