Press Release

PORT ARANSAS, Texas—The University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) will be breaking ground this year on a new marine fisheries research lab, thanks to a $600,000 donation from the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) of Texas.

The new 3,000-square-foot larval fish research facility, to be built at the UTMSI campus in Port Aransas, Texas, will enhance what is already one of the most advanced marine fisheries research centers in the world.

UTMSI research efforts focus on the spawning and rearing of many recreationally and commercially important fish species, such as flounder, snapper, redfish and cobia.

“This building will allow us to move our studies up to a higher level with a novel system of tanks and environmental controls,” says Dr. Joan Holt, associate director for mariculture and professor of marine science at UTMSI. “With the addition of new modern laboratory space we will have an unparalleled capability for critical work on Texas fisheries, with implications for fisheries nationwide.”

The new facility will allow UTMSI scientists to increase hatchery success and production of important species and to expand the number of new species that can be reared.

“UTMSI has a proven track record and is a world leader in marine fisheries studies,” says CCA Texas Executive Director Pat Murray. “This facility will be key in gaining a better understanding of the life cycles of many recreational species. It stands to forward marine science research and hatchery science to levels we have only dreamed about.”

CCA Texas’ funding for the new lab will help UTMSI researchers ensure healthy populations of fish for the future.

CCA Texas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of Texas marine resources. Founded more that 25 years ago, CCA Texas has been instrumental in banning gill nets in state waters, establishing redfish and speckled trout as game fish and working to ensure adequate freshwater reaches Texas bays and estuaries. Using research techniques developed at UTMSI, CCA Texas has also built two of the largest redfish hatcheries in the world.

This year, UTMSI is celebrating 60 years of science and the sea. Established in 1946, the institute was the first permanent marine laboratory in Texas. The institute has a long history of granting both master’s and Ph.D. degrees through its academic counterpart, the Department of Marine Science at The University of Texas at Austin. The UTMSI research program emphasizes both basic and applied research aimed at understanding the biological, chemical and physical processes governing the coastal zone ecosystem. The institute is also home to a variety of education and public outreach programs that serve the public from kindergarten through retirement age.

Marine Science Institute Receives $600,000 to Build New Marine Fisheries Lab

Marine Science Institute Receives
$600,000 to Build New Marine Fisheries Lab