MSI Public Lecture Series

Around the world, seafood consumption continues to increase at an impressive rate.  In the U.S., seafood consumption has increased substantially in the last 20 years as the American consumer has become more health conscious. While this dramatic increase in consumption has occurred, the world's production of wild-caught seafood has remained steady since the early 80's.  It is estimated that by the year 2030, global seafood demand will nearly double (200 million tons a year!) even though the oceans have already reached their maximum sustainable yield.

How will we meet this demand?  The only possible option is to produce seafood through aquaculture.  The culture of seafood is not a new invention, it has been going on for thousands of years.  Culture of fish on a commercial scale, however, only became possible in the last 50 years.  In this talk, Ken Webb will discuss the benefits of eating seafood as well as the pros and cons of aquaculture.  His talk will cover the health benefits of seafood, contaminants in seafood, and responsible aquaculture.

Ken is a graduate student at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute working with Dr. Joan Holt.  Ken's dissertation research focuses on hormone utilization of prepared diets in larval red drum.