Meet Our Aquaculture Team
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Area Extension Agents
 Mike Frinsko Area Specialized Agent, Agriculture – Aquaculture (252) 448-9621(Office) mofrinsk@ncsu.edu Jones County Center |
Mr. Frinsko provides technical training and assistance to commercial aquaculture producers in the Southeast Extension District. Mike works with numerous warmwater species, focusing on Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass production, larvaculture, fish nutrition, and feed manufacture. Mike also serves these 17 counties:Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Johnston, Lenoir, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, Wayne, Wilson Counties |
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Steve Gabel |
Mr. Gabel’s responsibilities include providing technical training and assistance to commercial aquaculture producers in the Northeast Extension District as well as other aquaculture education programs. Steve works with numerous warmwater species, focusing on channel catfish and crayfish production, soil and water quality management, and pond construction. Steve also serves these 21 counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Wake, Warren, Washington Counties |
 Skip Thompson Area Specialized Agent, Agriculture – Aquaculture (828) 456-3575 (Office) Skip_Thompson@ncsu.edu Haywood County Center |
Mr. Thompson provides educational opportunities and technical support to the trout and carp aquaculture industries in 42 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in western North Carolina. Fish health, production management, and waste management educational programs will assist trout farmers, fee-fishing pond managers, carp ponds and trout fingerling producers with the management and sustainability of their facilities. Skip also serves EBCI and these 12 counties: Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Swain, Transylvania, Yancey Counties |
Research/Extension Specialists
 Steve Hall Associate Professor and Director, Marine Aquaculture Research Center (919) 515-2694 (Office) shall5@ncsu.edu Biological & Agricultural Engineering |
Dr. Hall is a research and teaching Associate Professor of aquacultural, resource and water engineering; and coastal bioengineering. As Director of the NC Marine Aquaculture Research Center (MARC), he maintains a focus on numerous diverse topics ranging from recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and oyster aquaculture to automated larval fish-feeding technology and macro-algae production.
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 Jeff Hinshaw Extension Aquaculture Specialist and Professor (828) 687-0570 (Office) jeff_hinshaw@ncsu.edu Applied Ecology |
Dr. Hinshaw is a Research Professor and Aquaculture Specialist. His area of focus is with mountain trout and sturgeon production. He also specializes in topics related to disease diagnostics and management, egg quality for caviar, efficient water use, and feed-waste recycling. Located at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River, NC, his responsibilities are statewide. |
 Ben Reading Assistant Professor David Clark Labs 236 919.515.3830 (Office) bjreadin@ncsu.edu |
Dr. Reading is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Ecology. The focus of his work is on numerous areas related to Striped Bass breeding and reproduction with an emphasis in understanding the fundamentals of oogenesis and egg quality in fishes. As Director of National Program for Genetic Improvement and Selective Breeding. Dr. Readings’s research has resulted in producing superior strains of Striped Bass that will enable commercial aquaculture producers to raise fish in less time and with greater feed efficiency. Dr. Reading also serves at the Aquaculture Co-Coordinator of the USDA National Animal Genome Program. |
 Michael Joseph Faculty/EHRA Scott Hall 234E 919.515.2493 (Office) mvjoseph@ncsu.edu |
Dr. Michael Joseph is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in the Prestage Department of Poultry Science. His work covers many areas related to animal feed technology. A principle focus involves developing enhanced aquaculture feeds including specialized larval microdiets and extruded growout diets formulated with innovative extrusion technologies and novel ingredients. |
Affiliated Staff & Students
 Kaija Beesley Student Worker Biological & Agricultural Engineering kcbeesle@ncsu.edu |
Ms. Kaija Beesley is a Student Worker with the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Her responsibilities focus on website development. |
 Joseph Bursey Research Operations Manager: NC State Fish Barn jrbursey@ncsu.edu |
Mr. Bursey is the aquaponics project manager at our Lake Wheeler Road facility. Joseph works directly with campus researchers and industry partners to support aquaponics projects targeted at refining the efficient production of fish and plant products for market. |
 Harry Daniels Senior Associate Dean CALS Office of the Dean Patterson Hall harry_daniels@ncsu.edu |
As Warmwater Aquaculture Specialist, Dr. Daniels has led numerous aquaculture activities throughout his career. Hybrid Striped Bass, Southern Flounder and Channel Catfish, have been focal areas of his research as well as providing much assistance on topics related to water quality management. Now serving in an administrative capacity through the Office of the Dean, Dr. Daniels remains engaged when possible to support activities within the aquaculture team. |
 Ryan P. KellyExtension Associate Marine Aquaculture Research Center rpkelly@ncsu.edu Biological & Agricultural Engineering |
Mr. Kelly is the Marine Aquaculture Research Center (MARC) facility manager where he assists with the sites ongoing RAS mariculture projects. Ryan also assists in numerous Extension activities related to coastal fish and shellfish projects. |
 John DavisResearch Operations Manager: Grinnells Aquatic Facility Grinnells Lab 1212 jhdavis4@ncsu.edu |
Mr. Davis is the Grinnells aquaculture laboratory facility manager. His work includes organizing and maintaining the many aquaculture related research projects at the site on campus. |
 Russell Smith Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant Biological and Agricultural Engineering ersmit11@ncsu.edu |
Mr. Smith is a Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant focusing on the use of uncrewed vehicles to monitor water quality in coastal aquaculture production sites. He also focuses on website development amongst other aquaculture related extension efforts. |