Gloucester Point Hatchery

The heart of ABC's breeding effort lies in its hatchery capability at VIMS' main campus in Gloucester Point. Beginning with the 1997 inception of ABC, the Gloucester Point hatchery has served as ABC's principal oyster-breeding facility. Since the 1998 spawning season, ABC researchers have continually refurbished and redefined the operating procedures of the hatchery to better reflect its role in shellfish genetics and oyster breeding. For more information take our Virtual Hatchery Tour.

Kauffman Aquaculture Center (KAC)

The Kauffman Aquaculture Center lies 30 miles north of VIMS' main campus on a tributary of the Rappahanock River known as Locklies Creek.

The Center significantly expands the scope of aquaculture research at VIMS by providing a facility that was specifically designed to hold both native and non-native species in quarantine. Initial use of the facility will focus on studies of the native oyster Crassostrea virginica and the non-native oyster C. ariakensis. The facility features three separate laboratories that were each purpose-built to protect Chesapeake Bay and its living resources from disease, parasites, and the unintentional introduction of non-natives.

Construction of the $1.4 million Center was funded through a challenge grant by Boots and Jack Kauffman, with matching grants provided by Mr. Matthew T. Blackwood; the D. Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Weston F. Conley, Jr. and Family; Dominion; Mr. and Mrs. John P.D. Kauffman; The Elis Olsson Memorial Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. E. Claiborne Robins, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. James E. Rogers; and the Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation.

For more information, visit the Kauffman Aquaculture Center web pages.