Texas Sea Grant holds the annual Texas Shrimp Farming Short Course and Marine Finfish Culture Course in the fall at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) and its Fisheries and Mariculture Laboratory (FAML) located in Port Aransas, and at shrimp and fish farms on the Texas coast.

The course is usually conducted in partnership with UTMSI and the Texas A&M University System’s Texas AgriLife Extension and Texas AgriLife Research, and in cooperation with Texas marine shrimp and finfish farms and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

The five-day course is designed for individuals interested in expanding or increasing the profitability of current mariculture businesses or starting new enterprises. It gives participants an opportunity to learn from more than a dozen respected specialists in the field of marine shrimp and finfish mariculture through lectures, laboratory demonstrations and field trips to commercial shrimp and finfish farms and research facilities. The marine finfish culture curriculum was added to the course in 2008 by popular demand.

In exit evaluations, past participants have rated the course and its instructors as excellent. Participants receive 4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from Texas A&M University for completing the course.

An agenda and registration information for the next course will be posted on this web site in late spring or early summer. A list of the instructors is here.

For more information, contact Granvil Treece, Aquaculture Specialist with Texas Sea Grant, by e-mail or by phone at 979-845-7527. Please do not contact The University of Texas Marine Science Institute facilities or researchers.

To learn more about Texas aquaculture, visit the Texas Aquaculture Association website.