Virginia’s seafood industry contributes more than $1.27 billion to the state’s economy and supports more than 6,500 jobs, from watermen and aquaculture producers to processors and distributors.
For 50 years, the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center has worked to sustain and grow that industry, applying Virginia Tech research to challenges that affect its businesses and its future.
Established in Hampton in 1975 to connect university research more directly with seafood processors, the center has expanded its expertise as the industry has changed. Today, its researchers and Extension specialists work across food safety, aquaculture production, invasive species, new technologies, market development, economic analysis, and workforce training.
Over a recent five-year period, investments in the Virginia Seafood AREC generated an estimated $51.7 million in economic impact across Virginia, supported 1,761 jobs, helped retain 396 businesses, and contributed to the creation of 14 businesses. Its annual economic impact is estimated at $19 million to $33 million, supporting 500 to 800 jobs.
“In the seafood business, no two years are ever the same when it comes to the catch or the hurdles of the industry, and for the last 50 years, the Virginia Seafood AREC has helped our industry, and my own family business, meet those challenges,” said Johnny Graham, president of Graham & Rollins Seafood. “They’ve taken research out of the lab and given practical solutions that make a difference.”
Built around an industry need
The roots of the Virginia Seafood AREC date back to 1969, when George Flick joined Virginia Tech’s Department of Food Science and Technology to establish an Extension program supporting Virginia’s seafood industry. His work focused on seafood processing and technology, and his relationships with processors in Hampton Roads helped demonstrate the need for applied research delivered directly to the industry, laying the foundation for the Virginia Seafood AREC in 1975.
Over the following decades, the center expanded both its research and its reach. Michael Jahncke, who became director in 1998, helped make the center more accessible to students by establishing housing within the facility. Given the center’s five-hour drive from Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus, the housing made it possible for students to spend extended periods conducting research there. Today, the center can accommodate up to six students at a time.
Michael Schwarz arrived a year earlier with a different assignment: build an aquaculture program from scratch.
“There wasn’t a single aquarium or dedicated space in the building,” Schwarz said. “I got a desk, a chair, a notepad, a pencil, and a computer.”
The aquaculture program eventually grew to occupy an entire research floor, and Schwarz went on to serve as director of the Virginia Seafood AREC for nearly nine years, helping guide the center through a period of growth that also brought significant challenges. Flooding repeatedly disrupted operations at the original facility, and Hurricane Isabel brought four feet of water into the building in 2003.
“I just remember the last thing we had going was a coffee pot,” Schwarz said. “We’re sitting out there around the generator, and we have this little coffee pot we’d saved in the kitchen, so we’re just looking at each other, having a cup of coffee, going, ‘Alright, let’s build it all again — and better.’”
After more than a decade of planning and coordination by Jahncke and Schwarz, a new 22,224-square-foot facility opened next door in 2022. Elevated to reduce flood risk and designed to withstand future storms, the new building also provided room for the center’s growing research programs.
Research with industry impact
One example of how the center responds to emerging industry challenges is its work with blue catfish, an invasive species in the Chesapeake Bay with an estimated $200 million annual economic impact. AREC researchers have studied the fish’s nutritional value, developed approaches for harvesting and processing it, and worked with industry to build consumer markets — helping turn an ecological challenge into a commercial opportunity.
The center is also investing in the people who will tackle the seafood industry’s next challenges.
Aquaculture manager Steve Urick has helped expand student opportunities and co-develop the center’s K-12 Workforce Development Program with outreach and engagement coordinator Tiffany Wood Mahler. Since the program began in 2024, it has reached more than 14,000 students through internships, research, and outreach.
“K-12 outreach can introduce students to STEM careers and research they may not know exist,” he said. “It is rewarding to hear from students and interns years later that an experience here helped them land their dream job, pursue a Ph.D., or choose a career path they wouldn’t have considered otherwise.”
Looking toward the next 50 years
The Virginia Seafood AREC now houses seven programs spanning aquaculture, bioprocessing and intelligent engineering, communications, food safety and quality, K-12 outreach and education, molecular diagnostics, and seafood economic analysis and market research.
Jonathan van Senten, who became director in late 2025 after nearly a decade at the center, is leading that work into its next chapter.
“It is both an honor and a privilege to lead the tremendous people we have at the Seafood AREC,” van Senten said. “I look forward to what the future holds for our team and programs as we continue to evolve to meet the needs of our stakeholders.”
