News

How to Attend Upcoming Hatchery Workshop through Internet

August 11, 2017

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

Hatchery Workshop August 23 in Cedar Key

July 24, 2017

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

2017 Census of Agriculture: Make Sure You Are Counted!

July 3, 2017

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,

New UF Growout Study Initiated

June 30, 2017

The second phase of the demonstration project evaluates the performance of diploid and triploid oysters planted in early spring, as opposed to the first phase in which oysters were planted in late summer. In addition to seed provided to participants in March (see previous article), oysters of each ploidy type were field nursed by the UF project team at their experimental lease off Cedar Key in April. At that time, diploids were 29 mm in shell height (SH) and triploids were 34 mm. Oysters were stocked into 9 mm mesh Vexar bags at densities of 700 per bag. After seven

Consumer Evaluation of Cultured Oysters

May 31, 2017

Oysters typically acquire their flavor from their growing environment and are frequently named after their harvest location. Consumers can expect variations in appearance, color, aroma, taste, and mouth-feel that influence preferences, value, and reputation. Sensory attributes and acceptability can make the difference in market success of Florida cultured oysters. Diploid and triploid oysters harvested from the UF demonstration site in Cedar Key were delivered under refrigerated conditions to the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department in Gainesville on May 24, 2017 for evaluation under the guidance of Dr. Charles Sims. All rules pertaining to harvesting and handling of oysters,

Aquaculture Certificate Renewals and Shellfish Harvester Training

May 4, 2017

All Aquaculture Certificates of Registration (“AQ cards”) will expire on June 30th. Renewal information will be mailed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of Aquaculture, this includes a preprinted application and notice of $100 fee. Any applicant working with shellfish must complete the Harvester Education Training and submit a copy of their certificate of training along with the application. Applications and fees must be returned by June 30th to avoid a lapse in certification. They may be submitted via mail: FDACS, P.O. Box 6710, Tallahassee, FL 32314-6710, with a check or money order made payable

Next Crop of Seed Distributed

April 30, 2017

To quantify the effects of seasonal harvests on ploidy type, several spawns using tetraploid oysters held from the spring 2016 spawn were attempted in the fall at a participating commercial hatchery; however, viable gametes were not obtained. Since availability of triploid seed was limited, it was decided to purchase single-set seed with project funds from the Louisiana Sea Grant oyster hatchery and Auburn University shellfish hatchery. Disease certifications and ploidy verification required by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for out-of-state oyster seed were obtained. These stocks were combined. A similar number of diploid seed was obtained from a

Harvesting UF Field Trials

April 30, 2017

Six months after seed oysters (average 25 mm in shell height) were stocked into 14 mm mesh Vexar bags (October 2016), they were harvested in April 2017 (12 months from spawn). Replicated field trials were conducted at the UF experimental lease within the Dog Island Aquaculture Use Area off Cedar Key to document the effects of ploidy (diploid versus triploid), stocking density (125, 150, 175 oysters/bag), and float design (square versus bullet) on oyster production. To determine growth, a sample of 35 oysters from each of the 42 bags (six replicate bags per treatment) were measured for shell height, length,

Harvesting Growers’ Field Trials

March 31, 2017

Ten growers in four west coast counties (Charlotte, Franklin, Levy, and Wakulla) participating in this project received oyster seed (2500 of each ploidy type, 20-22 mm in shell height) during July 2016 to grow on their leases. These growers used a variety of culture methods, which allowed for evaluation of site and gear interaction on ploidy type. To document production performance and assess health of diploid (2N) and triploid (3N) oysters under commercial conditions, oysters from three replicate bags (four baskets if using the adjustable longline system) for each ploidy type were provided to the UF project team at harvest.

Hatchery Workshop April 26-27 in Cedar Key

March 30, 2017

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 Managing Diseases in the Hatchery through Bacteriological Monitoring. Topics to be presented include: Review of opportunistic bacterial diseases in the hatchery, Supplies and equipment needed for bacterial sampling, Step-by-step procedures to follow for sampling, Where and how often to take samples in the hatchery, Interpretation of results, What the samples mean, Remediation, and How to correct the problem. Sampling kits (media plates, loops, swabs, etc.) will be provided. Presenters