S.C. Sea Grant Consortium
Many reef fish feed on planktonic organisms with the sun shining through the water from above.

Living Marine Resources Program

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s Living Marine Resources Program Specialists work with commercial and recreational fishers, aquaculture producers, fisheries resource managers, seafood dealers, chefs, scientists, and Sea Grant fisheries extension programs throughout the region and nation.

The program’s goal is to help create sustainable fisheries operations that balance the ecological needs of living marine resources and the socioeconomic needs of communities. The program also provides technical assistance to aquaculture producers to support environmentally-friendly and economically viable operations.

Extension Specialists

Sarah Pedigo

Shellfish Aquaculture Program Specialist

Jocelyn Juliano

Living Marine Resources Specialist

Recent Projects in Living Marine Resources

White shrimp, Penaeus setiferus.

Incorporating Environmental Variability into Ecosystem-Based Management for Penaeid Shrimp in the Southeast U.S.

The research team will use a multi-faceted research approach based on guidance from multiple end-user groups to explore how differences in estuarine habitat types and environmental conditions like temperature and salinity affect shrimp populations. This research will provide information that is critical for the future management of this multi-million-dollar fishery.

The South Carolina Commercial Seafood Apprenticeship Program

The CSAP program offers classroom-based and on-the-job training that provides the knowledge and skills needed to start a career in commercial fishing or mariculture (e.g., growing oysters or clams). After the month-long training is complete, participants will get help finding a full-time job with a local company.

Two farmers sort buckets of oysters on the dock.
A string of oyster cages in a creek.

GIS-based Mariculture Siting Tool

This project aims to create an online GIS-based tool to facilitate the process of selecting an appropriate shellfish mariculture lease location in coastal South Carolina with the overall goal of supporting siting decisions that will bolster the healthy and sustainable growth of the South Carolina shellfish aquaculture industry. The tool will be used by shellfish mariculture industry entrants and current growers to successfully locate usable, environmentally- and economically-beneficial sites as they work through the regulatory process.

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