US government funding to help land-based salmon industry tackle off flavor and other major challenges

Land-based aquaculture in the United States is getting another boost thanks to recent funding from the US government.

Earlier this month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $10 million (€8.6 million) to a set of projects, led by University of Maryland, Baltimore County's (UMBC) Yonathan Zohar, targeting specific challenges with land-based production.

For decades, Zohar, professor and chair of marine biotechnology, has researched how to make large-scale, land-based aquaculture a reality. The USDA funding will be used for the Sustainable Aquaculture Systems Supporting Atlantic Salmon project, known as SAS2, which will address a range of remaining hurdles hindering the success of these emerging aquaculture platforms, according to Zohar.