Aquaculture, marine sciences and oceanography: A confluence

New England Journal of Higher Education, The, Spring 1998 by Halvorson, Harlyn O

New England's geography, fishing tradition and scientific expertise present unique opportunities in aquaculture, marine science and oceanography. The region should seize these opportunities by developing the special niche advantages of the individual states while sharing resources, supporting one another's marine-related initiatives and understanding the various interdependencies within the region. Due to the special characteristics of the ocean, some marine organisms have unique properties that cannot be found in other ecosystems.

Since marine biotechnology was first defined in 1983, the ocean has yielded various important discoveries. For example, microorganisms that grow in very acid or alkaline ocean environments (extremophiles) are a source of commercially valuable alkaline proteases that may be used in detergents to break down wool, hair, feathers and other substances. Similarly; marine microorganisms that grow at very high temperatures (thermophiles) are a source of thermostable enzymes used by the biotechnology industry to modify DNA. Microorganisms that grow at temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius (psychrophiles) also have valuable commercial applications. Marine organisms are also the basis for new adhesion products; barnacle cement proteins are used for sutures, skin grafts and dental fillings.

Then there is the promise of fish farming in fresh and marine waters. The collapse of traditional wild-capture fisheries has led to worldwide interest in aquaculture- or underwater agriculture-as well as saltwater aquaculture known as mariculture. In 1995, aquaculture production amounted to more than $60 million in Connecticut and $55 million in Maine.

Generally, marine biotechnology research has developed around three areas: 1) production processes, including food and bio-energy; 2) biomonitoring, including use of biological models for testing pollutants in the environment; and 3) bioremediation processes designed, for example, to treat industrial wastes and heavy metals, clean up oil spills or break down xenobiotics such as pesticides.

Region's resources

During the past 10 years, centers of marine biotechnology have emerged in Europe, blending traditional marine biology with modern molecular biology These wellequipped centers, usually located in academic institutions, have attracted international scientists by providing special facilities or access to interesting marine model systems.

Here in New England, each state offers programs in aquaculture, marine sciences and oceanography at its state universities as well as considerable research at private institutions. The region boasts 14 marine labs and formidable oceanographic research and training. Indeed, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts is the world's largest independent oceanographic laboratory. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of New Hampshire are among several New England universities with strong oceanography and ocean engineering programs.

New England also has long been recognized for national leadership in technology, especially biotechnology, biomedicine, microelectronics, telecommunications, software and new materials. And technology transfer from MIT, WHOI, the land-grant universities of Massachusetts and Connecticut and others have spawned nationally recognized industries in marine engineering, electronics and environmental monitoring. The region's technical schools attempt to provide the industries with a supply of workers.

Additionally, traditionally active ports in New England cities such as Portland, Boston, Gloucester and New Bedford once made the region a leader in the now-declining traditional fishing industry and provided a strong infrastructure to process and market seafood.

Recently, the region's tradition of innovation and fishing history have helped give rise to an important aquaculture industry. Because most aquaculture facilities cultivate stock at high densities, the emerging aquaculture industry requires infrastructure to support animal husbandry and disease detection and control.

New England also boasts important centers for policy research on marine and oceanographic issues, including the National Marine Fisheries centers in Woods Hole and Milford, Conn. Additional policy strengths are found at UMass-Boston's Urban Harbors Institute and Environmental, Coastal and Ocean Science Program, as well as the New England Aquarium in Boston and the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Conn. And through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Massachusetts Bays Program, community groups and government agencies have developed policy-oriented action plans and research agendas to protect and enhance the marine resources of Massachusetts and Cape Cod bays.

Moreover, the combination of the cold waters of the Gulf of Maine and warn gulf stream waters provides an environment for abundant and diversified marine life that led Spencer Baird, the founder of the Woods Hole Biological Station, to locate the original U.S. Fish Lab on Cape Cod. The proximity of Georges Bank, meanwhile, provides opportunities to monitor and study important fish stocks. And the numerous estuaries and rivers flowing into the ocean make New England a rich laboratory for studying coastal zone management.