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Welcome to the home of phytoremediation and aquaponics developed by the Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center (CMAC)  and Center for Plant Restoration (CPR) at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL). This research was funded in part by NOAA through the Mississippi Alabama Seagrant Consortium.

The aim of this research is to recycle nutrient-rich waste water and bio-floc solids produced in marine aquaculture using plants tolerant of saltwater. The plants we grow can be used for restoration of coastal habitats like salt marshes and barrier island beaches. The benefit of recycling the nutrients is that it reduces pollution, it reduces the cost of growing the shrimp or fish, and it provides free fertilizer to grow plants that can then be sold.