UAPB’s fisheries center a leader
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Aquaculture & Fisheries Center of Excellence is unique in its dedication to a well-rounded education in the field of aquaculture.
Established in 1988, the center combines resident instruction, research, and extension responsibilities into one comprehensive unit. It has distinguished itself as the only research-based aquaculture program at a non-research-based university and the only comprehensive aquaculture program within the University of Arkansas system.
The program’s faculty, staff and students work together across multiple disciplines to provide relevant research and solutions for aquacultural issues in Arkansas, the Delta, and the rest of the United States.
According to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Arkansas ranks second in the United States for aquaculture production. This industry is elevated by UAPB’s dedicated and gifted aquaculture specialists who attend the school’s varied degree programs.
The bachelor’s degree program in Aquaculture and Fishery Sciences offers four concentrations: a general track, aquaculture, fisheries science and aquaculture, and seafood business.
The university expanded its course offerings to include a master’s degree track in 1997 and a doctorate degree track in 2011. The center’s emphasis on fieldwork and research ensure that students who graduate from the program are extremely employable in Arkansas, across the U.S. and beyond.
“About 70 percent [of undergraduates] started out working in a career relevant to their degree,” UAPB Fisheries Science Professor Michael Eggleton said in a 2020 interview.
“They were working at a hatchery at some point or for Arkansas Game and Fish or the [U.S.] Fish and Wildlife Service or some other agency. They have not only started out there but 20 years later several hold supervisor positions. Others work for commercial fish farms — not so much in Arkansas but scattered all around the country,” Eggle
ton said.
Since UAPB is the only college in the state that has a specialized aquaculture degree track, students usually graduate with plenty of job opportunities. Arkansas State University, for example, only offers a degree in wildlife, fisheries and conservation, while other colleges have biology tracks with fisheries concentrations.
With this specialized degree track comes smaller class sizes that offer more individualized instruction.
In recent years the center has received numerous grants because of its research excellence. In 2021, a $3 million grant was awarded to UAPB’s Aquaculture & Fisheries Department by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The five year grant aims to provide a formal evaluation of the NRCS’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEPWRE) program, which will allow landowners to share the cost of converting their retired farmlands back into native wetland with the NRCS.
The fieldwork and experiments will include groups across Arkansas, including other universities, non-government organizations, and even government agencies. At the conclusion of the study, the lead researcher, Eggleton, will compile a report to help disseminate the results to best benefit Arkansas’ local habitats and ecosystems.
In 2022, the center also received a two-year, $109,000 aquaponics research grant from the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA. The research will examine the use of freshwater aquaponics to produce high-value, fresh produce, including herbs, vegetables and flowers.
Aquaponic production systems often utilize a much smaller physical footprint compared to traditional farming, which means this research could allow greater access to locally grown, fresh produce in urban areas and counter the effects of food deserts across the U.S.
The center also partners with many different agencies across Arkansas, including county agents, fish farmers, farm pond owners, and natural resource managers, and attracts students from across the world.
In a recent interview with UAPB News, Andrew Maina, a UAPB alumnus from Kenya, highly recommended UAPB’s Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries.
“The research skills I gained at UAPB continue to help me in my career,” Maina said. “During my studies, I enjoyed working with professors and students from different backgrounds on research that truly supported Arkansas and the region.”
This article is among features at explorepinebluff.com, a program of the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission. Sources: www.ARMoneyandPolitics.com — Serious Business: UAPB Fisheries Program Puts State On Map; www.UAPBNews.com — $3 Million Grant Awarded to University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Aquaculture/Fisheries Department; www.PressReader.com — UAPB obtains grant for research; www.UAPB.catalog.acalog.com — Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries; www. UAPBNews.com — UAPB Alumnus Recommends a UAPB Education in Aquaculture/Fisheries for Research, Job Opportunities. Image Credit: www.UAPB.edu. Ninfa O. Barnard wrote this article for explorepinebluff.com.