Facilities
Based in Launceston at the Newnham campus, AMC's Aquaculture Centre at the National Centre for Marine Conservation and Resource Sustainability is purpose built to provide high quality teaching and research laboratory facilities, office space and study areas for our students.
The Aquaculture Centre supports both saltwater & freshwater husbandry facilities for a range of tropical & temperate species including trout, salmon, seahorses, crayfish, & squid. The facility supports undergraduate teaching, allowing hands-on training, as well as active research programs.
It is the one of the country's few dedicated facilities for the study of fish and shellfish cultivation and the range of species kept within the Centre is a reflection of the diverse nature of the research projects carried out at the school.
We have a dedicated Nutrition Laboratory, Feed Production Room, Tank Systems & X-ray machine. The Nutrition Laboratory is well equiped for routine processing & proximate analysis of ingredients, feeds & fish. Equipment is available for analysis of digestive enzymes & detailed tissue composition.
Other NCMCRS Facilities
Teaching Laboratories: NCMCRS has two large dry teaching laboratories located on the ground floor of it's main building. Undergraduate students normally take part in one practical session per week for each of the units they are studying for the duration of their degree. Students gain understanding of general laboratory techniques in addition to specialist training in biochemistry, microbiology, animal biology, physiology, and algology. The centres teaching lab is used for undergraduate "wet" practical sessions. Teaching includes taking measurements from fish in culture, understanding aquaculture husbandry practises and maintaining and constructing aquaculture and aquarium equipment.
Research Laboratories: Research laboratories are located on the first floor. In addition to a large open-plan general research lab the centre has specialist nutrition, histology, molecular biology and endocrinology labs. Those undergraduate students who progress to Honours in Aquaculture will work in these labs alongside the many postgraduate students and post-doctural scientists and researchers within the school.
Research Vessel: The NCMCRS's research vessel "Sepia" is used to collect samples from Tasmania's coastal waters. These samples include materials used in practical sessions for undergradute study as well as speciemens used in aquaculture and fisheries research projects within the School. As part of their first year, undergraduate students become familiar with the vessel and are taught elements of ship-board safety and boat maintenance. Students may also experience work on some of AMC's other vessels including TV Bluefin.
Algal and Live Feeds Culture Facility: The culture of larval fish and shellfish relies upon the production of live feeds that include micro-algae and small crustacea such as Artemia. The School algae production facilitiy provides material for undergraduate teaching in the field of algology and larval fish production and provides specimens for research into improved culture methods of live feeds and the biology of toxic algae species that can damage cultured fish.
Postgraduate Offices: Ensuring a positive and productive working environment for postgraduate students is a priority at NCMCRS. With that in mind, all postgraduate students have office space in the dedicated postgraduate office building located next to the NCMCRS's main office area.
