Aquaculture 2025

March 6 - 10, 2025

New Orleans, Louisiana USA

Add To Calendar 09/03/2025 13:45:0009/03/2025 14:05:00America/ChicagoAquaculture 2025SEASONAL DYNAMICS OF A NOVEL OYSTER GROWING REGIONSalon EThe World Aquaculture Societyjohnc@was.orgfalseDD/MM/YYYYanrl65yqlzh3g1q0dme13067

SEASONAL DYNAMICS OF A NOVEL OYSTER GROWING REGION

Jordan Hollarsmith*, Rebecca Cates, Juliana Cornett, Courtney Hart, Cody Pinger, John Harley, Muriel Dittrich, Kelly Koehler, Kate Laboda

 

NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute

17109 Point Lena Loop Road

Juneau, Alaska 99801

Jordan.hollarsmith@noaa.gov

 



Global change has dramatically impacted aquaculture in the US. For the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea [Magallana] gigas), disease prevalence and summer heatwaves result in regular mortalities on the US West Coast. High latitude Pacific oyster farms in Alaska may be more resilient to climate change due to cold water temperatures at the lower limit of the oyster’s physiology. However, the environmental dynamics and productivity of this highly seasonal and glacially influenced nearshore region, and the impacts on the Pacific oyster physiology, are poorly understood. This research provides an assessment of the seasonal dynamics of oceanography, phytoplankton communities, and oyster tissue quality over three years of sampling at a Southeast Alaska oyster farm. The results of this study provide a better understanding of nearshore dynamics in the estuarine environment of Southeast Alaska’s inside waters to aid in future site suitability analyses and improve our understanding of Pacific oyster exposure to stressful and beneficial conditions. This region is also prone to spatially and temporally discrete harmful algal blooms (HABs), and the data collected in this study improve our understanding of the conditions that contribute to HAB events.