There are many factors that can impact oyster survival and performance on a farm ranging from the genetic characteristics of the broodstock, to hatchery practices, nursery practices, farm practices, environmental conditions, and everything in between. It can seem impossible for growers to pinpoint the causes of animal success and performance in a way that might lead to meaningful management decisions.
At Hog Island Oyster Company (CA) we are trying to incorporate basic techniques from field biology into our farm program so that we can make better management decisions. In this presentation we will show our research efforts from 2022 and 2023, and discuss ways we hope this field data will add resolution to our observations on the larger farm and aid in making better decisions about seed sourcing, gear siting and overall farm management.