Researchers at the Oceanic Institute, an HPU affiliate, recently broke records for shrimp production in a project funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce..

The Oceanic Institute’s 18-week research trial yielded 6.8 kilograms of market-size Pacific white shrimp per square meter of surface area.

“We are pushing the envelope of shrimp production as we progress in uncharted waters,” said Shaun Moss, Ph.D., HPU associate professor of biology and Oceanic Institute director of Shrimp Technology. “Our goal with our research partners is to refine the production technology to reliably produce 10 kilograms of shrimp per square meter of culture raceway, in a system that allows for the production of three crops per year.”

The five-year, $16.6 million research project, funded by grants from USDC’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, Advanced Technology Program (ATP), aims to develop an economically viable, environmentally responsible and sustainable system for the production of disease-free shrimp in the United States. The research is carried out by a joint-venture team comprised of the Oceanic Institute, SyAqua, Inc., Zeigler Bros., Inc., and the Kahuku Shrimp Company.

The Oceanic Institute is a not-for-profit applied research organization located in Waimanalo. For more information on the research project, visit oceanicinstitute.org.