This program just got a $1.2 million boost to fight red tide. It’s planning move to new home

A state fish hatchery that has been at Port Manatee since 1988 will be moving to a new indoor facility in southern Hillsborough County. The hatchery program recently received a $1.2 million grant to increase fish stocks depleted by red tide.

Gov. Rick Scott announced the award of the new money on Monday.

“Along the Gulf Coast, businesses and fishermen rely on the robust health of Florida’s world-class fisheries. With this investment we are not only supporting our environment, but also these Floridians who make their living on the water,” Scott said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Stock Enhancement Research Facility, located on 54 acres near the Manatee County Jail, harvested its first red drum fingerlings 77 days after opening in 1988.

Chris Young, a member of the hatchery staff, briefed Port Authority members Thursday on what the $1.2 million will be used for as well as the planned move to Apollo Beach.

“We are getting away from the outdoor ponds and moving indoors,” Young said, explaining the new facility will give researchers more control over fish spawning and the raising of hatchlings.

“When we leave, everything remains the same,” Young said of the outdoor ponds at Port Manatee.

Authority member Carol Whitmore asked about the timetable for leaving Port Manatee.

“That’s the $64 question,” Young said, but added that he thought the move would be completed within the year.

In the interim, the state will begin increasing fish production and buying equipment for the new hatchery, Young said.

Port Authority chair Vanessa Baugh asked if the hatchery program has to wait until red tide subsides before ramping up production.

No, Young said, because seawater is piped to hatchery ponds and becomes safe for raising fish about 10 days later.

“Red tide is able to continue because there are nutrients in the water. They don’t get that in our ponds,” Young said.

The process of spawning and raising hatchery fish at Port Manatee begins at a seawater pumping station. The station consists of a 100-foot wooden dock with a 10-square-foot concrete platform. Seawater is supplied through one of two large 50-horsepower pumps through 1.2 miles of dual 12-inch pipes at 1,300 gallons per minute, according to the hatchery web site.

This pipeline also supplies water to the main hatchery building. Six 15,000-gallon and eight 100-gallon fiberglass tanks are used for water storage, the website says.

While the hatchery program is planning to leave Port Manatee, port authority members learned new tenants are arriving at the International Trade Hub.

The International Trade Hub was established at Port Manatee in 2014 as part of a plan to expand business there.

Port Manatee executive director Carlos Buqueras says the hub serves as a “matchmaker.”

Recently, a delegation of visitors from Colombia and Spain visited the port, and six of the Colombian companies plan to establish a presence there.

Another delegation from Peru is expected Sept. 27-28.

“The trade hub is on steroids now,” Buqueras said of the growing program.

This story was originally published September 20, 2018 at 4:12 PM.