UH Hilo aquaculturists join $13.5M national consortium to strengthen U.S. seafood supply
A UH research team is being led by Associate Professor of Aquaculture Chatham Callan based at the UH Hilo Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center.
An aquaculturist from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is leading a UH research team collaborating on a new national effort to strengthen America’s seafood supply and expand sustainable aquaculture. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced on June 8 the creation of the Cooperative Institute Fostering Aquaculture Research and Markets (CIFARM).
Funded by an initial $13.5 million investment for its first year, the five-year cooperative institute aims to develop partnerships with researchers to unlock the potential of U.S. marine aquaculture. The University of New Hampshire will serve as the host institution, with UH participating as one of five core consortium members in this competitive national program.
The UH research team is being led by Associate Professor of Aquaculture Chatham Callan based at the UH Hilo Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center. Callan is joined by co-investigators Professor of Aquaculture Maria Haws also based at the Hilo aquaculture center, Associate Research Professor Erik Franklin of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at UH Mānoa, and Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Associate Director for Extension Darren Okimoto and several other UH faculty partners.
- UH Hilo’s Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center immersed in research, restoration, extension, training (UH Hilo Stories, April 21, 2026)
- UH Hilo aquaculturist Chad Callan’s research has transformed commercial fish production for the aquarium trade (UH Hilo Stories, Feb. 27, 2026)
- Maria Haws, Professor of Aquaculture, conducts applied research in industry development, technology transfer, and student training (Keaohou research website)
“Being selected as a core member of CIFARM is a testament to the decades of world-class aquaculture research happening right here in Hawaiʻi,” says Callan. “Through our partnerships with Native Hawaiian communities, we draw on a tradition of ocean stewardship and fishpond engineering that stretches back centuries.
“Our UH team is excited to bring that unique Pacific perspective and expertise to the national stage,” he adds. “By focusing on cutting-edge tech, environmental forecasting, and real-world marine demonstration projects, we are actively building the blueprint for a more resilient, self-sufficient seafood industry.”
The cooperative aims to bolster national food security, create jobs and uplift coastal economies in complement to wild-capture fisheries
The core mission of the cooperative is to solve real-world challenges affecting seafood producers and consumers while reducing the nation’s reliance on imported seafood. Currently, Americans consume more than $24 billion in imported seafood annually, with approximately half estimated to be farmed overseas. By advancing domestic aquaculture, the cooperative aims to bolster national food security, create jobs and uplift coastal economies in complement to wild-capture fisheries.
The UH team will contribute to a broad range of research priorities that include engineering and technology development, artificial intelligence for aquaculture, environmental observations and forecasting, and marine aquaculture demonstration projects.
The consortium will also conduct critical risk management, vulnerability analyses and seafood market research. The Hawaiʻi team will also partner with United States-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) researchers, including University of Guam Sea Grant and the Marine and Environmental Research Institute in the Federated States of Micronesia, to extend the research team’s reach throughout the Pacific.
“This partnership underscores the University of Hawaiʻi’s vital role in advancing sustainable aquaculture systems that directly impact our global food supply,” says Norman Arancon, director of UH Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management, home base for the aquaculture center. “We have always championed practical, impactful science. Through CIFARM, our researchers and students will be at the forefront of a $13.5 million national effort, utilizing Hawaiʻi’s unique seascape to drive economic growth, bolster food security, and train the next generation of leaders in sustainable marine aquaculture.”
In addition to University of New Hampshire and UH, the network includes Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, New Hampshire Sea Grant, the University of Miami, Florida Sea Grant, the University of Southern Mississippi, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute and California Sea Grant.
Full story at UH System News.
