Northern Aquaculture Demonstration FacilityCollege of Letters and Science

Innovation and Business Development

Importance of Aquaculture...

Aquaculture, or the culture of aquatic organisms, is currently the fastest growing segment of food production globally and now supports over 50% of the global demand for seafood. With the world’s population increasing and the high demand for seafood, aquaculture is working to meet the demand with wild caught fisheries. UW-Stevens Point is leading the Midwest for research, development and education of sustainable aquaculture which is protecting and preserving wild fish populations and providing safe, healthy seafood for a growing world.

Learn more about our Educational Opportunities...

The UWSP NADF...

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility is the university's northern most campus located in Bayfield, Wis. The facility's mission is to promote public education and advance the discovery, dissemination and application of knowledge for sustainable aquaculture in a northern climate. 

NADF is a one-of-a-kind facility in the midwest and joins only a handful in the U.S. The state-of the-art, dynamic facility, showcases new advances in aquaculture system technology such as sustainable land based recirculating aquaculture, while also providing traditional aquaculture systems such as flow through raceways and outdoor ponds for industry based research projects.  

Learn more about us..

An Incubator for Public/Private Partnerships...

Demonstration, assistance and research conducted at the facility is used by Wisconsin firms to expand their businesses. Examples of public/private partnerships include:

Partnered with Superior Fresh, LLC ., Hixton, Wis., to advance the company's sustainable production of Atlantic salmon reared in recirculating aquaculture systems. Superior Fresh, LLC is the world's largest aquaponics facility and has partnered with UWSP NADF for technical assistance, demonstration and cold water species expertise to advance their facility and operations. UWSP is also partnering to provide interns, technicians and further support staff.  

Partnered with Riverence, LLC. in Washington, to advance land based, sustainable production of Atlantic salmon as a food fish species in water recirculating systems worldwide. Working cooperatively with Riverence, UWSP NADF reared a mature broodstock of a specific strain known as the Cascades, which has shown great potential for aquaculture. The fish will provide a future supply of eggs to fuel the demand for sustainable, land based, farm reared Atlantic salmon in Wisconsin and around the world.

Partnered with Rushing Waters Fisheries, LLC., Palmyra, Wis., to demonstrate and incorporate water reuse aquaculture systems and technology. Rushing Waters is the largest rainbow trout producer in the state and has been in operation since the 1940's.