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The Big Bend Shellfish Trail and Map was produced with a grant award of $20,000 received by the Levy County Board of County Commission. One of five collaborative grants awarded across the Big Bend counties—Dixie, Jefferson, Levy, and Taylor—the funding encouraged partnerships to strengthen the region’s economic vitality while simultaneously ensuring the ongoing health of its natural resources. “A number of partners participated in the creation of Florida’s first Shellfish Trail and the largest trail of its kind in the United States. This project showcases our working waterfront communities and encourages economic growth in Levy County and in the Big

Florida Sea Grant and the Gulf Shellfish Institute are hosting an upcoming workshop for the southwest Florida shellfish industry. This workshop aims to bring together industry, scientists and regulators to discuss shellfish industry challenges as related to harmful algal blooms. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at the South Florida Museum, 201 10th Street West, Bradenton, FL 34205. Registration and coffee open at 8:30 am. Lunch will be provided on site.  An evening reception will follow the workshop from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, also at the South Florida Museum. For

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides financial assistance to growers of non-insurable crops to protect against natural disasters that result in crop losses. NAP provides catastrophic level (CAT) coverage based on the amount of loss that exceeds 50% of expected production at 55% of the average market price for the crop. Beginning in 2015, additional coverage may be elected by growers by the application closing date; growers who buy-up coverage must pay a premium for that level of coverage in addition to the service fee. The NAP Fact Sheet can be viewed here.

The University of Florida/IFAS Shellfish Aquaculture Extension Program will be hosting a workshop entitled Advances in Shellfish Hatchery Technology and Review of Operational & Maintenance Guidelines on Thursday, August 23rd from 4-6 pm (EST) at the Senator George Kirkpatrick Marine Lab in Cedar Key, FL. The workshop presenter will be Dr. John Supan, director of the Louisiana Sea Grant Oyster Hatchery, a state-of-the art facility which opened in 2015 to produce a billion oyster larvae for supplementing natural production of public oyster bars. Dr. Supan has over 25 years of shellfish hatchery experience. To accommodate interest in this workshop, there are

A series of workshops is being conducted to address industry issues in the production of shellfish seed. Hatchery operators and personnel are invited to attend. The topic of this workshop is: Advances in Shellfish Hatchery Technology and Review of Operational & Maintenance Guidelines. Topics to be presented include: advances in shellfish hatchery system design, filtration equipment, and algal production systems; how to set up and operate a semi-closed or closed (recirculating) hatchery system; how to adjust water supply source with buffering system if pH and alkalinity are not optimal and values to maintain; and outline of shellfish hatchery operation and

Fish, shellfish, plant, reptile, crustacean and other farmers that grow aquatic animals will soon have the opportunity to represent aquaculture in their communities, state and nationally by taking part in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the census, to be mailed at the end of this year, is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches, and those who operate them. As examples of the importance of Census of Agriculture data, this information drives decision making by state and federal governments, manufacturers of aquaculture production gear,