The University of Southern Mississippi has started construction on a new hatchery aimed at restoring oyster population along the Gulf Coast.

The state-of-the-art hatchery will be located at USM’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (TCMAC) Cedar Point campus in Ocean Springs. According to a news release, it will be capable of producing up to one billion eyed larvae per year for both restoration and research purposes.

“The new oyster hatchery and research center will further GCRL’s mission of advancing scientific discovery to benefit society and enable us to be a continued resource for the state,” GCRL director Dr. Kelly Darnell said. “This state-of-the-art facility will allow our researchers and students to develop and test new and innovative tech

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