A State Ports Authority request for state money to help pay for recent harbor deepening got support last week from Gov. Mark Sanford.

Sanford's budget for the coming fiscal year would set aside $2.4 million from state coffers to help pay off remaining debt on the project, which increased Charleston's harbor depth to 45 feet to accommodate heftier cargo ships.

It was the only formal request the port made that was expected to be addressed in the governor's 2005-06 budget, typically the starting point for legislative allocations of state funds.

South Carolina ports aren't subsidized by the state, and typically receive tax dollars only for harbor dredging and deepening projects.

This $148 million project began in 1999 and was completed in the spring of 2004, with the state paying about 35 percent of the cost. The federal government picked up the rest of the tab.

Sanford's move to allocate $2.4 million for the project will help offset the state's remaining $15.3 million share of the financing.

The harbor deepening project was aimed at helping the Port of Charleston keep up with the increasing demand for deeper port channels. Cargo ships continue growing in size, and some ports around the nation are working to expand harbors to depths of 48 feet or more.

The SPA, in conjunction with a group of North Charleston officials and regional developers, also made another request for state dollars in the coming year. They've asked the Charleston County Legislative Delegation to help free at least $5 million in state funds for a transportation study of roads in North Charleston, where a proposed $600 million terminal would be built.

"We hadn't expected that (money) to be included right now," said SPA spokesman Byron Miller.

Port officials have said new access roads to the proposed terminal will be vital in getting support from the public and lawmakers for the port expansion. North Charleston residents have raised concerns that traffic in their community will be unmanageable without better infrastructure and are pushing for the state to free funds immediately for road studies of their area.

FISHING FOR FARMERS

The South Carolina Aquaculture Association, in the midst of what could be a fight for research funding in the coming year, is working to increase its ranks and promote the needs and achievements of fish farmers in the state.

The association's Feb. 24 conference at the Ramage Conference Center in Columbia is open to anybody who has an interest in aquaculture, from how it's affecting food supplies in the nation to how the industry is competing with cheaper foreign imports of wild and farm-raised fish.

The meeting will include updates on aquaculture research and development from the state's Department of Natural Resources and universities across South Carolina. Research on seafood and freshwater fish harvesting could be in jeopardy, as Sanford's proposed executive budget would eliminate state funding for aquaculture re- search.

The conference also will address new and potential farming programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the status of the nation's aquaculture industry and new market opportunities for farmers in South Carolina.

For more information on the association or February's meeting, contact Gerry Bonnette at the state Department of Agriculture at 803-734-2210. And for more on aquaculture, see story on page 16.