Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** IT is important to encourage new…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** IT is important to encourage new and expanded shellfish aquaculture operations in the US because by 2050 the UN estimates that the world food supply must double and the US trails the rest of the world in the adoption of an important source of clean food: aquaculture. Aquaculture is an important source of food moving forward due to its more efficient conversion of energy into meat, eliminatedreliance on fresh water for irrigation, carbon sequestration, and environmental restorative effects. These traits make IT an important solution to feeding the world while also fighting climate change. The development of the 3D-coast system will address specific roadblocks for oyster aquaculturefarmers in the US, including:high rates of injury and labor-intensive processes, difficulty scaling, achieving social license, and inconsistent product quality and profit margins. The 3D-coast system is a three-dimensional, solar powered, oyster growing raft.twiyo's solution for growing oysters is different from current alternatives because we will use the sun to automatically clean and tumble the oysters while also taking advantage of three-dimensional water space rather than the two-dimensional nature of surface or bottom culture. These factors reduce labor time and increase growing density while also improving product consistency and quality.