William A. Wurts, Ph.D.

Senior State Specialist for Aquaculture
Cooperative Extension Program
Kentucky State University at

UK Research and Education Center
P.O. Box 469 / 1205 Hopkinsville Street
Princeton, KY 42445-0469

Phone: 270/365-7541 ext. 200
FAX: 270/365-2667
E-mail: wwurts@uky.edu

Last Updated: 08-Nov-2012

EDUCATION

Texas A&M University, 1987.
Doctorate. Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences - aquaculture, applied fish physiology, and growth/production biology.

Texas A&M University, 1981.
Master of Agriculture. Fisheries Science -- aquaculture.

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, 1975-1978.
Graduate Studies. Medical sciences.
Graduate course work (68 hours) which included: biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, cell biology, pathology, microbiology, immunology, pharmacology, genetics, et.al.

University of Texas at Austin, 1975 -- summa cum laude.
Bachelor of Arts. Biology major and chemistry minor.
Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.

PROGRAM & EMPHASIS

Provide education and consultation for extension professionals, producers, and the public about aquaculture and water quality management. Design, plan, and conduct applied research projects and field demonstrations. Collaboratively facilitate the development of an aquaculture industry with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, government agencies, and other organizations.

William A. Wurts is a Senior State Specialist for Aquaculture with the Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program. Recent work focuses on feeding practices, stabilizing water quality, and low-input production for freshwater shrimp and channel catfish. Past research includes applied physiology with marine, freshwater, and euryhaline species as well as effects of hardness and alkalinity on copper toxicity to aquatic life. His interests encompass sustainable aquaculture, growth biology, improving systems efficiency, and waste nutrient recapture through polyculture.

PUBLICATIONS (for a complete list click here)

Wurts, W.A. 2012. Rectangular airlift pump design outperforms cylindrical units. Global Aquaculture Advocate, 15(6): 77-78 (November/December). www.gaalliance.org/mag/2012/Nov-Dec/index.html

Wurts, W.A. 2012. Rectangular airlift pump design. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture, pp. 76-78.

Wurts, W.A. 2012. Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus growth in single and multiple batch production. World Aquaculture, 42(1): 64-66.

Wynne, F.S. and W.A. Wurts. 2011. Transportation of warmwater fish: equipment and guidelines. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, Publication 390.

Wurts, W.A. 2010. Farming algal fuel: economics challenge process potential. Global Aquaculture Advocate, 13(4): 71-73 (July/August). www.gaalliance.org/mag/2010/Jul-Aug/pageflip.html
Click here for Slide Show.

Wurts, W.A., S.D. Mims and R.J. Onders. 2010. Paddlefish Polyodon spathula polyculture with freshwater shrimp  Macrobrachium rosenbergii. World Aquaculture, 41(2): 30-31. Click here for Slide Show.

Wynne, F. and W.A. Wurts. 2009. Live hauling channel catfish. Kentucky State University, Division of Aquaculture, Cooperative Extension Program: 27 pp.

Wurts, W.A. 2007. Low Input Shrimp Farming in Kentucky, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. World Aquaculture, 38(4): 44-49. Click here for Slide Show.

Wurts, W.A. 2007. Sustainable aquaculture: concept or practice. In Biotechnology, [Eds. Horst W. Doelle, and Edgar J.DaSilva], in Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), Developed under the Auspices of the UNESCO, Eolss Publishers, Oxford ,UK, [http://www.eolss.net]
{Reprints available upon request.}

Wurts, W.A. 2006. Live fish transport using compressed and liquid oxygen . World Aquaculture, 37(3): 26-27. 

Wurts, W.A. and M. P. Masser. 2004. Liming Ponds for Aquaculture. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, Publication 4100.

Wurts, W.A. 2004. Small-scale and home-use channel catfish farming in Kentucky. World Aquaculture, 35(3): 8-9.

Wurts, W.A. 2004. Organic fertilization in culture ponds. World Aquaculture, 35(2): 64-65 .

Wurts, W.A. 2003. Daily pH cycle and ammonia toxicity. World Aquaculture, 34(2): 20-21.

Wurts, W.A. 2002. Alkalinity and hardness in production ponds. World Aquaculture, 33(1): 16-17.

Wurts, W.A. 2001. Review of feeding practices for channel catfish production. World Aquaculture, 32(4): 16-17 & 68.

Wurts, W. A. 2000. Sustainable aquaculture in the twenty-first century. Reviews in Fisheries Science, 8(2): 141-150.

Perschbacher, P. W. and W. A. Wurts. 1999. Effects of calcium and magnesium hardness on acute copper toxicity to juvenile channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Aquaculture, 172: 275-280.

Wurts, W. A. 1998. Why do some fish normally live in freshwater and others in saltwater? How can some fish adapt to both? Scientific American: Ask the Experts: Biology, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-some-fish-normally&page=2 (pp 3-4). Click here for version published in World Aquaculture, 29(1): 65.

Wurts, W. A. and P. W. Perschbacher. 1994. Effects of bicarbonate alkalinity and calcium on the acute toxicity of copper to juvenile channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). Aquaculture, 125: 73-79.

Wurts, W. A., S. G. McNeill and D. G. Overhults. 1994. Performance and design characteristics of airlift pumps for field applications. World Aquaculture, 25(4): 51-54.

Wurts, W. A. and R. R. Stickney. 1993. Growth rates of juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) reared on commercial salmon feed in fresh and salt water. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, 24(3): 422-424.

Wurts, W. A. and R. M. Durborow. 1992. Interactions of pH, carbon dioxide, alkalinity and hardness in fish ponds. Southern Regional Aquaculture Center Publication No. 464.

Wurts, W. A. and R. R. Stickney. 1989. Responses of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) to calcium and magnesium concentrations in fresh and salt water. Aquaculture, 76: 21-35.

Wurts, W. A. and R. R. Stickney. 1984. An hypothesis on the light requirements for spawning penaeid shrimp with emphasis on Penaeus setiferus. Aquaculture, 41: 93-98.

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