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Sea Briefs is a report on the results of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.

Editor: Laura Bowie

This newsletter is available in PDF format from:
masgc.org/seabriefs

MASGC supports applied, interdisciplinary marine science research, education and outreach efforts to foster the sustainable development and management of the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi-Alabama
Sea Grant Consortium
703 East Beach Drive
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Phone: 228-818-8838
E-mail: seabriefs@masgc.org
MASGP 08-011-04

Baitfish
Inland opportunities for farm-raised marine baitifsh

As sportfishing with live bait becomes more popular, pressure for the production of marine baitfish on estuarine resources will increase. Professors at Auburn University are seeking to create opportunities to relieve some of the pressure on wild bait species while boosting the economy of rural areas through aquaculture. The project is being funded by Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC).

Drs. Ron Phelps and Bob Nelson are the principal investigators for the live marine baitfish study. The candidate species that will be determined through farm trials include bull minnow, spot, pinfish, mullet and croaker. Specifically, the study is designed to assess technologies, markets and economics of farm-producing the marine baitfish using low-salinity groundwater found in the Black Belt region of west Alabama and east Mississippi.

“We have identified a couple of farmers who have expressed a willingness to produce baitfish, and one has been in production for a year already,” Nelson said.

The study will also assess the acceptability and market potential of cultured marine baitfish to retailers and fishermen in the northern Gulf coast. Transportation, holding and distribution costs must be determined in order to conclude if the inland baitfish industry will be viable in the future. According to Nelson, the trial will not be expanded until some important issues associated with the marketing supply chain have been addressed.

Researchers are cognizant that an industry that farms raises marine baitfish must be delicately balanced with the potential to adversely affect the wild-catchers in the area. If successful, the farm-raised baitfish industry is intended to supplement the wild-catch coastal baitfish during seasonal lows and as the need increases. At the same time, this project aims to improve the economic prosperity of farmers and bait dealers.