The Aquaculture Education and Development Center's mission at Gadsden State Community College is dedicated to providing the highest quality education and technical training to students interested in aquatic fields of study through a unique combination of experience, public outreach, extension, and career preparation.
We are the "Wet Side" of the Gadsden State Science Division and specialize in the education and training of students interested in Marine Biology, Aquatic Biology, Aquaculture and Aquarium Science.
Students learn about how to work with and care for aquatic and marine life in natural and captive aquatic environments. Students can explore careers in the aquaculture and public aquarium industries through hands on training and unique internships at locations such as The Tennessee Aquarium, Disney Living Seas, Seaworld , The Alabama Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, The McWane Center, and aquaculture farms throughout Alabama.
Our students get to work with channel catfish, koi, tilapia, yellow perch, large mouth bass, bream, and a variety of salt water species in our coral reef tank. Students learn how to grow fish by using the following grow out methods: Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), ponds, cages, in ground tanks, and aquaponically in greenhouses. Each semester students are assigned various tanks and ponds that they are responsible for, the students keep up the daily maintenance and weekly water chemistry of their assigned system.
Courses Offered:
FHS 101 Principles of Aquaculture
FHS 102 Water Chemistry for Aquaculture Species
FHS 112 Biology and Diseases of Aquaculture Species
FHS 114 Aquaculture Hatcher/Pond Management
FHS 140 Aquaculture Practicum
FHS 141 Aquaculture Practicum II
For more information on course descriptions, refer to Gadsden State's current Catalog & Student Handbook.
Instructor:
Aquaculture Lab Technician
