UMaine to build $10M aquaculture workforce training facility, on the site of earlier one
Rendering / Courtesy University of Maine
Development, design and engineering of the $10.35 million Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce Innovation Center is expected to proceed this fall.
Another aquaculture-related facility is on the drawing board at the University of Maine.
The Orono school plans to begin development, design and engineering of the $10.35 million Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce Innovation Center this fall. The goal is to advance innovation and develop talent for the aquaculture industry in Maine and beyond, according to a news release.
The University of Maine System Board of Trustees recently approved moving forward with the design for the 14,200-square-foot facility, with a goal to open in late 2025.
Construction financing includes $7 million in congressionally directed spending, secured by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine. Another $3.35 million is coming from the state's jobs and recovery plan.
UMaine said the center will provide aquaculture industry training that includes hands-on experience and real-world problem-solving. The center will also collaborate with the Penobscot Nation and other Wabanaki peoples.
“Our students will be working on actual systems that resemble those in high-production aquaculture facilities, but at a much smaller scale,” said Deborah Bouchard, director of the Aquaculture Research Institute and associate professor of aquatic animal health with University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
The Maine aquaculture sector employs over 700 people and generates over $100 million in farm gate sales, according to the Maine Aquaculture Association. Based on pending licenses and permits, the association estimated that over 1,300 additional employees will be needed by the sector in the next 15 years.
“Aquaculture is one of the world’s fastest-growing food production methods,” said Sebastian Belle, the association’s executive director.
Established foundation
Belle said the new center will build on existing expertise and partnerships.
Some of that will happen literally. The center will be developed on the site of the former Aquaculture Research Center, which had a similar mission but closed in 2021. The barn-like structure was demolished in 2022 after it had slowly deteriorated over the course of 50 years, due to the high humidity of the aquaculture tanks it housed, Bouchard told Mainebiz.
The Aquaculture Research Center was 13,500 square feet. The Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce Innovation Center will be 14,200 square feet and will have room to expand to 20,000 square feet.
In addition to workforce training, the center will be available for research and development, will function as an incubator and will allow students to help solve real-world aquaculture challenges, Bouchard said.
The center will also complement the work of UMaine’s existing aquaculture facilities, which include the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research in Franklin, the Aquatic Animal Health Lab in Orono and the Darling Marine Center in Walpole.
The new center is also intended to be a place on campus for students and researchers to connect virtually with offsite facilities. It will be equipped with tanks and equipment designed by Innovasea, a designer of fish farming and fish tracking technology, headquartered in Boston with an office in Belfast. The equipment will cater to various life stages of fish, enabling experimental designs and integration into educational programs.
Research areas including developing alternative proteins, reducing dependency on fish meal in aquaculture feeds and exploring new farmed species.
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