Flipping the Cages on Sustainable Aquaculture
A study on oyster aquaculture technique and policy to reduce pathogens.
Project Overview
The oyster aquaculture industry provides socio-economic and environmental benefits that include viable agriculture jobs, local and affordable protein options, and beneficial ecosystem services such as water quality enhancement, habitat provision, and ecotourism opportunities.
Advancements in gear technology and the ability to generate year-round revenue through triploid summer harvest have enabled the expansion of the oyster aquaculture industry in South Carolina. With the allowance of summer harvest, extra precautions are taken to ensure human health risks associated with consuming raw seafood are minimized. Regulations require oysters to be submerged on lease sites for a consecutive 14 days during warmer summer months.
Farmers must strike a balance between maximizing production efficiency while providing a safe, sustainable product, and have requested an in-depth study on best management practices for this resubmergence requirement. Providing the best available science to inform local regulations is needed to effectively and responsibly manage the oyster farming industry. The collection of Vibrio spp. data at the local (e.g., state-specific) level may enable an optimization of resubmergence requirements; though to do so, cooperation across multiple state and federal agencies is necessary.
Process and Objectives
Our objectives through this study are to 1. collect field data, 2. understand inter-agency communications, and 3. develop policy recommendations to maximize agricultural sustainability and efficiency for the coastal shellfish aquaculture industry.
The project team is experimentally measuring Vibrio spp. dynamics following aquaculture industry handling practices and creating an advisory committee to facilitate transparent communication across stakeholder groups. Oyster tissue samples are collected at two different farms, Lady’s Island Oyster and Barrier Island Oyster Company, for analysis of Vibrio spp. at different pre-handling, post handling, and post-resubmergence time points over the summers of 2024 and 2025.
In addition to field data collection, the research team is conducting an analysis of current policies and decision-making practices to evaluate how the data may inform regulations in an efficient manner to foster a sustainable oyster farming industry that works in harmony with environmental, economic, and sociopolitical parameters.
Collaborators
The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium is collaborating with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, College of Charleston, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), Lady’s Island Oyster, Lowcountry Oyster Company and Barrier Island Oyster Company to support the completion of the applied mariculture research project.
Funding
Funding for this project was provided by the USDA Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.
Project Status
Experimental trials took place during the summer of 2024 at two farm sites in South Carolina, led by S.C. Sea Grant and SCDNR in partnership with Lady’s Island Oyster and Barrier Island Oyster Company farm managers. Kate Chatman was hired in summer of 2024 as the Shellfish Aquaculture Graduate Assistant and has assisted with coordination and facilitation of project objectives and the experimental trials. The analysis of the current policy change process is slated to begin later in 2024 and continue into 2025.
Products
Interested in how these oysters are sampled, cooled, and packed in order to meet the experiment guidelines? Check out our Ice Slurry Dip: Oyster Cooling Tutorial.
Contact
For more information, contact Matt Gorstein, Director for Development and Extension, or Kate Chatman, Shellfish Aquaculture Graduate Assistant.
