Virginia Institute of Marine Science - Facilities and Research Vessels

Facilities and Research Vessels

In addition to specialized facilities at the Eastern Shore Laboratory and Kaufman Aquaculture Center, the main campus includes:

• The Seawater Research Laboratory, the largest facility of its kind in the U.S, providing 800-gallons per minute to an acre of research tanks and lab space.

• The William J. Hargis, Jr. Library with 88,000 marine science volumes.

• Visitor Center with aquaria and life-sized models shows how VIMS research benefits Chesapeake Bay and the ocean.

• Fish collection features more than 125,000 specimens in 247 families from Chesapeake Bay and surrounding waters.

• Andrews Hall, a 71,000-square-foot (6,600 m2) building that features 39 laboratories, 25 faculty offices, and space for nearly 100 students, technicians, and visiting scientists. It houses the Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center, the Prism Autonomous Systems Laboratory, the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation program, the Dominion Conference room, and a distance-learning classroom.

• Chesapeake Bay Hall, a 64,000-square-foot (5,900 m2) facility that houses programs in ecology, ecotoxicology, fishery genetics, immunology, and shellfish pathology.

VIMS owns and operates a fleet of 40 research vessels, including many specialized for research in the Chesapeake Bay and other coastal areas. Vessels include:

• R/V Pelican (74') with a 17’x 24’ working deck and 18,000 lb (8,200 kg) lifting capacity crane.
• R/V Bay Eagle (65') is outfitted with a wet lab containing a flow-through seawater system. The Bay Eagle also has interchangeable stern decks for versatility when changing from trawling, to dredging, long lining or other applications.
• R/V Fish Hawk (29') designed and equipped to perform trawl surveys.