Gulf of Alaska | Ecosystem Perspectives
Planning for Alaska’s mariculture farm future: Refining a model of shellfish nitrogen removal at the oyster farm-scale Presenter: Skylar Bayer , skylar.bayer@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries Alhambra M. Cubillo , alhambra.cubillo@longline.co.uk, Longline Environment, Ltd Joao G. Ferreira , joao@longline.co.uk, Longline Environment, Ltd Julie Rose , julie.rose@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries, NEFSC, Milford Laboratory Mark S. Dixon , mark.dixon@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries, NEFSC, Milford Laboratory Shannon Meseck , shannon.meseck@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries, NEFSC, Milford Laboratory Genevieve Bernatchez , genevieve.bernatchez@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries, NEFSC, Milford Laboratory Annita Alvarado , anna.alvarado@noaa.gov, Integrated Statistics Matthew Poach , matthew.poach@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries, NEFSC, Milford Laboratory Emilien Pousse , pousseemilien12@gmail.com, IFREMER Gary Wikfors , gary.wikfors@noaa.gov, NOAA Fisheries, NEFSC, Milford Laboratory Suzanne Bricker , suzanne.bricker@noaa.gov, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Marine aquaculture or mariculture is a relatively new and emerging industry in Alaska. The Alaska Mariculture Task Force was created in 2016 with a mission to develop mariculture into a $100 million industry in the following 20 years, primarily in shellfish and seaweed farming. However, a better understanding of interactions of these farms with the local environment is needed, recognizing the potential for positive and negative effects. Shellfish mariculture has been shown to reduce excess nutrients in other coastal locations worldwide and within the US. Aquaculture-environment interactions may vary substantially at small spatial scales depending upon factors such as local habitat, nutrient inputs, freshwater, and flow. The Farm Aquaculture Resource Management (FARM) model uses local environmental and farming practice data to characterize the interactions between the farmed population and the local environment as well as the potential economic gain from varying farm location and/or cultivation practices. Combining measurements of bivalve feeding activities with information about total farm stock and operations can provide a more complete assessment of farm-scale nitrogen removal. We collected environmental, nutrient, and biophysical data to estimate farm-scale rates of nitrogen assimilation by cultivated eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in nearshore Long Island Sound, CT. These data included: (1) monthly water samples, (2) monthly oyster samples, (3) field measurements of oyster filter feeding, including nitrogen absorption, and (4) oyster excretion measurements. Using these data, we improved the parameterization of the individual growth model (that integrates the FARM population model) to improve its ability to describe oyster growth, harvest yield, and nitrogen removal for an eastern oyster farm. FARM can be used in locations where mariculture is not well developed as a planning tool by marine resource managers and industry members to simulate harvest and environmental interactions under different farming scenarios. The methods employed in this research may also be applied in different areas of Alaska to predict the interactions of various types of shellfish farms with diverse coastal marine habitats.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 162
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