PEARL ’ s Shellfish Aquaculture Program
PEARL ’ s Shellfish Aquaculture Program
Managed by Rebekah Borgert
The Morgan State Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Laboratory ( PEARL ) Shellfish Aquaculture Program is growing by the day . The program focuses on applied research to help the aquaculture industry grow .
Recent research activities have been in relation to the larval and juvenile stages of the oyster ’ s lifecycle . The questions for our research come directly from the industry . We frequently ask farmers “ how can we help ?”.
In the 2016 season , the hatchery had two undergraduate interns during the summer under the direction of hatchery staff . Both interns were trained on hatchery procedures , biology and protocol , in tandem with conducting high quality applied research . Interns in the Aquaculture Program conduct studies based on questions and issues raised by industry . Some of these are industry sponsored research projects , and others are funded by various grants .
One perceived challenge of hatchery production is the large skill set and sterile conditions required to grow algae . Upon feedback from the Commercial Hatchery Workshop in December 2015 , PEARL and intern Samantha Waby developed research to determine costs associated with culturing larvae using concentrated algae . This included time of training an undergraduate to feed and maintain both concentrated feed and live algae . Competent larvae were cultured using only algae concentrate . The cost and performance of larvae using concentrate to live algae was evaluated . This research was presented at the 2016 Atlantic Estuarine Research conference in Baltimore , MD .
2016 Intern , Mariah Gugel looking at oyster larvae
Mariah Gugel continued work of a 2015 intern at True Chesapeake Oyster Company on methods to optimize production and product flow under hatchery staff mentorship . Her task was to optimize nursery processes as well as train farm staff how to set their own larvae . In tandem with these support services , this undergraduate compared setting efficiencies under light and dark conditions with varying volumes of culture space . In addition , she compared larvae set success under various conditions of manipulating light and water volume .
From feedback from the Commercial Hatchery Workshop held in Dec 2015 , industry requested economic tools to help decipher costs associated with starting a private oyster hatchery . Inventory lists and spreadsheets were created with help from Maryland SeaGrant to assist businesses with the decision making process and business models .
Samantha Waby and Mariah Gugel , 2016 summer interns
Senator Ben Cardin , Bill Yates , and Dr . Kelton Clark on boat at PEARL
The aquaculture research realm continues to expand , as we are hiring an environmental education specialist to work with the Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center and develop a curriculum to educate students about aquaculture and the environment . The PEARL is also hiring a geneticist who will focus on the oyster genome . Genetic research in aquaculture is fast-paced and cuttingedge , and will propel the program further . ( Continued on page 12 )
PEARL at Morgan Innovation Day
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