Brittany Woodward Successfully Defends Her Master's Thesis
Ms. Brittany Woodward is Kentucky State University's Aquaculture Research Center's latest graduate student to successfully defend her Masters' Thesis. Brittany's thesis is titled "DETERMINING THE DIETARY LYSINE REQUIREMENT OF JUVENILE LARGEMOUTH BASS, Micropterus salmoides." Her Thesis Committee consists of Major Professor Dr. Waldemar Rossi, Dr. James Tidwell, and Dr. Kenneth Semmens.
Mr. Richard Hulefeld has done it! He defended his thesis and now has his Masters in Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences. The title of Rick's thesis is "Nutritional Evaluation of an Improved Soybean Meal to Replace Fishmeal in the Diet of Pacific White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei." Rick's Thesis Committee consists of Major Professor Dr. Waldemar Rossi, Dr. James Tidwell, and Dr. Kenneth Semmens.
Mr. Thomas (Cary) Mason successfully defended his Thesis on December 6, 2018. The title of Cary's thesis is "Evaluation of Salt Treatments for Holding Largemouth Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass as Live Fish." Cary's thesis committee consisted of major professor Dr. Kenneth Semmens, Dr. Waldemar Rossi Jr., Dr. Boris Gomelsky, and Dr. Bob Durborow.
Kalvin Rucker Harvested His Research Project Titled "Effect of Dietary Carbohydrate Type and Inclusion Rate on Growth and Feed Efficiency in Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides."
Carnivorous fish are generally considered to be glucose intolerant, showing persistent hyperglycemia when ingesting carbohydrate (CHO)-rich diets. In largemouth bass (LMB), Microperus salmoides, excessive dietary CHO (>20%) leads to increased glycogen deposition in the hepatocytes and may lead to liver dysfunction, reduced growth, and an increase in mortality. To produce the floating feeds preferred by fish farmers, diets require CHO concentrations ≥20%. Corn flour (CF) and wheat flour (WF) are the most commonly used CHO sources in practical diets for fish, whereas dextrinized corn starch (DCS) is a purified source of hydrolyzed starch, which can be more easily digested by fish. A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to compare the effects of different CHO sources and inclusion rates on LMB growth and feed utilization is ongoing.
Nine experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric. These diets include three CHO types (WF, CF, and DCS) at two inclusion rates (20% or 30%). Fifteen fingerling LMBs (~5.1 g) were stocked into each 76-L acrylic aquaria in a shared recirculating aquaculture system. With four replicates per diet, a total of 24 aquaria were randomly assigned to one of the diets. Fish were fed once daily to apparent satiation. After 12 weeks, fish fed 20% DCS diet were larger than fish receiving 20% WF, 20% CF and 30% but not different from those receiving 30% DCS or 30% WF. Fish fed 30% DCS were larger than fish fed 30% CF but not different from other diets. Fish fed both 20% and 30% WF were larger than fish fed 30% CF. Similarly, feed efficiency was also improved in fish fed DCS compared to fish fed WF or CF. These results indicate that DCS may be a better carbohydrate source for use in diets for LMB based on improved growth and feed conversion efficiency.
Kalvin is a senior graduating in the Spring of 2019. He is from Detroit Michigan. He is studying Biology at Kentucky State University and will present this research at The Association of 1890 Research Directors Conference in Jacksonville, Florida and National Conference on Undergraduate Research this spring in Georgia.
Dr. Jim Tidwell Discusses the Role Aquaculture Will Play in the Future on Global Connection Television
Dr. Jim Tidwell, Kentucky State University's Division of Aquaculture Chair, discusses the role that aquaculture will play in the future in providing food supplies, given that the oceans are overfished and the population is expanding dramatically. October 27, 2018
_____________________________________________________________________ Josh Dusci Harvests First Trial of Thesis Research
November 16, 2018 marked the end of the first trial for Josh Dusci's thesis research. The research involves evaluating the effectiveness of freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) in aquaponic systems as a biological control of solids accumulation within plant troughs. Six replicate Deep Water Culture aquaponic systems were utilized during the trial, three contained prawn within the plant troughs (5 prawn/trough) and three did not. All systems contained Bibb Lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitate) and Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). During trial 1, three different root guards were implemented between treatments (Root Guard A: 800mm plastic mesh (3"x4"), Root Guard B: 600μm mesh bag (3"x4"), Root Guard C: No root guard). These guards were used to understand the foraging effects of prawn on the plant growth. A 2x3 Factorial will be run in order to determine differences in plant growth between treatments (2) as well as root guards (3). Along with plant growth; data for fish growth, prawn growth, and solids accumulation were also collected for further evaluation.
