New technologies are needed to improve environmental sustainability and economic viability of mariculture in the United States. If successful, this work could facilitate an important diversification of mariculture products that can be grown year-round with low environmental impacts and in inland areas adjacent to profitable markets that value fresh, year-round seafood.
In this first year, the investigators will (1) determine a minimal biomass load of each of the three livestock species such that nitrogen species, dissolved oxygen, and solids levels are within pre-defined benchmarks, (2) achieve growth rates for shrimp, oysters, and fish equal to pre-defined benchmarks, (3) to incrementally increase the biomass of each high-value livestock species until double the minimal biomass loading is achieved in a stable system, (4) identify flow rates and other management protocols that accomplish the other objectives, and (5) engage our collaborators during the development of this proposal. During the second year of the project, the objectives are to (1) test protocol repeatability among systems in regard to the biomass production of each of the high value livestock species and FCRs for the shrimp and fish, (2) develop a simple parameterized economic model of the costs involved in the production of all three livestock species, and to work with our collaborators to collect market prices and product acceptance for the livestock species produced, and (3) work with collaborators to summarize the results of the entire project, especially with regard to the economic feasibility of the enterprise, and to jointly develop and disseminate several information products.