General Archives - Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Online Resource Guide

Rebuilding Florida Fisheries Program

November 20, 2024

The Rebuilding Florida Fisheries Program was established to provide financial assistance from the Florida Disaster Fund and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida to support fishery participants impacted by the 2024 Florida hurricane season. This application serves to provide direct payments to support immediate needs to reopen fishery operations. Requests to repair or replace fishery-related items and equipment, as well as reimbursement for repairs and replacements already performed, are eligible through this program. Eligible fishery-related components include, but are not limited to, docks, boat slips, brick and docks, boat slips, brick and mortar infrastructure, ice machines and other related

Deadline to sign-up for oyster crop insurance is Nov. 30th

November 15, 2024

The Shellfish Pilot Crop Insurance Program available through the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) is in its second year with several revisions to the policy. RMA has expanded availability to all Florida counties where commercial oyster aquaculture occurs. Also, shellfish seed purchased at an uninsurable size and reared in a grower’s nursery system to an insurable size can now be covered. The pilot program, which is an actual production history-price component coverage policy, provides for protection against losses due to named storms, excessive heat during a low tide event, freeze during a low tide event, or low salinity due to

Voice of the Sea TV episode on Farming Clams, Oysters & Sponges in Florida

October 16, 2024

In a video episode of Voice of the Sea TV produced by the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Sea Grant (HSG) researchers traveled to the Gulf of Mexico in May to meet up with Florida Sea Grant faculty and partners, and learn about farming clams, oysters, and sponges. Then, HSG checked out oysters growing in living shorelines and learned how these systems actively protect coastal areas from erosion and storm damage. From Cedar Key, HSG headed Tampa Bay where clam farmers are growing food clams as well as native clams for ecosystem restoration. Then, HSG headed offshore to visit sponge aquaculture research sites

Sign-up for NAP and ELAP by September 30

August 28, 2024

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) can provide shellfish growers with catastrophic coverage for losses due to natural disasters. The deadline to sign-up for these programs and provide an acreage report is September 30 for coverage of crop year 2025. Both programs are serviced by your local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. To find your county office, go to https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Florida/index. See fact sheets for NAP and ELAP for more information. For NAP, clam growers are required to maintain a monthly inventory. Monthly inventory records are to be kept up to date and

Position Announcement – Biological Scientist II

July 24, 2024

This position will serve as biological staff at the University of Florida/IFAS Shellfish Aquaculture Program.

Risk Assessment and Management Workshop Available Now!

July 18, 2024

Did you miss the Risk Assessment and Management Workshop? Don’t worry! The video recording, agenda, presentations, and handouts are now available at https://shellfish.ifas.ufl.edu/risk-workshop. Thanks to the project team: UF IFAS Shellfish Aquaculture Extension, Florida Sea Grant, Clemson University, Auburn University Shellfish Lab, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, and USDA Farm Service Agency. Workshops were funded through the Risk Management Agency/USDA‘s Education Partnership Program.

Oyster Culture Workshop

May 16, 2024

SAVE THE DATE! The UF/IFAS Shellfish Extension Program is hosting an Oyster Culture Workshop on May 30, 2024, from 3-5pm at FSU Coastal and Marine Lab, Auditorium and via zoom https://ufl.zoom.us/j/92286238028. Updates and results of projects conducted by UF and the FSU Coastal and Marine Lab will be provided. For more information, contact Leslie Sturmer, Lnst@ufl.edu.

FDACS TEAM Card is now available

February 12, 2024

The Florida Farm TEAM Card is a convenient way for farmers to claim applicable agricultural sales tax exemptions. The plastic, wallet-sized card is a physical alternative to the paper exemption certificates. The TEAM card does not expand or create agricultural exemptions beyond those already provided in Florida Statute. A list of sales tax exemptions for aquaculture businesses can be found here: https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/78423/file/FDACS-P-01781-SalesTaxExemptionsforAquacultureBusinesses.pdf. To obtain a TEAM Card, growers must complete an Application for a Florida Farm Tax Exempt Agricultural Materials (TEAM) Card (Form DR-1 TEAM) by applying online or obtaining a copy of the form to apply by mail at

Information Sessions on Funding Available for Clam Farmers

January 31, 2024

February 7th and 13th, 3 – 5 p.m. UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station 552 1st Street, Cedar Key, FL Eligible clam farmers and businesses that were affected by Hurricane Idalia are able to receive funding to cover wages, clean up, recovery, and more. Attend one of two information sessions to learn how CareerSource of Citrus Levy Marion Counties can offset the expense of restoring your operation–at no cost to you. Here’s what you’ll learn about: 1) How disaster assistance programs can help you pay your workers, 2) How this funding can be used in clean up and recovery efforts. If

2023 Census of Aquaculture Deadline extended to March 1st

January 30, 2024

Aquatic farmers who have not completed the 2023 Census of Aquaculture conducted by US Department of Agriculture have until March 1 to do so. The Census can be completed online at USDA – National Agricultural Statistics Service – Surveys – Census of Aquaculture. Last conducted for production year 2018, the Census of Aquaculture will yield current industry-specific data. This information is used by federal, state, and local governments, agribusinesses, trade associations, and producers to make decisions impacting the sustainability and growth of the US aquaculture. The data is also used to support and justify federal and state research, education, extension,

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