Will Hehemann | School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences
PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Dr. Carole R. Engle, director of the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), recently received the Joseph P. McCraren Award for distinguished lifetime contributions to the aquaculture industry at the 2015 Aquaculture America convention in New Orleans. The National Aquaculture Association (NAA), U.S. Aquaculture Society and U.S. Aquaculture Suppliers Association hosted the event.
The award honors individuals who have demonstrated commitment to the national aquaculture industry over an extended period of time. It is named after Joe McCraren, a long-time U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aquaculture scientist who helped establish the NAA and served as its first executive director.
“As one of the top aquaculture researchers in the U.S., Dr. Engle has played a pivotal role in promoting and assisting the national aquaculture industry over the years,” said Mike Freeze, president of the NAA and owner of Keo Fish Farms. “She has addressed a number of aquaculture policy issues, provided extension to farmers and was instrumental in elevating the aquaculture center at UAPB to national prominence.”
Freeze cited Engle’s outreach to catfish producers during a time in the industry marked by substantial international competition as an example of her professional dedication. At that time she educated farmers about changing economics of catfish farming and offered insight into how they could optimally manage their operations and remain profitable.
Dr. Engle has provided research-based economics information on a number of policy issues that include food safety and inspection, invasive species, federal assistance programs, risk management programs and effluent guidelines. She has published four books, 107 refereed journal articles, and more than 120 book chapters, monographs, proceedings and Extension publications.
Attended by more than 1,000 people, the recent Aquaculture America convention drew fish and shellfish culturists, business people and scientists from around the country.
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