Researchers hypothesize that solids accumulation in the plant troughs will be less in systems containing prawn compared to those that do not. Whether this is due to prawns eating the solids, re-suspending the solids, or both is to be determined. If the prawn do provide a biological solids control, do the positives outweigh the negatives? A second trial will be run to collect more data in order to fully understand the interactions between the prawn treatments."
Photos by Charles Weibel _____________________________________________________________________
Doug Blair Defends Thesis
Doug Blair successfully defended his thesis today at the AquacultureResearch Center. His Major Professor is Dr. James Tidwell, Dr. Andrew Ray and Dr. Waldemar Rossi were his committee members. Doug's thesis title is "The Effects of Tank Color and Light Color Temperature (Kelvin) on Macrobrachium rosenbergii Larval Progression and Survivalto Post-Larvae. Doug is currently working a Auburn University in the area of genetics.
Presentations (Video and pdf.) from the Indoor Shrimp Farming Workshop held on September 14-15, 2018 for Download
Below are video and pdf. presentations from the September Indoor Shrimp Farming Workshop held at Kentucky State University. These presentations are available for download. Audio versions of the presentations are linked to our YouTube channel. The links for each presentation are listed below their title and the link listed below goes to the main Kentucky State Universtity Aquaculture YouTube channel. All Indoor Shrimp Farming Workshop Audio presentation can be found by selecting the playlist.
Kentucky State University Aquaculture Students Tour Alltech
Dr. Bob Durborow took his Fish Diseases Laboratory (AQU 510) students to tour Alltech Aqua on Thursday. They were hosted by Dr. Keith Filer, Research Director for Alltech Aquaculture. Students engaged in discussions with Dr. Filer on how organic minerals and yeast-derived Alltech food additives enhance growth and health of fish, and how this can be measured with microarray technology. From left to right are Nathan Kring, Amit Sharma, Brandylyn Thomas, Kasondra Miller, Dr. Durborow, James Brown, and Dr. Filer.
Dr. Bob Durborow's Fish Disease class traveled to Newport, KY to get a behind-the-scenes tour of Newport Aquarium across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, OH. My Fish Diseases class were guided by vet tech Jolene Hanna and water quality manager Jeff Gibula. We saw 8-foot-long arapimas and a convalescing stingray with a swollen abdomen.
Josh Dusci Conducts Trials Using Prawns in Aquaponic Systems
Josh Dusci is implementing Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) as a biological solids control in an aquaponics system. They will be placed in the plant troughs, "downstream", from Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). As the Tilapia are fed they produce solids waste which if not removed via mechanical/physical removal can cause an array of problems within the system. This research will be studying the impacts of prawns on solids reduction within the aquaponic systems.
Future Koi Farmer Visits the Aquaculture Research Center
Chris Ward from Denver, Colorado visited the Aquaculture Research Center at Kentucky State University. Chris's dream is to establish private farm to produce and raise koi for local hobbyists. Chris has Master's degree in paleontology but now he is more interested in aquaculture and fisheries. During his visit, Dr. Boris Gomelsky thoroughly described all necessary steps of koi spawning and raising that is take place at KSU's Aquaculture Research Center. Also, Dr. Robert Durborow and Richard Bryant shared useful information with Chris on opening a private aquaculture farm and the experience of working at a koi commercial farm, respectively.
