US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association

Ag Business Center & UVI Aquaculture Grant

The Agriculture Business Center (Ag Business Center) is joining the University of the Virgin Islands Agriculture Experiment Station (UVI AES) to pursue a grant that seeks to promote aquaculture production by identifying consumer preferences for seafood products in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Dr. Larkin Root needs letters of support from restaurants and/or chefs who would 1) volunteer for the focus group and 2) at later date partake or host cooking demonstrations of selected seafood. Read more for some objectives of the grant in which having input from the hospitality and tourism sector would be beneficial in the study. The prefilled letter of support (no commitment) is due to Dr. Larken Root by Nov. 18 at 4 p.m.

Objective 1: Conduct market analysis to identify potential aquaculture species

(1) Analyze which aquaculture seafood products in the Caribbean region are currently supporting profitable businesses, including travel to “hotspots” of aquaculture production; and (2) Organize focus groups with key stakeholders including consumers, restaurant owners and local fish farmers to delve deeper into preferences and perceptions about different aquaculture species.

Objective 2: Pilot and promote potential aquaculture products

Working with collaborators in the hospitality industry, we will assess market viability of the candidate aquaculture products with the following activities: (1) Introduce selected products to the market through partnerships with local restaurants and retail outlets; (2) Provide local restaurants with sample products at low cost and engage with chefs to understand how they would use and price them; (3) Host cooking demonstrations and tasting events to educate the public about the aquaculture products and gather feedback; and (4) Monitor sales and gather feedback to refine product offerings.

Interested businesses and persons should contact Shanta Roberts at shanta.roberts@uvi.edu, 340-692-4295 or Dr. Larkin Roots, larken.root@uvi.edu, 340-692-4233.