The University of Idaho's Aquaculture Research Institute is leading a significant initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, to enhance rainbow-trout production in Georgia through the Caucasus Agricultural Development Initiative (CADI). This project, with a potential USDA-FAS grant of up to $1 million over five years, aims to improve local aquaculture by providing Georgian fish farmers in the Adjara region with modern training, equipment, and supplies for better fish health diagnostics and water quality management. Additionally, it seeks to explore new sources of feed and trout genetics, potentially benefiting U.S. suppliers of aquaculture germplasm, soybeans, and fish feed. The initiative represents a strategic effort to reduce Georgia's reliance on trout imports by bolstering fish culture education, extension, and outreach, and streamlining supply chain and regulatory processes to support the local trout farming industry's growth.