2018 International Indoor Shrimp Farming Workshop at Kentucky State University
KSU's Aquaculture Research Center hosted the 2018 International Indoor Shrimp Farming Workshop at the Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm. The workshop was a great success with 216 participants attending the event. Some participants traveled very long distances to attend the workshop including locations like Germany, Canada, Slovakia, and Mexico. The United States was also well represented with people attending from 28 states, including Hawaii and California. There were 27 participants from Kentucky that attended the workshop. Most participants were from the shrimp aquaculture industry.
Presenters included government officials, industry leaders, and academic scholars. A mixture of
presentations, tours, and engaging discussions helped to bring to light some of the most important topics facing this rapidly growing industry.
Team Ray and other faculty and staff from the College of Agriculture, Communities and the Environment worked hard the make the two-day event a success.
Dr. Andrew Ray and Mr. Leo Fleckenstein Help Co-Author Publication
This paper examined two methods of stunning in three model crustaceans. Stunning is used to reduce sensory perception prior to euthanizing animals. This is especially important in places such as Europe where some markets require that animals are electrocuted prior to slaughter to prevent pain in the animal. However, this paper found that electrocution only paralyzed the three species (blue crab, red swamp crayfish, and Pacific white shrimp); the heart rate was decreased temporarily, then increased but was irregular. Immersion in an ice slurry below 4 degrees C resulted in sedation within seconds for shrimp and crayfish, but not crabs. The ice slurry stopped the shrimp heart the quickest, indicating that an ice slurry may be the most humane method of stunning these animals.
Brandylyn Thomas Starts Her Thesis Research Project
Brandylyn Thomas master's thesis research project is an investigation of genetic variability in Nile tilapia using microsatellite DNA markers. Yesterday fin clips from YY tilapia males obtained from Fishgen Ltd. in Wales, United Kingdom were taken and preserved in alcohol for further analysis. Totally, the genetic variability of fish from nine different groups will be analyzed in the frame of this thesis project. Brandylyn's Major Professor is Dr. Boris Gomelsky and also has Dr. Noel Novelo, and Alex Kramer to help her with this research project.
Professional Mentorship Program High School Student Works with Genetics Team at the Aquaculture Research Center
Kaleb Thomas is part of the Frankfort High School Professional Mentorship Program in which senior high school students engage in a 14 week placement, exploring potential career pathways. Kaleb shadows Dr. Gomelsky's graduate students: Brandylyn Thomas and Alex Kramer. He is provided hands-on experience on feeding fish, husbandry of recirculating systems, and activities such as collecting fin clips samples and preserving them in alcohol for genetic analysis, and measuring weight and total length of the fish sampled. KSU provides mentorship, and experiential learning to Kaleb. Kaleb is the fifth high school senior to work in Reproduction and Genetics Laboratory at Kentucky State University's Aquaculture Research Center.
Dr. Boris Gomelsky Presents at the "AQUA 2018" International Conference on Aquaculture
Dr. Boris Gomelsky, Professor and Principal Investigator at the KSU Aquaculture Program, attended an International Conference on Aquaculture "AQUA 2018" which was held in Montpellier, France. This conference took place in Montpellier's Palace of Congresses "Le Corum" and gathered 2,500 attendees from 60 countries.
Dr. Gomelsky has gave two oral presentations at the session "Sex Determinism and Control". In the first talk, Dr. Gomelsky presented results of comparative raising of tilapia crosses obtained using YY males and normal XX females of different origin; this study was performed in frame of the USDA Capacity Building Grant to KSU. In his second, invited presentation titled, "Sex Control in Common Carp: Theoretical and Practical Aspects." Dr. Gomelsky summarized known information on sex control in this species, which is an important aquaculture fish in many countries in Europe and Asia.
Team Ray Publishes Two Part Series in the Journal of Aquaculture Engineering
Tom Tierney and Leo Fleckenstein published a two part series in the Journal of Aquacultual Engineering. Both papers looked at the effect of various RAS filtration systems on water quality and animal production metrics. Tom's paper examined those effects on shrimp and included a survey of stable isotope dynamics among the animals, while Leo's paper examined the impacts of the filtration techniques on juvenile tilapia. Both papers explore ways that farmers can produce fresh seafood year-round without much water use, thereby helping to facilitate sustainable food production.
