Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the united states has abundant…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the united states has abundant suitable coastal land with great potential to achieve high-volume production of shellfish as a sustainable, ECO-friendly, and healthy source of protein for the growing population. However, the US shellfish industry currently faces significant production bottlenecks due to outdated technology and tools. In light of today's advances in sensing and control, robotics, and artificial intelligence, which have led to transformative development in terrestrial agriculture, great opportunities have arisen to revolutionize shellfish aquaculture. The overarching goal of this project is to improve quality of life for farmers and society as a whole by implementing a smart sustainable shellfish aquaculture management (S3AM) framework to enhance nationwide shellfish production and economic viability of shellfish farm operations while maintaining environmental health. The specific objectives of this project include the following: i) develop and implement smart technologies and management solutions to improve farm productivity and profitability, II) model and assess economic impacts of the S3AM framework in the east, west, and gulf coastal regions, III) build a nationwide extension network to engage stakeholders for broader impact, and IV) educate future generations of the workforce to address globally pressing issues of sustainability. IT is expected that novel technologies and precision farming management practices will be developed as part of the S3AM framework, which will help farmers gain in-depth knowledge of their farm and crop conditions and provide them with highly efficient harvesting tools. S3AM will lead to sustainable shellfish production in the long term, enabling coastal communities and stakeholders to gain global competitiveness. S3AM will also promote economic development of rural coastal areas by creating new businesses to provide smart technology tools and management services for farmers. S3AM will further promote alternative diets focused on healthy seafood, offering substantial health benefits.