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Florida Sea Grant is pleased to announce a university and college student internship program, HARVEST: Helping Aquaculture Reap Value and Enhance Student Training, offering college students paid part-time internships (up to 20 hours per week) with aquaculture businesses. This internship opportunity will place a currently enrolled student with oyster culture businesses located in Franklin and Wakulla Counties. The intern will assist in field research activities and be actively engaged in farming operations. Information on intern requirements, compensation, and schedule can be found here.  How to Apply Submit a cover letter, resumé and list of three references to Leslie Sturmer (Email: Lnst@ufl.edu).

Oyster Culture Workshops were held by the UF/IFAS Shellfish Aquaculture Program on May 4-5th, 2022 at Wakulla County Extension and FSU Coastal and Marine Lab. Workshops provided updates and results of applied research projects conducted in 2020-21 and introduced new projects to be conducted in 2022-23. The agenda, presentations (PDF), and recorded videos can be found at https://shellfish.ifas.ufl.edu/oyster-culture/oyster-culture-workshop-2022/.

The fourth session Harvesting a Crop of Oysters of this Online Course is now available. The session starts off with an overview of harvest regulations (coming soon) provided by a representative from FDA, the agency which provides federal oversight. Also, aquaculture practices before, during, and after harvest in managing risks associated with consumption of raw oysters are introduced to ensure a safe product. Next, executive directors from two industry organizations – Oyster South and East Coast Shellfish Growers Association – share their expertise in what it takes to develop a plan to market and brand your oysters. In addition, resources

A webinar on Oct. 6 will outline the process to apply for and potentially obtain crop insurance coverage for farmed clams in Florida.

This FREE course is designed for beginning oyster growers and those interested in the prospects of oyster culture in the Gulf of Mexico.

Join AgriLogic Consulting to discuss the potential development of a pilot crop insurance program for shellfish growers.

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) can provide shellfish growers with catastrophic coverage for losses due to natural disasters. NAP is sold and serviced by your local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office.

The perpetual threat of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico emphasizes the importance of business planning and storm preparedness as an essential part of any oyster culture operation. Growers who have developed storm plans have a better chance of minimizing losses, making sound decisions before a storm, and increasing chances for rapid recovery after the storm. Fact sheets are available which provide guidelines and suggested safety procedures in preparing for hurricane and tropical storm events. Each fact sheet focuses on storm plan development, pre-storm preparations, and post-storm recovery with specific information for different oyster culture methods (floating bags, floating cages,

This FREE course is designed for beginning oyster growers and those interested in the prospects of oyster culture in the Gulf of Mexico. The course covers basic information on how to get started to growing and harvesting your first crop of oysters. If you are interested in enrolling, visit the course website: https://oyster-culture.teachable.com/. If you have any questions, please email Leslie Sturmer at LNST@ufl.edu.