The University of Connecticut received $47,835 from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture for an aquaculture project.
The grant will go toward the purchase of “six mobile battery-operated refrigerated storage units,” according to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture website. The units will be used for aquaculture farmers, who breed and cultivate aquatic animals for food, to better transport their product.
The project is occurring through UConn’s collaboration with the Connecticut Sea Grant, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration program that partners with universities around the country. Nancy Balcom, the associate director and program leader for the Connecticut Sea Grant college program at UConn, explained over email that “Connecticut aquaculture farmers are molluscan shellfish and seaweed (kelp) farmers” with permits from the Department of Agriculture.
Balcom said aquaculture farmers used to only have access to “limited wholesale markets for product sales” before the Department of Agriculture “established a regulatory pathway for direct-to-consumer sales of aquaculture products.”
“Though farmers would likely benefit from direct sales, due to fluctuating wholesale product sales and unpredictable future markets, many small businesses are unable to assume the additional financial burden associated with storage and refrigeration infrastructure,” Balcom explained.
The Connecticut Sea Grant got a grant from the NOAA National Sea Grant in 2021 to purchase eight refrigerated units that went on long-term loan to shellfish and seaweed businesses in Connecticut, according to Balcom.
“This new award from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture enables Connecticut Sea Grant to assist more aquaculture businesses by providing additional companies with a mobile refrigerated unit,” Balcom said. “The purpose of this 2025 project is to build additional capacity allowing Connecticut aquaculture businesses to diversify their markets and therefore build economic resilience.”
Balcom said Connecticut Sea Grant at UConn would purchase and arrange delivery of the units, which are able to fit on the back of a pickup truck, to companies who apply and get selected by the program.
“This project will allow businesses [to] 1) reach new customers, increase sales of CT grown aquaculture products, and generate revenue to the local and state economy, 2) safely deliver larger amounts of products rather than being limited to the space that smaller standard coolers allow, 3) extend the timeframe for typical delivery routes to consumers currently limited because of lack of this equipment and 4) strengthen the aquaculture food supply chain,” Balcom said.
UConn and the Connecticut Sea Grant are one of 21 recipients of a grant from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. All grants are under $50,000 but total more than $559,625 in state funds, according to the Department of Agriculture website.
Balcom said the businesses that are selected to get the refrigeration units “will be expected to share information with CT Sea Grant to assist in evaluating the effectiveness of the program.”
“Our goal is that Connecticut aquaculture and fisheries and other coastal natural resources supply food, jobs and economic, environmental and cultural benefits,” Balcom said. “This project supports that goal, helping aquaculture communities retain jobs, expand markets and generate revenue for CT grown products.”