Fisheries and Aquaculture, B.T.

Fisheries and Aquaculture, B.T.

Program Highlights

The largest and most diverse academic aquaculture facilities in the northeast, including on campus a 40,000 gallon coldwater fish hatchery, quarantine hatchery, tropical fish hatchery, tank farm, and earthen grow out ponds. Wet laboratories and classrooms equipped with cold and warm water aquaria and recirculation systems.

Students may utilize the Biological Field Station at Otsego Lake, operated by SUNY Oneonta, as a work base to conduct independent freshwater research projects. Additional marine field experiments take place at SUNY Stony Brook's Marine Sciences Research Center, and at Cape Ann, Massachusetts.

Off campus, students are afforded the unique opportunity to work with members of the local community performing environmental impact analysis, fisheries research projects, and aquaculture construction projects. An extensive collection of living and preserved specimens for teaching purposes is housed in the Fisheries and Wildlife Museum. The College's Library owns over 80,000 books and subscribes to more than 175 scientific and agricultural journals.

Additional Program Information

American Fisheries Society Student Sub-Unit
The American Fisheries Society Student Sub-unit at SUNY Cobleskill was formed in 2000 and is dedicated to Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Education and Conservation. This sub-unit of the parent New York State AFS Chapter is a fully recognized campus organization with its own mission, constitution, budget, events and officers. Officers of this club must be members of the American Fisheries Society and members of the club are encouraged to enroll in AFS.

Aquaponics
This is a cooperative effort between Fisheries and Wildlife Department students and plant science students to integrate fish, their waste products and plant production. Tilapia are grown in 300 gallon tanks in closed recirculation and fed a low protein diet. Green leafy lettuce and herbs are grown in NFT (nutrient film) troughs using the water from the tilapia. Tilapia and lettuce are harvested and sold to the campus and outside restaurants.

ATP 2000 High School Aquaculture Systems
In the last 10 years more than 50 high schools have incorporated aquaculture into their classrooms with our ATP 2000 rearing unit and curriculum. The package includes a 5 ft. diameter, 300 gallon circular tank, biofilter, water and air pumps, plumbing supplies, fish (tilapia) and food. Student manuals and a teacher handbook detailing the construction of the system and care of the fish are included. Access to the Fisheries and Wildlife Department staff, workshops and technical support are also provided to system owners. Agriculture, biology, earth science, environmental studies, technology and horticulture teachers have integrated these systems successfully in their classrooms.

Coldwater Hatchery
The SUNY Cobleskill Coldwater fish hatchery is a 40,000 gallon educational hatchery raising salmon, trout and arctic char using recirculation technology, supplemented by well water. Students raise broodstock selecting for desirable traits, spawn their fish, incubate eggs and rear salmonids in all stages of their lifecycle.

Internships
Graduates of the Fisheries and Wildlife Department program at SUNY Cobleskill receive a Bachelor of Technology degree (BT) rather than a Bachelor of Science degree (BS). In the last semester of the senior year Fisheries and Wildlife Department students do a 15 week, 600hr internship for 15 college credits. The intern, with the help of the faculty, sets up the internship with an employer to give the student valuable work experience in the field and a foothold in the job market upon graduation.

Robert C. MacWatters Internship in Aquatic Science
Dr. Robert MacWatters founded the fisheries and wildlife technology program in 1971 where hundreds of fisheries and wildlife students were trained during his 15 year tenure. During this time, Dr. Macwatters was also a visiting researcher at the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station at Cooperstown, where he studied The Fishes of Otsego Lake, publishing a popular occasional paper on the subject that is still used today.

Trout in the Classroom
Trout in the classroom is an effort to get high school students and teachers involved in raising trout in the classroom. The coldwater rearing system includes a 30 gallon shallow tough, a submersible water pump, a chiller capable of bringing the water temperature down to 40°F, a biofilter, aeration system, plumbing supplies, egg and fry baskets, fish, food and a curriculum written for high school students.

Warmwater Hatchery
The warm water program at SUNY Cobleskill focuses on the culture of walleye, mosquito fish, tilapia and other cichlids, and baitfish. We have a 3,000 gallon tropical hatchery with over 40 aquaria and larger grow out tanks. We also have four earthen ponds used for seasonal culture and 6 off-site research ponds for student experiments.