Project Title: Finfish Hatchery and Marine Education Center
PIs: Brandy M.M. Wilbur, MIT Sea Grant; Clifford Goudey, MIT Sea Grant
Project Website: http://web.mit.edu/seagrant/edu/hatchery/

Project Summary: Farm raising fish for consumption is not a new concept, but there are not many marine fish species that are commercially available. MIT Sea Grant recognized the need to aid in the development of aquaculture in Massachusetts and started a Boston Aquaculture Initiative Program to deal with these issues. In January of 1998, MIT Sea Grant's Marine Finfish Hatchery began operation in the Charlestown Navy Yard. In 2003, the hatchery moved north to our new aquaculture facility, located at the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center.

Aquaculture at the MIT Sea Grant Finfish Hatchery
Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center

All About Aquaculture

Fish Life Cycle

Species raised at the Finfish Hatchery

Table Top Recirculating System

Facilities overview

Systems Overview

The hatchery consists of two independent culture systems, six 100-gallon hatching/larval-rearing tanks and two 500-gallon grow-out tanks, and a live feed culture room. Each system demonstrates state-of-the-art recirculating technology. Harbor water is pumped in at high tide, if needed, and filtered and aerated to keep excellent water quality. Initially the eggs are hatched in the hatching tanks and then the larvae are fed a live feed diet consisting of zooplankton such as rotifers and Artemia. Eventually the fish are weaned onto a dry pellet feed that promotes growth.

The live feed culture room consists of 5 tanks and an Artemia hatching cone. The tanks are used to culture rotifers and Aretmia that are fed to the larvae. The Artemia hatching cone is used to hatch Artemia to feed the older larvae.

The hatching tanks house the fish from hatching until they grow large enough to be weaned to a dry feed diet. The point at which the fish are moved into the grow out systems is dependent on the fish’s point in the life cycle, which is in turn dependent on the size of the fish. The hatching tanks are dark so that the amount of light that gets into the tanks while the fish are hatching can be controlled. State-of-the-art recirculating technology is used to filter the water in the hatching tanks.

Once the larvae metamorphose into juveniles, they are weaned onto a dry pellet diet that is commercially available and are moved from the larval tanks to the grow-out system. The grow-out tanks are larger and allow more space for the fish to grow. The water in the grow-out tanks is filtered using state-of-the-art recirculating technology.

Determining when the fish can handle these changes is key to rearing a species not previously reared in captivity. The data collected from the hatchery (growth rates, weight, feed conversions, and environmental conditions) will determine whether or not a particular species has commercial potential. The hatchery is involved in several research projects related to the aquaculture industry.