Mar 18, 2025 - Ocean Springs, MS
First-of-its-kind facility to help meet needs of state’s seafood industry
(OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.) – Today officials from the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation (JCEDF), Jackson County Board of Supervisors, Jackson County Port Authority, and Mississippi State University (MSU) held a groundbreaking for the university’s Northern Gulf Aquatic Seafood Lab, a first-of-its-kind facility that will focus on aquatic food safety, quality assessment, and processing and product development.
The Lab will be located at Sunplex Light Industrial Complex. This location and facility represent the culmination of teamwork and strategic planning between the JCEDF, MSU, Jackson County Board of Supervisors, and Jackson County Port Authority. This investment also aligns with the Foundation’s long-term Strategic Innovation Plan, which calls for “Industry 4.0” including a strong focus on research and development as a driver of economic growth. With today’s groundbreaking, Jackson County joins a select group of counties nationwide that have two flagship research institutions. The University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory is located in Ocean Springs.
“We believe in creating relationships with our partners, going beyond recruiting to work together to ensure long-term success,” said Mary Martha Henson, deputy director of the JCEDF. “Working with a flagship university like Mississippi State will continue to give Jackson County opportunities to diversify our economy and bring in high-skilled, high-paying jobs to support an industry that is an economic driver and an integral part of the Gulf Coast’s fabric.”
With a statewide seafood industry that contributes more than $300 million to the economy, the Northern Gulf Aquatic Seafood Lab will meet a critical need in this industry, promoting its growth and paving the way for innovation. In addition to providing a statewide benefit, the Lab also promotes economic development within Mississippi by drawing scientists from other regional R1 (high-level) research universities and offers opportunities to work directly on the Mississippi Coast.
When completed, this facility will be the first of three planned structures, housing a biosafety laboratory for testing pathogens and toxins and an analytical chemistry lab for measuring chemical residues in water and aquatic food products. This capacity will help Mississippi-based seafood processors, who now must send their product out of state for quality testing.
“A major limiting factor for aquatic foods safety testing here in Mississippi is that no such facility is available, so our local processors have to send samples as far away as Galveston, Texas,” said James Henderson, professor and center head of MSU’s Coastal Research and Extension Center. “This new facility will allow us to expedite that process.”
About the JCEDF
Jackson County Economic Development Foundation (JCEDF) is a public-private partnership focused on growing and diversifying the economy through public policy and economic and workforce development. The Foundation provides a unified and comprehensive approach to economic development in a highly competitive business location environment. The Foundation is committed to preparing and aggressively searching out new business and investment opportunities to help our county thrive.
About the Mississippi seafood industry
The Mississippi seafood industry is both a major contributor to the regional economy as well as serves as a cultural and historical foundation for many coastal communities. Data shows the seafood industry has an annual impact of over $377 million. Major species produced are shrimp, crabs, oysters, and finfish. Pascagoula/Moss Point and Gulfport/Biloxi are among the leading seafood ports in the nation. For more information, visit MSU’s webpage on the seafood industry:
http://extension.msstate.edu/natural-resources/marine-resources/seafood-harvesting-and-processing.
