Welcome to the Shoalhaven Marine & Freshwater Centre

The Shoalhaven Marine and Freshwater Centre (SMFC) is part of the University’s strategy of providing the Illawarra, South Coast and Far South Coast regions of NSW with access to tertiary teaching and research services that meet the regional demands and are of the highest international standards.

Coastal environmental research has been identified as a major regional concern, while marine and freshwater fisheries and aquaculture has been identified as a growth industry that could provide significant regional employment opportunities.

In 2004, the Federal Government committed to providing $660,000 in funding toward establishing the centre on the Shoalhaven Campus, and in early 2007 construction of a laboratory, office space and an aquarium facility was completed. Additional funding from a University of Wollongong Strategic Research Initiative grant is assisting in the development of the Centre.

The 5-year mission of the SMFC is:

“To establish a centre which carries out world-class research and postgraduate teaching activities, based on the needs of the south eastern region of Australia.”

In the long-term, it is proposed that the centre be primarily self-funded, through grants for research, consultancies, short courses and postgraduate teaching.