{"id":64917,"date":"2009-09-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-09-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/uri-student-thinks-seaweed-might-be-the-next-big-thing-in-aquaculture\/"},"modified":"2009-09-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-09-01T00:00:00","slug":"uri-student-thinks-seaweed-might-be-the-next-big-thing-in-aquaculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2009\/09\/uri-student-thinks-seaweed-might-be-the-next-big-thing-in-aquaculture\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 student thinks seaweed might be the next big thing in aquaculture"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tMiddletown resident spends summer testing it\u2019s potential<\/p>\n


\n\tKINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 September 1, 2009 \u2013 溏心vlog免费B站 senior Ariel Tobin decided to study fisheries and aquaculture because she loves sport fishing, she enjoys being on the water, and she knows it\u2019s a field that will keep her attention. This summer she carried this enthusiasm into a research project to assess whether seaweed could become the next big food crop grown in the Ocean State.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cMy focus has been on testing how to grow an edible seaweed called gracilaria in our salt ponds,\u201d said Tobin, who was born in Key West, Fla., but grew up in Middletown. \u201cIt\u2019s got a nice crispy, crunchy texture, a mild briny flavor, and its texture improves with cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tTobin collaborated on the project with Perry Raso, owner of Matunuck Oyster Farms, who raises oysters in a seven-acre aquaculture lease in Potter Pond in South Kingstown. His goal is to conduct the seaweed culture alongside his oyster farm to create an integrated aquaculture setting. Raso also owns a raw bar and restaurant, and he believes there is a market for gracilaria.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cSeaweed is essentially a sea vegetable, and it\u2019s already popular in Asian markets,\u201d Tobin said. \u201cMarketing it here in New England might be a challenge, but it\u2019s got great potential.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tTo assess the viability of growing the species in a controlled aquaculture environment, Tobin conducted a variety of detailed tests to determine under what conditions it grows best. She first set up an experiment to learn in what depth water the seaweed grows fastest, then she studied the impact of tides and currents on growth rates.<\/p>\n


\n\tShe even followed up on a study in Canada that concluded that the ropes on which the seaweed is grown should be covered in vegetable shortening to reduce the likelihood that other organisms would attach to the ropes.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cThat one didn\u2019t turn out so well,\u201d she said. \u201cThe vegetable shortening stopped the lines from being fouled by other seaweeds or tunicates, but it also inhibited the growth of the gracilaria we were trying to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tOn a typical day this summer, Tobin helped Raso monitor his oyster farm operations \u2013 raising oysters that start out the size of a grain of sand until they are ready to harvest at about three inches across \u2013 while also keeping track of her seaweed experiments. In addition, she conducted public tours of the facility.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI spent a lot of time learning about the aquaculture operation, understanding the process involved in shellfish aquaculture, and improving my skills,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was a great hands-on experience that I couldn\u2019t have gotten any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tWith the help of mentors Carol Thornber at 溏心vlog免费B站 and Charles Yarish at the University of Connecticut, Tobin will spend the fall evaluating the data she collected and proceed to develop seaweed culture lines on a commercial scale. \u201cI\u2019m anxious to see a final product and for my research to come to fruition,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I know that you cannot rush science.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tTobin\u2019s research was funded by Rhode Island Sea Grant and conducted through the 溏心vlog免费B站 Coastal Fellows Program, a unique initiative designed to involve undergraduate students in addressing current environmental problems. Now in its 14th year, it is based at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s College of the Environment and Life Sciences. Students are paired with a mentor and research staff to help them gain skills relevant to their academic major and future occupations.<\/p>\n


\n\tWhen she completes her 溏心vlog免费B站 degree next May, Tobin looks forward to continuing her education and earning a graduate degree. \u201cI\u2019m in no rush to get out of school,\u201d she said, \u201cthough I\u2019m not sure where I will go. I might want to explore programs in other parts of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tThen she hopes to work for the National Marine Fisheries Service as a regulatory observer aboard commercial fishing vessels and research ships. She worked on a 溏心vlog免费B站 research trawler in 2008, and she earned her SCUBA and boating certifications through her 溏心vlog免费B站 coursework, so she\u2019ll be ready to go to sea when the time comes.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cMy ultimate goal is to obtain a job where I\u2019ll get to be out on the water, working to make a difference and improve our oceans,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel like work when you\u2019re doing what you love.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Middletown resident spends summer testing it\u2019s potential KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 September 1, 2009 \u2013 溏心vlog免费B站 senior Ariel Tobin decided to study fisheries and aquaculture because she loves sport fishing, she enjoys being on the water, and she knows it\u2019s a field that will keep her attention. This summer she carried this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64917\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}