Faculty
Wade O. Watanabe, Ph.D.
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Md. Shah Alam, Ph.D.
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Christopher F. Dumas, Ph.D.
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Pamela J. Seaton, Ph.D.
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Ami E. Wilbur, Ph.D.
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Staff
Patrick M. Carroll (Research Associate/ Aquaculture Facility Supervisor)
I began working for the Aquaculture Program in 1998 after finishing my undergraduate degree at UNCW. I entered graduate school in 2000 where I conducted thesis research on “Production of summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus in a pilot commercial scale recirculating aquaculture system”. After graduating with my master’s degree in Marine Biology in 2003, I became a full time research associate for the Aquaculture Program. Currently I am involved in all aspects of marine finfish cultivation research, with a concentration in the areas of larviculture, growout and design and operation of recirculating aquaculture systems. As facility engineer, I am responsible for designing systems that range from small-scale larviculture systems to commercial-scale recirculating growout systems.
Thesis: "Pilot production of hatchery-reared summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus in a marine recirculating aquaculture system: the effects of ration level on growth, and nitrification rates of a microbead biological filter medium.”
Christoper A. Woolridge (Research Associate)
I received my BS in Marine Biology from UNCW in 2001 and my MS in Marine Biology in 2005. I am currently broodstock manager, primarily for flounder, but I also work with black sea bass. In addition to providing flounder embryos for UNCW's research and pilot commercial demonstration projects, I am responsible for shipping embryos and larvae to other research institutions around the world. I am also involved in research in the areas of larval and nursery culture. I enjoy surfing, traveling, and eating seafood.
Thesis: "Phosphorus and fatty acid profiles as determinants of egg quality in southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma".
Troy Rezek (Research Associate)
I received my BS in Marine Biology at UNCW in 2001. I started as a volunteer at the aquaculture facility in January of 2002. My background and interests are in fish biology and general husbandry, including home and commercial scale culture practices. In the fall of 2002, I was accepted into the UNCW graduate program and received my MS in Marine Biology in December of 2005. I am now employed as a Research Technician working in the areas of live feed production, larval culture, broodstock management and controlled spawning of marine finfish.
Thesis: "The effects of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) on growth, survival and stress resistance of Black sea bass (Centropristis striata) larvae”.
Amanda Myers (Research Associate)
I received my BS in Marine Biology at UNCW in 2000. I interned through NC State University at CMAST in Morehead City, NC, studying migration patterns of flounder and red drum. I then returned to Wilmington to begin graduate school where I studied effluent mitigation by biofilters. After receiving my MS in marine science in 2006, I became employed as a research associate working in the areas of live feed production and microalgal and shellfish culture. My future plans include finding environmentally friendly and economic ways to improve aquaculture systems.
Thesis: "Recirculating aquaculture system integration of bivalve culture for effluent nutrient composition reduction".
Chris Bentley (Research Associate)
I started as a UNCW Aquaculture Program intern in the summer of 2002 through the Brunswick Community College Aquaculture Technology program. I received my AA degree in Aquaculture from Brunswick Community College in 2002 and entered UNCWs 2 + 2 program in Marine Biology. As an undergraduate at UNCW, I worked as a technician for the Aquaculture Program to assist in all aspects of the facilities operations and experiments. I graduated from UNCW with a BS degree in marine biology in 2004 and entered graduate school in Fall 2004 to pursue a MS in Biology. My primary areas of research include broodstock nutrition and intensive rotifer culture.
Thesis: "The effects of dietary lipid on reproductive performance and egg quality of black sea bass".
Jennifer Gabel (Research Assistant – part time)
I obtained my BS in Zoology from the University of Rhode Island in 1999. In 2003, I graduated from UNCW with a MS in Biology where I studied the evolutionary relationships of coralline red algae using molecular and morphological techniques. Currently, I am a specialist in the intensive culture of rotifers, a zooplankton essential for the bioencapsulation and transfer of essential nutrients to first-feeding marine fish larvae. I am also assisting in the development of high density rotifer culture experiments using alternative feeds.
Thesis: "Phylogenetic reassessment of the Mastophoroideae (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) using molecular and morphological data".
Graduate Students
James Wilde (Graduate Research Assistant)
I received a BS in microbiology from North Carolina State University where my research background began in marine biochemistry. Following graduation, I worked in the UNCW Department of Marine Biology conducting research on the commercial culture of ornamental clownfish, Amphiprion percula. I then joined the UNCW Aquaculture Program to pursue an interdisciplinary graduate project (co-advised by the Center for Marine Science and Cameron School of Business) that sought to characterize the statewide niche market demand for sustainable farm-raised black sea bass, Centropristis striata, in upscale NC restaurants. With the successful completion of my thesis research, I have begun conducting a national marketing project to assess the demand for farm-raised black sea bass in major metropolitan cities along the US east coast. Currently, upscale seafood restaurants in Philadelphia, New York City and Miami are scheduled to be included in the project, which is principally advised by the UNCW Department of Economics and Finance. My research interests have evolved to include commercial-scale aquaculture of high-demand marine finfish, sustainability, seafood marketing and consumer preference. Academics aside, I really enjoy throwing frisbee.
Thesis: "Analysis of a niche market for farmed-raised black sea bass (Centropristis striata) in North Carolina".
Kate Sullivan (Graduate Research Assistant)
I received my BS in Biology from Wake Forest University in 2000. After graduation, I moved to Washington D.C. and began work as a private school teacher. Itaught middle and high school math and science for five years. I relocated to Wilmington in 2005, enrolling in the Masters of Marine Science program at UNCW one year later. My research is in the field of aquaculture nutrition, focusing on the potential of alternative proteins in black sea bass diets. The goal is to reduce the amount of dietary fishmeal in favor of less expensive, environmentally sustainable proteins such as soybean meal or meat byproduct meals.
Thesis: "Replacement of fish meal by soybean meal, poultry-byproduct meal and meat-and-bone meal in diets for juvenile black sea bass, Centropristis striata".
Andy Ostrowski (Graduate Research Assistant)
I graduated with honors from UNCW in May 2006 with a double major in Marine Biology and Environmental Studies-Biological. Upon graduating, I interned at the NOAA’s Beaufort lab for the National Ocean Service, where I completed research on juvenile red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) behavior under the advisement of Dr. John Selden Burke. While I have completed research on juvenile menhaden, southern flounder, and red porgy, my primary research interests are factors affecting larval and juvenile fishes growth and survival. In the fall of 2007, I began my graduate studies back at UNCW in the Master’s of Marine Science program where I plan to continue work on optimizing larval red porgy rearing techniques.
Thesis: “Quantifying the effects of salinity and temperature on Red porgy larvae, Pagrus pagrus: an examination of growth, survival, whole body osmolality, and MRNA expression of NA+,K+ ATPase”
Dustin Allen (Graduate Research Assistant)
I received a BS in Biology from UNC - Chapel Hill in 2006. Upon completion of my undergrad, I enrolled in non-degree courses at UNCW to define my interests in marine science. I later transferred those credits to the Masters in Marine Science program. My current research entails methods of effluent management in recirculating aquaculture systems. Specifically my research looks at growing marine microalgae from finfish effluent to support short term growout of juvenile marine shellfish.
Thesis: “Effluent management in recirculating aquaculture systems using the diatom, Chaetoceros gracilis and the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica”
