We are a group of students (undergraduates and graduates) from UAPB, with a strong interest in aquaculture and fisheries. UAPB started its Fisheries Program in 1974 with the construction of the Aquaculture Research Station and the first aquaculture research ponds. The B.S. program in Fisheries Biology is the only one in Arkansas and its graduates have been employed in over 50 state and federal agencies, academia and private industry. Undergraduates benefit from small classes taught in the new Applied Sciences Building by professors active in research and extension. Student internships create unique paid research opportunities, and generous scholarships are offered by the Department as well as the BRD Scholars Program and many others.

The M.S. Program in Aquaculture/Fisheries was established in 1997, and continues being the only program of this type in the state. Graduate students enrolled in this program come from seven different countries and 15 states in the United States. The Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries at UAPB offers its graduate students 16 graduate level courses, which combine lectures with laboratory experiences. Graduate students are also required to carry out their own research projects leading towards the completion of a Thesis. Research areas include fish nutrition, fish pathology, water quality, pond & hatchery management, larval fish ecology, aquatic toxicology, fisheries management, aquaculture economics & marketing, and human dimensions.

Our USAS Sub-unit was created in 2004, and we are proud of being recognized as the first student subunit of USAS in the country. Since our recent creation, we have collaborated in several activities in the Pine Bluff community including a pond renovation at the Scoggins Mayhall School, the construction of a water exhibit in the Delta Rivers Nature Center, and assisting in other kinds of events such as research meetings of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries at UAPB.