Aquaculture represents an excellent opportunity to help rejuvenate blighted coastal urban areas on the northeast coast. Aquaculture requires relatively little space, often acquired at reduced cost in ungentrified city areas, and can represent an attractive, environmentally benign form of commerce. However, finfish and shellfish aquaculture operations are a source of an effluent with high concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients (N, P). To prevent eutrophication, the EPA is developing stringent guidelines for the release of N and P into coastal waters. An integrated recirculating aquaculture system, coupling the growth of seaweed and fish, can solve these problems for urban aquaculture facilities; not only is the effluent remediated but an additional multi-product, high-value crop can be generated. One tank-based (on land) marine aquaculture operation is GreatBay Aquaculture LLC (Portsmouth, NH), a land-based hatchery and grow-out facility for high value summer flounder and cod. Our work is to develop an integrated finfish/seaweed recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) suitable for urban aquaculture. Our RAS system will integrate the culture of summer flounder and native species of seaweed (i.e. Porphyra). BRVAS students are working along side undergraduate and graduate students in the construction and operation of these systems. There are at least seven recognized species of Porphyra in the Northeast. We have begun mesoscale evaluation of P. leucosticta, since it may be a good candidate for the food (sushi) and for r-phycoerythrin industries. The mass culture techniques (in both free culture and attached to nets) for this Porphyra species are developing. We will report on the mass seeding technologies that we have developed and the specific growth rates of P. leucosticta at the BRVAS culture facilities.

Key words: finfish/seaweed, integrate aquaculture, Porphyra leucosticta, new seeding technology, recirculating