Aquaculture class at Ocean Springs High School

Ocean Springs High School is home to one of the states only aquaculture programs. Today, students in their second year of taking the course are diving into deeper waters and taking on more challenges.
News 25’s Caroline Eaker has more about what’s ahead for aquaculture students.
Ocean Springs High School is taking their aquaculture class to a whole new level. Students like Baylee Jackson are learning firsthand about marine science and stewardship as they care for the fish. “On a daily basis we come in here and put the bucket on the ground and clean out the tank and make sure the system is running and make sure the aeration is good. Make sure that we don’t have any dead fish or anything like that.”
Their responsibilities have just expanded after a special delivery by USM’s Gulf Coast Research Lab on Thursday. The students are now tasked with keeping blue crabs alive and healthy. USM Aquaculture Center Assistant Director Reg Blaylock said, “This is their first experience with blue crabs. We will see what they get out of it. It’s going to be a learning experience for them and that’s the whole point.”
They’ll get plenty of experience considering the hundreds of blue crabs added to the 500 gallon tanks that already house tilapia, trout, and oysters, all surviving thanks to filtration systems built by the students. The students will continue to care for the crabs the same way they have for the other marine life in the tanks during class time. Aquaculture Teacher Bryan Butler said, “We come out every day and it takes 45 minutes to an hour. We will clean the tanks. We will feed the fish. We will check water quality. We will do species reports and make sure all of our oysters and everybody are fed at the end of the day.”
A hands on lesson at least one student hopes to pass on to others one day. “I have wanted to teach my whole life so I have considered being a teacher for an aquaculture program. That’s something I’m definitely interested in doing and pursuing.”