Alabama Fish Farming Center
Welcome! The mission of the Alabama Fish Farming Center (AFFC) is to provide technical and educational support to the aquaculture industry in west Alabama.
Extension & Outreach
Faculty & staff at the Alabama Fish Farming Center are involved in various commercial & local level extension demonstrations.
Extension & Outreach Activities
The Alabama Fish Farming Center serves as a launching pad for numerous extension and education programs. Fish disease diagnostics and water quality support are also offered to the west Alabama aquaculture industry. In addition to providing a venue for the exchange of information, faculty and staff at the Alabama Fish Farming Center are involved in various commercial-level extension demonstrations on catfish and shrimp farms in west Alabama.
The center also publishes Fish Farming News, a newsletter full of helpful resources, tips and information for Alabama farmers.
Fish Disease Diagnosis
The Alabama Fish Farming Center offers fish health diagnostic services to west Alabama fish, shrimp, and crawfish farmers. The Disease Diagnostic program is offered jointly through the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture & Aquatic Sciences, Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, and Alabama Cooperative Extension.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Description: Fish health is an important factor to consider when commercially raising an aquatic species. There are a number of parasites and bacteria that can present challenges for commercial producers. The three most common bacterial diseases that affect the Alabama catfish industry include virulent Aeromonas hydrophila, Flavobacterium columnare (Columnaris), and Edwardsiella ictaluri (ESC). The Diagnostics Laboratory at the Alabama Fish Farming Center offers diagnostic services to support the commercial fish farming industry in Alabama. In addition to a fully equipped disease diagnostic laboratory, the Alabama Fish Farming Center has a mobile disease laboratory that can travel to farms to provide on-farm diagnostic services. The Fish Diagnostic Laboratory works closely with Auburn faculty to support disease-related research being conducted on commercial farms in west Alabama.
Water Quality & Aquatic Vegetation Identification
The Alabama Fish Farming Center offers water quality testing and aquatic weed identification services to west Alabama fish, shrimp, and crawfish farmers as well as recreational pond owners. The goal of this program is to improve the sustainability of aquaculture producers as well as to improve the recreational fishing experience of small pond owners.
PROGRAM DETAILS
The Alabama Fish Farming Center (AFFC) is equipped with a water quality laboratory to support the commercial aquaculture industry in west Alabama. Fluctuations in water quality can occur over the course of a production cycle, and farmers can bring water samples to the lab to check for total ammonia nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, chlorides, pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, and other water quality variables. The AFFC also provides assistance to commercial producers and private pond owners on the identification of problematic aquatic weeds and algae. Once a nuisance aquatic weed has been identified, recommendations on treatment can be provided. The water quality laboratory is also utilized by AFFC personnel to support ongoing research trials that are being carried out either at the AFFC or on commercial farms.
Training & Workshops
The Alabama Fish Farming Center provides a platform for information exchange between fish farmers, industry, government agencies and Auburn University.
PROGRAM DETAILS
The Alabama Fish Farming Center is fully equipped with a large meeting room, kitchen, and necessary facilities to host producer association meetings, educational lectures/presentations, and training workshops. Examples of workshops sponsored by the Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems include pesticide residue training for the catfish industry, pesticide applicator training, water quality, alternative production systems and techniques, and fish health management. Personnel at the Alabama Fish Farming Center are also involved in providing support to local elementary and high schools in the classroom and via participation in Agricultural Field Days. In the past, Extension personnel have also provided training to high schools interested in aquaponic production systems as a tool in the classroom.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Explore a variety of helpful educational and professional resources in fisheries and aquaculture.