The overall objective is to operate as a National Resource Center for Cephalopods by providing a consistent supply of live, healthy squids for neuroscience and other biomedical research. Squids are renowned for their giant axon system that serves as a fundamental model for study of the nervous system and the cell membrane. Recently other cell, tissue, and organ systems of the cephalopods have been developed for basic research. A user base involving 57 universities/research organizations has been supplied at a modest level. The unique feature of this resource center is that two squid species, Sepioteu this lessoniana and Sepia officinalis, can be produced continually and through multiple generations by the innovative approach of mariculture. A third squid species, Lolliguncula brevis, is captured and maintained year-round from local wild stocks. Other cephalopods such as octopuses and Nautilus are also acquired and maintained in the center when requested. This renewal describes a shift in emphasis from scientific development of the resource to increased production, marketing, matching funds, and cost- recovery. This requires a critical transition from relatively small- scale culture for research and development to pilot-large-scale culture for year-round production, but this will be achieved with minor increases in manpower because of our recent advances in production methodology.All culture and research is conducted in sophisticated seawater systems that maintain high-quality water.Techniques for selective breeding and life cycle manipulation will be tested to further enhance the efficiency of squid culture, and animal health and disease prevention will be emphasized during scale-up of culture production.
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