One of the major challenges faced by oyster farmers in Alaska is consistent supply of larval/juvenile (seed) oysters. Further, shellfish growers in Alaska have indicated that inconsistent and or poor seed quality leads to poor juvenile survival. Growth and survival in oyster spat has been found to be dependent on the amount of lipid reserves in the larvae at the time of settlement, as well as on post larval diet. We propose to secure seed from all suppliers available to Alaskan farmers and to conduct seed quality and subsequent grow-out experiments at Auke Bay Labs. If large differences in somatic growth are observed between suppliers, a genetic component will be subsequently added. This will be necessary to address differences in growth due to heritable effects and condition effects.