'The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018' is the title of a report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which found that "... global fish production will continue to expand over the next decade even though the amount of fish being captured in the wild has leveled off and aquaculture's previously explosive growth is now slowing ... [The] report projects that by 2030 combined production from capture fisheries and aquaculture will grow to 201 million tonnes ... That's an 18 percent increase over the current production level of 171 million tonnes ... In 2016, production from aquaculture reached 80 million tonnes, ... providing 53 percent of all fish consumed by humans as food ... Some 59.9 percent of the major commercial fish species that FAO monitors are now being fished at biologically sustainable levels, while 33.1 percent are being fished at biologically unsustainable levels ... The other 7 percent are underfished ..."
The title of the July 9, 2018 FAO News Article is "Is the planet approaching "peak fish"? Not so fast, study says; Significant production increases foreseen over coming decade - Sector faces major challenges"
July 9, 2018 FAO News Article
Web site: The July 9, 2018 FAO News Article is posted at
U.S. Farm-Raised Fish and Shellfish Publications Available for Education and Promotion
U.S. Farm-Raised Fish and Shellfish Publications
Available for Education and Promotion
The National Aquaculture Association (NAA) has developed a variety of fact-based, high-quality, full-color and reader-friendly brochures. These publications communicate to consumers, buyers, chefs or health care professionals the quality, value and wholesomeness of U.S. farm-raised fish and shellfish as well as the federal and state regulations that govern production, handling and processing.
Locally Farmed Seafood: Safe & Sustainable encourages consumers to buy locally farmed fish and shellfish for their safe, wholesome and nutritious benefits, environmental sustainability, and the positive impact on local economies.
U.S. Farm-Raised Seafood and Food Safety describes non-voluntary and voluntary federal and state food inspection and safety programs and the incredible nutritional values of farm-raised fish and shellfish.
U.S. Farm-Raised Fish and Shellfish Q&A answers commonly asked water quality, sustainability, drug and chemical use, diet and food safety questions with science and regulatory facts.
U.S. Farm-Raised Fish and Shellfish for a Healthier & Happier Life provides in-depth nutritional information for children, teens and adults as well as the health benefits of consuming fish and shellfish during pregnancy. The facts concerning Omega-3 fatty acids, mercury and PCBs are also presented.
United States Aquaculture: Fact & Fiction corrects erroneous perceptions concerning fishmeal, food safety, drug and chemical use, Omega-3 fatty acids, mercury, environmental effects, sustainability, PCBs, and eco-labels.
Farm-Raised in the USA is a poster 34 fish and shellfish farmed in the United States. Each species is depicted in full-color and identified by market, scientific and common name.
Each of these attractive, educational publications can be previewed at: http://thenaa.net/publications. Call or email the NAA office at 850-216-2400 or naa@thenaa.net to order copies for public or promotional events, buyer meetings, or mail-outs.
The U.S. Aquaculture Society (USAS), North Central Regional Aquaculture Center (NCRAC) and National Aquaculture Association (NAA) produced an aquaculture webinar series during 2016 that features 14 current and timely aquaculture topics presented by knowledgeable speakers. The webinars were:
Aquaponics - How to do it yourself!
Mandatory Inspection of Fish of the Order Siluriformes
Labeling Requirements for Siluriformes Fish and Fish Products
What You Need to Know About Biosecurity
How to Design Your Biosecurity Plan
Recreational Fish Pond Management
The HACCP Approach to Prevent the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species by Aquaculture and Baitfish Operations
U.S. Farm-Raised Finfish and Shellfish 101
Regulatory Costs of U.S. Aquaculture Businesses
Branding Opportunities for Oyster Farmers
Seafood in the Diet: Benefits and Risks - Farm-Raised and Wild
Use of Veterinary Feed Directive Drugs in Aquaculture
Social Media: An Introduction for Successful Use
Fish Health: What You Need to Know as an Aquaculture Producer
To access these webinars, visit http://thenaa.net via your desktop computer or mobile device and select "Webinars" from the menu.
