UT to open marine larviculture lab

A grand opening ceremony was being planned for the new Texas Laboratory for Marine Larviculture at Port Aransas, Texas.The facility, part of the Coastal Conservation Association, is located at the University of Texas at Austin's Marine Science Institute.The new 3,000-square-foot larval fish research facility, funded by a $700,000 donation from the Coastal Conservation Association, is designed to help scientists increase hatchery success and production of recreationally and commercially important fish species, as well as expanding the number of new species that can be reared."This building will allow us to move our studies up to a higher level with a novel system of tanks and environmental controls," said Professor Joan Holt, associate director for mariculture at the institute. "With the addition of new modern laboratory space we will have an unparalleled capability for critical work on Texas fisheries, with implications for fisheries nationwide."