A HAMPSHIRE college is to play its part in sustaining the UK fish industry.

Sparsholt College’s Aquaculture and Fishery Management resources have been awarded £245,000 from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).

The award, to re-build the college’s fish hatchery, will ensure those looking to train and pursue a career in the aquaculture sector can do so in industry standard facilities.

The new facility will replace the current 35-year-old outdoors facility and looks to be open by September 2012. It would provide opportunities like feed trials, research projects and professional training to the corporate market as well as have better systems reliability and consequently a higher level of fish welfare.

To date Sparsholt, on Westley Lane, Sparsholt, near Winchester, is the only UK based college allocated a grant, which is part of a five year £38million project aimed at ensuring the UK’s fishing industry becomes more sustainable and remains profitable.

Although primarily used for education, the college believes the new hatchery will both enhance student experience and generate income and has significant potential as a research facility, for educational development and support of Environment Agency work and local fishery re-stocking programmes. Caroline James, learning manager for fishery studies at Sparsholt College, said: “Such a significant grant recognises the importance of ensuring that the next generation looking to pursue a career in this sector do so with the appropriate qualifications acquired in facilities which mirror that of industry. “Equally important is the on-going professional development of those already working in aquaculture to enable the UK’s fishery industry to successfully and profitably meet the growing demands of a domestic and international market.” To find out about aquaculture and fishery management courses at Sparsholt College visit sparsholt.ac.uk or call 01962 776441.