Contact:
Dolores Leonard
dolores.leonard@unh.edu
603.862.3685

December 10, 2004

To find the latest technology in deep sea aquaculture, a film crew from the History Channel went fishing off the New Hampshire coast last October. The University of New Hampshire’s Open Ocean Aqaculture (OOA) project, and its research on lobster physiology and behavior, will be featured on the network’s popular Modern Marvels series on December 22 at 10 p.m. EST. “Modern Marvels: Commercial Fishing” will trace the evolution of commercial fishing in the United States from colonial times to the present.

How do you design a fish cage that stands up to New England’s notorious Nor’easters? How do you feed fish swimming 80 feet below the surface without getting your feet wet? How do you insure the practice is environmentally friendly and economically viable? The program will explore the innovative technology developed by the OOA’s interdisciplinary team of researchers to answer questions like these as they farm cod, haddock, halibut, and blue mussels off the N.H. coast.

Lobsters also will be on the menu as the program presents techniques such as Lobster TV, which offers a window on the aggressive behavior of these feisty crustaceans. UNH researchers are using methods such as these to provide information on how to better manage New England’s lobster fishery, an integral part of the region’s cultural heritage and economy.