WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2022 43 August 2021, salinity on the farm returned to 15 ppt and above; however, 90 percent of the remaining oysters died. Although unfortunate, this event provided valuable insight on the resilience of farm-raised oysters in a real-world, non-laboratory scenario. Future Plans and Challenges The HRI oyster farm plans to continue research to inform the industry by implementing future studies to examine additional growing methods such as floating bags and the FlipFarm™ system.5 Research will also be conducted to compare growth and survival of triploid versus diploid oysters. The seed for these studies arrived at the farm in September 2021 and these studies are currently underway. As a new industry for the Texas coast, oyster farming faces several challenges, including streamlining the permitting process and regulatory framework, educating the public, training potential farmers and developing in-state hatcheries to provide a local supply of seed oysters. Although these challenges are currently being addressed, development of a robust oyster aquaculture industry in Texas will require time and investment (Fig. 8). Although this industry is in its infancy, the hurdles it faces are not unique and thus the outlook for Texas oyster farming is promising. Notes Bailey E. Schacht, Ellis L. Chapman, Jr. and Joe M. Fox, Texas A&MUniversity–Corpus Christi, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412, baileyschacht@yahoo.com 1 New Brunswick, Canada 2 Edwardstown, Australia 3 OysterGro® Intermas® 4 SEAPA® 5 Blenheim, New Zealand FIGURE 8. Cultured oysters grown off-bottom like those at the HRI oyster farm typically have high meat yields compared to wild oysters harvested from reefs (Photo: Bailey E. Schacht). FIGURE 7. In February 2021, strong north winds from a winter storm resulted in exceptionally low water levels at the HRI oyster farm. Oysters were temporarily relocated to a deeper portion of the lease to prevent them from freezing (Photo: Ellis L. Chapman Jr.) Molluscan Shellfish Aquaculture Molluscan Shellfish Aquaculture is a useable manual for all those interested in an up-to-date introduction to the field. Each of the major cultured species of commercial importance is covered, providing cutting-edge information of practical use to all those involved in shellfish aquaculture. The book’s editor and chapter authors are among the most widely known and respected authorities working in the industry and academia. Species covered include mussels, clams, oysters (including pearl oysters), scallops, cephalopods, abalone and gastropods. Molluscan Shellfish Aquaculture contains a huge wealth of information of great use for personnel working in the industry, with chapters covering site selection, hatchery construction, disease, biofouling, best management practice and certification.
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