The NAA website is packed with information. Please explore NAA's webpages to find downloadable publications, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Kids Corner, recipes, video interviews describing aquaculture sustainability and the value and benefits of seafood to human health, and a wealth of additional information. If there is a topic that is missing, please contact the NAA office at 850-216-2400 or naa@thenaa.net.
Certificate Degree in Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences
Certificate Degree in Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences
In the United States over 90% of the seafood consumed is imported. Aquaculture is now the world's leading provider of seafood and the fastest growing segment of world agriculture. The Division of Aquaculture is KSU's Program of Distinction and is highly regarded in both research and academics. KSU offers more online aquaculture courses than any university in the U.S. A Certificate Degree in Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences can be earned by completing 12 hrs of Aquaculture (AQU) courses, with a grade of "C" or better, within five years of beginning the initial course work. Courses can be online, classroom, or any combination. To enroll, students must first be admitted to the University on either a degree seeking or non-degree seeking basis. Work completed for the Certificate Degree may later be applied toward the Bachelor of Agriculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) degree.
Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences Certificate Program
The Certificate Degree in Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences will require a minimum of 12 credit hours of course work chosen by the student from the Division of Aquaculture offerings (AQU prefix). These can either be classroom or online classes. Only classes in which students receive a "C" or better will count toward the Certificate Degree. These classes can also count toward the Aquaculture Systems option for the B.S. in Aquaculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) and/or the Aquaculture Minor should the student pursue a high degree.
Available Online Courses
To earn the Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences Certificate entirely online, you must complete four (Students choice) of the following online courses:
Constructing Fish Tanks in High Tunnel Greenhouses
This video was shot at the Kentucky State University High Tunnel Complex. High tunnels are relatively simple greenhouse structures commonly used to extend the growing season of crops. In this video Dr. Andrew Ray describes some large fish tanks that have been constructed with wooden frames and rubber liners. The fish tanks are being used to grow tilapia, with the goal of getting market-sized fish in one growing season in Kentucky. Time-lapse and underwater video footage help to illustrate Dr. Ray's points.
Dr. Boris Gomelsky Publishes Video On Koi Breeding
Dr. Boris Gomelsky and KSU Aquaculture graduate students spawned koi in the hatchery this Spring. Video was recorded, edited and posted onto YouTube. This video demonstrates the process of koi artificial breeding and includes stripping of eggs and sperm from koi broodstock, and artificial fertilization of eggs. In order to remove adhesiveness, after fertilization eggs are placed in McDonald incubation jars where they are vigorously moved in water/milk suspension by air bubbles for 50-60 minutes. Then air flow is substituted with water flow for further incubation of eggs.
Video edited by Charles Weibel
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Scale-Transparency and Red-Eye Mutations in Koi
Dr. Boris Gomelsky, KSU Aquaculture Professor, describes two mutations in koi and demonstrates mutant fish from experimental progenies.
Video edited by Charles Weibel
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Growing Marine Shrimp in a Biofloc System
This video was shot during a harvest of the indoor marine shrimp production system at Kentucky State University's Aquaculture Research Center. Dr. Andrew Ray describes some of the benefits and concepts behind biofloc-based aquaculture. The video serves as an introduction to this relatively new and exciting topic which can be used to grow marine shrimp in practically any building, allowing fresh, whole, jumbo shrimp to be grown near and sold to a variety of inland markets.
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Dr. Jim Tidwell on GCTV with Bill Miller
Dr. Jim Tidwell, Chair of Kentucky State University's Division of Aquaculture and past-president of both the US Aquaculture Society and the World Aquaculture Society, discusses how to deal with dwindling fish supplies and overfishing.
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Aquaponics - An Integrated Fish and Plant Production System
Alltech-KSU Research Alliance Focus on Aquaculture Sustainability
To learn more about aquaculture & agriculture sustainability and the research alliance between Alltech and Kentucky State University, click on the link below.
Fish Genetics 
Principles of Aquaculture 
