Mentor/s
Torrie Hanley
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Oyster aquaculture provides a variety of valuable ecosystem services and is a critical component of sustainable seafood production in the United States. However, a number of stressors, such as pollutants and parasites, hamper the sustainability of oyster aquaculture. Oyster aquaculture uses multiple farming techniques, such as on-bottom cages and floating bags, to optimize oyster survival, growth, condition, and marketability. These different methods expose oysters to a variety of abiotic and biotic factors that can independently and interactively affect oyster health metrics. In particular, the relationship between grow-out methods and parasite exposure, and the consequent effects on oyster survival and growth, merit further investigation. Here, we compared survival and growth of oysters grown on-bottom vs floating at four aquaculture sites in Massachusetts, and measured parasite prevalence from July to December in 2023 and 2024. We found that oysters grown in on-bottom cages had consistently lower survival, decreased growth, and worse condition than oysters grown in floating bags, though the magnitude of these differences varied across aquacultures sites. Similarly, microparasite prevalence varied across site x depth combinations. Our findings can be used to inform aquaculture in New England, specifically how variation in parasite prevalence can affect oyster survival, growth, and marketability.
College and Major available
Biology
Academic Level
Undergraduate student
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-25-2025 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-25-2025 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Prize Categories
Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Best Visuals, Most Creative
Determining how oyster health and parasite prevalence differ between aquaculture grow-out methods
Digital Commons & West Campus West Building University Commons
Oyster aquaculture provides a variety of valuable ecosystem services and is a critical component of sustainable seafood production in the United States. However, a number of stressors, such as pollutants and parasites, hamper the sustainability of oyster aquaculture. Oyster aquaculture uses multiple farming techniques, such as on-bottom cages and floating bags, to optimize oyster survival, growth, condition, and marketability. These different methods expose oysters to a variety of abiotic and biotic factors that can independently and interactively affect oyster health metrics. In particular, the relationship between grow-out methods and parasite exposure, and the consequent effects on oyster survival and growth, merit further investigation. Here, we compared survival and growth of oysters grown on-bottom vs floating at four aquaculture sites in Massachusetts, and measured parasite prevalence from July to December in 2023 and 2024. We found that oysters grown in on-bottom cages had consistently lower survival, decreased growth, and worse condition than oysters grown in floating bags, though the magnitude of these differences varied across aquacultures sites. Similarly, microparasite prevalence varied across site x depth combinations. Our findings can be used to inform aquaculture in New England, specifically how variation in parasite prevalence can affect oyster survival, growth, and marketability.
Students' Information
Olivia Griffin, Biology, Honors, 2027