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Services | Facilities | Shellfish Aquaculture Research and Education Facility

Services

The University of Florida (UF) Shellfish Aquaculture Extension Program provides educational, technical, and organizational support to the clam farming industry in Florida. In 1995 a position was created within the UF Cooperative Extension Service to assist the emergent industry on Florida’s west coast in these efforts. Since then, the program has expanded to allow for statewide extension activities. This program maintains an affiliation with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation’s Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, and Florida Sea Grant. In addition, there is a multi-faceted partnership with local governments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Services provided by this outreach program include access to information on new issues at the local, state and national levels; educational programs and workshops; and the facilitation of industry organizations. Some examples of these outreach activities include:

• Current information available through a newsletter, The Bivalve Bulletin, and website;

• Extension publications available online at UF’s Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS, Florida Sea Grant, and the USDA Southern Regional Aquaculture Center;

• Water quality information for selected clam lease areas available in real-time and archived as monthly and annual graphs at this site;

• Pictorial guides available on CDs and at this site, including What's in the Clam Bag?, which features over 150 marine organisms found in, on, and around a clam bag, and What do Clams Eat?, which identifies potential food sources and provides information about phytoplankton quantity and quality;

• Annual clam industry workshops during which reports of ongoing research and extension projects are provided;

• Support to local, state, and regional growers associations and organizations; and

• Support through participation in relevant working groups, task forces, and committees of various county, state, and federal agencies.

The statewide shellfish extension agent and staff are also involved in working with researchers on applied projects assisting the industry in:

• Genetic Improvement of Clam Stocks— Evaluation of clam stock diversity and development of a hardier clam strain through basic breeding techniques (ie., hybridization, backcrossing, and triploidy) to improve summer performance;

• Clam Health Monitoring—examination of clams to determine health of stocks and presence of pathogens;

• Product Quality—improvement of shelf life through alternative handling protocols and determination of sensory characteristics for clams and other bivalves; and

• Species Diversification—investigation of the culture and market potential for alternative molluscan shellfish species (e.g., blood ark, ponderous ark, and sunray venus) to diversify small-scale hard clam farms.

Report of extension programs and activities conducted in 2011

Facilities

The Shellfish Aquaculture Extension Program is housed within the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Senator George Kirkpatrick Marine Laboratory in Cedar Key, Florida, where the hub of the clam aquaculture industry is located. The Marine Lab provides a classroom for workshops and seminars, a conference room for meetings, and wet and dry laboratory space. Field personnel for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) also maintain office space in the Marine Lab, including Shellfish Environmental Assessment Section staff who manage and monitor shellfish harvesting waters in the Big Bend region, a shellfish processing plant inspector, and an agriculture law enforcement officer.  

Shellfish Aquaculture Research and Education Facility

Adjacent to the FWC Marine Laboratory in Cedar Key is the Shellfish Aquaculture Research and Education Facility which serves as a field station for UF research and extension faculty. Funding for this facility was provided in 2002 through a special research grant awarded to the UF Agricultural Experiment Station by the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. The facility accommodates various research projects pertaining to shellfish aquaculture through other funding opportunities. Since the facility is conveniently located just 60 miles west of UF’s main campus in Gainesville, faculty and graduate students utilize it as a remote field station. The 1,400 square foot “pole-barn” structure sits atop of a pile-supported dock over a saltwater tidal creek. Located on county property, the Levy County Board of County Commissioners provides support for this facility through a lease agreement with the university. An excellent source of sea water is available from a deep water channel through a delivery system consisting of submersible pumps and dual intake lines. The design of the facility emphasizes versatility to address multiple needs. Water filtration components, plumbing and fiberglass tanks of several sizes are installed to allow for the greatest amount of flexibility to accommodate various projects. Research efforts presently underway include evaluation of basic breeding techniques to improve stock performance and development of alternative molluscan shellfish species for culture. The facility also supports educational efforts. For example, a "shore-based" clam farming exhibit promotes understanding of the industry by school, 4-H, and other groups.

Best Management Practices Exhibit

On-farm use of best management practices (BMPs) for marine bivalve facilities, such as hatcheries and nurseries, are displayed and demonstrated at the Shellfish Aquaculture Research and Education Facility. Colorful educational signs provide information on site selection, placement of pipes, discharge, erosion control, wetlands protection, seed shipment, health management, genetics protection, record keeping and compliance. Designed and installed by the DACS Division of Aquaculture, the permanent exhibit, funded through a grant under the Clean Water Act, as administered by the Department of Environmental Protection, provides a continuous and “hands-on” source of information for clam farmers to learn about BMPs to achieve the State of Florida’s environmental management goals for commercial aquaculture.