Louisiana Sea Grant (LASG) has operated an oyster research laboratory on Grand Isle for 31 years. The research lab was originally started by LASG bivalve specialist, John Supan, in 1993. Since then, the research facility has had several foundations due to natural disasters, Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Gustav (2008). In response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) built a new hatchery building, the Michael C. Voisin Oyster Hatchery (MCVOH; est. 2015). In support of that effort, LSG built a residential camp, dock, and a research oyster farm. Today, LASG is contracted by LDWF to operate the MCVOH in conjunction with LASG oyster research, extension, and education and outreach activities.
The LASG oyster farm is a 0.5-acre lease that sits adjacent to the MCVOH. The farm is currently comprised of 8 adjustable longlines (capacity: 432 hanging bags) and two, new floating cage lines (capacity: 30 floating cages). The front half of the farm is loaned out to visiting researchers. The back half of the farm and the floating cage lines are used to store hatchery broodstock and conduct internal and collaborative research projects. The farm houses broodstock from different bays across the state (Calcasieu Lake, Hackberry Bay (Barataria Bay), Vermillion Bay, and Sister Lake). In 2024, a real-time monitoring station (In-Situ Aqua Troll 800) was installed. The monitoring station collects data every 15-minutes. Parameters being measured include water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, pH, conductivity, turbidity, and blue-green algae.
Today, the LASG research farm is central to our research, extension, and education and outreach activities (Figure 1). LASG maintains an Alternative Oyster Culture (AOC; off-bottom culture) Extension Program to help assist new farmers entering the off-bottom industry. Future goals for our research farm moving forward includes the development of a workforce training program and an increase in research projects.