This project will assess sudden spring/summer unusual unexplained oyster through a coordinated network of collaborative research with twenty commercial oyster farmers in the southern US across nine…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a $499,198 Project Grant through the Fisheries Development and Utilization Research and Development Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program (CFDA 11.427) to the Oyster South Company. The grant will fund a 24-month project to assess and monitor environmental, biological, and management factors impacting oyster production among 20 commercial oyster farms across 9 Southern U.S. states. The project will test the effects of oyster ploidy (diploid and triploid) on performance under varying environmental conditions and cultivation practices. The goal is to develop an industry-wide network to provide growers with data and tools to make informed management decisions and share results with the Southern oyster aquaculture community.

This project will assess sudden spring/summer unusual unexplained oyster through a coordinated network of collaborative research with twenty commercial oyster farmers in the southern US across nine states: farms for aquaculture research and monitoring of shellfish (farms). Through collaborative, on-farm research, the project will test the effect of ploidy (diploid and triploid) on oyster performance across a range of environmental conditions and different cultivation practices over a complete production cycle. Working with industry partners, this project will develop an industry-wide network to 1) monitor, assess, and understand environmental, biological, and management factors that can drive production successes and failures, 2) refine management practices that may mitigate environmental and handling stressors, and 3) provide tools and baseline data to allow growers to make informed management decisions and share results with the southern oyster aquaculture community.