Roger Williams University's CEED Leads National Marine Fish Aquaculture Collaboration
NOAA Sea Grant-funded partnership advances sustainable marine fish aquaculture, expands public aquarium research, and provides hands-on learning opportunities for Roger Williams University students.
Funded by NOAA Sea Grant, researchers at Roger Williams University’s Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED), the university’s applied marine research center, have helped build a national collaboration focused on marine fish aquaculture. Their work has led to standardized methods for breeding and raising more than 20 marine fish species in human care. At CEED’s Aquaculture & Aquarium Science Research Wet Lab, Marine Biology Professor Andy Rhyne works with undergraduate students to develop techniques for breeding and raising fish that are important to public aquariums.
The project helps public aquariums by expanding aquaculture research focused on developing more sustainable methods for raising marine fish.
The multi-year initiative, called "Catalyzing Marine Finfish Aquaculture Through Public Aquariums," is led by researchers at RWU, UMass Boston, and the New England Aquarium, in collaboration with seven other major partner institutions:
- Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach, CA)
- Shedd Aquarium (Chicago)
- National Aquarium (Baltimore)
- The North Carolina Aquariums at Pine Knoll Shores, Fort Fisher, and Roanoke Island
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant
RWU's CEED Drives Marine Fish Aquaculture Innovation
At RWU, the work is anchored by CEED, the university’s hub for marine research and coastal community engagement, where a team of aquarists and researchers is mastering the science of raising marine fish from microscopic larvae to adulthood.
The project's impact extends far beyond public aquariums. At the center of that work is RWU's CEED, where researchers are developing breeding methods that benefit both conservation and commercial aquaculture. In CEED’s Wet Lab facilities, and via coursework in RWU’s Aquaculture & Aquarium Science major, Rhyne has worked along with RWU students to develop successful breeding and larval-rearing protocols for new marine fish species, establishing CEED as a research and development hub that generates new methods that commercial producers can adopt.
Roger Williams University's leadership in this national effort builds on nearly two decades of investment in aquaculture education, applied research, and workforce development. In 2008, RWU launched its Aquaculture and Aquarium Science program in partnership with the New England Aquarium, one of the first undergraduate programs of its kind in the country. The partnership focuses on improving the sustainability of public aquariums through research, aquaculture, and professional training while preparing students for careers in the growing blue economy.
From 2012 to 2016, an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant expanded the partnership nationwide. The project trained 51 aquarists from 23 institutions and distributed Modular Larval Rearing Systems (MoLaRS), allowing aquariums to raise marine fish spawned in human care. Participating institutions worked with 84 identified species, successfully reared 65 species through settlement, and returned or transferred nearly 5,000 fish and invertebrates for exhibition. The results demonstrated that a national network of public aquariums could collectively develop aquaculture methods for far more species than any single institution could accomplish alone.
Building on that earlier work, Rhyne developed the Modular Larval Rearing Systems (MoLaRS); inexpensive, customizable aquaculture systems that allow aquariums and research partners with limited space to rear new marine fish species. Originally distributed through the national IMLS project, MoLaRS has become a foundational tool across the NOAA Sea Grant collaboration, reflecting CEED's role in developing practical, scalable solutions for the broader aquaculture community.
“RWU made a deliberate commitment to this field when it hired me in 2008 to build the Aquaculture and Aquarium Science program,” said Rhyne. “Our partnership with the New England Aquarium provided the foundation for connecting undergraduate education, applied research, and the needs of the public aquarium profession. The IMLS grant allowed us to turn that foundation into a national training network, and the NOAA Sea Grant project has expanded and strengthened aquaculture capacity at public aquariums across the country. This work gives our students hands-on experience while helping public aquariums develop more sustainable collections."
The current NOAA Sea Grant initiative builds on those earlier partnerships by expanding aquaculture research and scientific capacity at public aquariums. Rhyne is also a founding member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Aquatic Collections Sustainability Committee, established in 2019 to advance ethical acquisition, animal welfare, sustainable collection management, larval-rearing programs, and professional collaboration across accredited institutions.
To ensure the project has a lasting impact, the team is producing open-source aquaculture guides for study species that allow aquariums, researchers, and commercial producers to replicate successful breeding and larval-rearing methods. The work is also integrated into RWU's Aquaculture and Aquarium Science program, giving undergraduate students hands-on experience with larval rearing, live-feed production, fish nutrition, aquatic animal care, system design, and applied research while helping expand sustainable aquaculture capacity nationwide.
By combining applied research, national partnerships, and undergraduate education, the collaboration is strengthening sustainable aquaculture, while preparing the next generation of aquaculture and aquarium science professionals.
The public can follow the progress of this project through an interactive digital story map called Breeding and Raising Fish for Aquariums.
About CEED: As part of RWU's commitment to the Blue Economy at the local, regional, national, and global level, the Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) focuses on collaborative marine research, industry support, education, public outreach, and community engagement. CEED addresses critical challenges facing human health and the coastal environment by working with coastal communities to identify key marine resource issues, conduct applied scientific research, and share findings with stakeholders.
About RWU: Roger Williams University is a comprehensive university with a liberal arts core and professional programs, focused on marine science, law and society, and the designed and built environments, paired with a breadth of humanities and business programs. With campuses on the coast of Bristol and in the state capital of Providence, Rhode Island, our eight schools of study provide real-world learning experiences dedicated to social and environmental justice, small class sizes, and direct access to faculty and staff. Our students create powerful combinations of degrees, credentials, research and internship opportunities. Roger Williams University is ranked No. 35 Best Regional University in the North by U.S. News & World Report, among the 2025 Best Law Schools by The Princeton Review, and No. 48 in Academic Experience and No. 55 in Career Outcomes in the 2026 Poets & Quants Best Undergraduate Business School rankings; the RWU Extension School was also named No. 1 for Best Online Colleges in Rhode Island by Forbes. Our students graduate with a unique skill set and the passion to make an impact, becoming the changemakers and leaders our world needs.
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- August 11, 2026
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