Oyster Culture Resources

The following publications cover a variety of topics pertaining to oyster aquaculture. The majority of the publications are extension fact sheets from the University of Florida (UF), USDA Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAC), and USDA Northern Regional Aquaculture Center (NRAC). Pertinent technical papers are also provided from Florida Sea Grant (FSG), Georgia Sea Grant (GSG), South Carolina Sea Grant (SCSG),  Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS),  Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant (MASG), Alabama Cooperative Extension (ACES), University of Georgia Marine Extension Service (UGMES), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as well as technical bulletins from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS).

Hatchery

• Oyster Hatchery Manual: Protocols for North Carolina Oyster Hatchery Operations (Carteret Community College)
• Oyster Hatchery Techniques (SRAC 4302)
• Hatchery Culture of Bivalves: A Practical Manual (FAO Fisheries TP 471)
• Installation and Operation of a Modular Bivalve Hatchery (FAO Fisheries TP 492)
• A Regional Shellfish Hatchery for the Wider Caribbean (FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Proceedings 19)
• Eastern US Interstate Shellfish Seed Transport Workshop Abstracts (SCSG)
• Lipid Enrichment of Oyster Broodstock Using Commercially Available Emulsions (NRAC 204-2010)
• Evaluation of Eastern Oyster Spat Collectors for Whitehouse Seafood (UGMES Vol. 13, 2012)
• Wild Eastern Oyster Spat Collection for Commercial Grow-out in Georgia (UGMES Vol. 2, 2008)

Nursery

• Nursery Growout Methods for Aquacultured Shellfish (NRAC 00-002)
• Shellfish Upweller Silo Construction: 101 (NRAC 212-2010)
• Producing Oyster Seed by Remote Setting (NRAC 220)
• A Low Cost Floating Upweller Shellfish Nursery System Construction and Operations Guide (Cornell University Extension Fact Sheet)
• Construction and Operations Manual for a Tidal Powered Upwelling Nursery System (SCSG)
• Shellfish Upweller Nurseries (Roger Williams University)
• High-Density Rearing of Oyster Larvae in Flow-Through Systems (SRAC 4311)

Algae Culture

• Growing Microalgae to Feed Bivalve Larvae (NRAC 160)
• Phytoplankton Culture for Aquaculture Feed (SRAC 5004)
• Plankton Culture Manual (Florida Aqua Farms order information)
• Use of Microalgae Concentrates for Rearing Oyster Larvae (MASG-12-048)

Oyster Production

• The Cultivation of the American Oyster (SRAC 0432)
• Extensive Culture of Crassostrea virginica in the Gulf of Mexico Region (SRAC 4300)
• Off-Bottom Culture of Oysters in the Gulf of Mexico (SRAC 4308)
• Off-bottom Oyster Farming (ACES)
• Off-bottom Oyster Culture Gear Types (MASGP 12-013-04)
• Reference Manuals for Oyster Aquaculturists (New Brunswick University Pub)
• Non-Commercial Oyster Culture or Oyster Gardening (SRAC 4307)

Oyster Genetics and Breeding

• Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology’s Oyster Breeding Program (VIMS ABC 2009)
• Cross-Breeding for Improved Growth and Disease Resistance in Eastern Oyster (NRAC 206-2010)
• Production and Performance of Triploid Oysters for Aquaculture (UF EDIS FA208)
• Induction and Establishment of Tetraploid Oyster Breeding Stocks for Triploid Oyster Production (UF EDIS FA215)

Economics and Business Management

• Oyster FARM (Financial And Risk Model) Calculator (UF)
• Financial Risk in Off-Bottom Oyster Culture along Florida’s West Coast (UF EDIS FE1070)
• Planning for Success in Your Aquaculture Business (NRAC 101-2008)
• Aquaculture Risk Management (NRAC 107-2008)
• Best Management Practices for the East Coast Shellfish Aquaculture Industry (ECSGA 2010)
• Virginia Shellfish Aquaculture – 2017 Situation and Outlook Report (VIMS Marine Resource Report No. 2018-9)
• Virginia Shellfish Aquaculture – 2013 Situation and Outlook Report (VIMS Marine Resource Report No. 2014-5)
• Cultchless (single seed) Oyster Crop Budgets for Virginia, VSG-12-13, VIMS Marine Resource Report No. 2012-10
  • Oyster Budget User Manual
  • Oyster Budget Spreadsheet (small scale)
  • Oyster Budget Spreadsheet (medium scale)
  • Example Oyster Budget (small scale)
  • Example Oyster Budget (medium scale)
  • Oyster Crop Budget for Hand Calculations

Regulations

• Lease Modification Process for Water Column Use (DACS Division of Aquaculture)
• Form Letter to Request Modification (DACS Division of Aquaculture)
• Federal Permitting – US Army Corps of Engineers (DACS Division of Aquaculture)
• Navigational Marking – US Coast Guard (DACS Division of Aquaculture)
• Red Tide Regulations (DACS TB-1)
• Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (DACS TB-3)

Marketing

• Gourmet Oysters, Oyster Branding, and Adding Value to Oyster Crops (TAMU EWF-016)
• Aquacultured Oyster Products (SRAC 0434)
• Oyster Recipe Brochure (DACS Division of Marketing)