Carole R. Engle receives major aquaculture award
Feb 25, 2008 10:37 AM
Carole R. Engle, director of the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, has received the 2008 National Aquaculture Association’s Joseph P. McCraren Award for outstanding contributions in promoting the growth of aquaculture.
The award was given to Engle for her efforts supporting a scientifically based approach to the regulation of Asian carps, and her support of fair global trade practices. It was presented during the recent Aquaculture America 2008 meeting in Orlando, Fla.
The McCraren Award is the most prestigious honor given by the NAA. Engle is the first recipient to receive the award for a second time. She was also honored in 2004.
The award is named in honor of Joseph P. McCraren, the first chairman and executive director of the NAA, in recognition of his service to the association and the industry.
“I deeply appreciate this honor,” said Engle. “While this work is part of my job, it means a great deal to be recognized by the aquaculture industry.”
The Aquaculture/Fisheries Center, directed by Engle, includes 19 scientists, faculty and Extension specialists and 24 full-time research and Extension support staff. It is a research and Extension center dedicated to the development and transfer of timely, problem-solving information.
Its primary mission is to respond to immediate and future needs of the state’s aquaculture industry and fisheries and aquatic resource managers through quality research and Extension programs.
“Dr. Engle is an outstanding professional and administrator,” said Jacquelyn W. McCray, dean and director of the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences at UAPB. “The aquaculture industry in Arkansas is fortunate to have her leadership and contributions via the UAPB Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence.”
In addition to being the only two-time McCraren award winner, Engle has received other industry awards including the prestigious Catfish Farmers of America Researcher of the Year award in 2003. She has also published more than 70 papers in refereed international journals, a recent book on aquaculture economics and more than 30 book chapters.
This year marks the third time in five years that the McCraren award has gone to a UAPB faculty member. Last year the award was given to Andrew Goodwin, professor and associate director of the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center of Excellence. Goodwin was honored for his efforts in helping to protect aquaculture producers from viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a viral disease causing fish mortalities in the Great Lakes, while working to keep the regulations realistic and minimize the burden on fish farmers.
