To complement both the existing shellfish aquaculture research capacity at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and collaborative research with the shellfish aquaculture industry, the VIMS Commercial Shellfish Aquaculture Lab & Team (CSALT) permitted, installed (in 2022) and operates a one-acre research shellfish farm in the York River offshore of the VIMS Gloucester Point, VA campus. The farm, situated in 2-4 m water depth with firm bottom with salinities typically ranging from 16-22 PSU, includes three different methods of cultivating shellfish: a line of bottom cages with capacity for 24 cages, a floating line with capacity for 12 floating, flappable cages, and 5 floating lines with capacity for over 1,000 FlipFarm baskets. The farm is managed by the farm manager, with assistance from a 6-month full-time apprentice, lab members and interns.
To date, the farm has provided multiple services. First, the farm has been a platform for a variety of oyster research projects including formal experimental tests of cultivation practices on crop performance, co-culture (e.g., periwinkles, sea lettuce), and effect of cohort diversity on crop performance. The farm also hosts several pilot projects and a long-term monitoring of annual crops of diploid and triploid oysters to gauge patterns of growth and survival. The farm is also a platform for education and training. The farm has hosted class visits and informal tours, and allowed a US Aquaculture Society Student Sub-Unit, the Aquaculture Collective at VIMS (with undergraduates from William & Mary) to get hands-on experience with shellfish aquaculture. Current MA students at VIMS are gaining knowledge and expertise from their work on the farm and we now offer a 2-credit class each semester grounded in experiential learning on the farm (Methods in Shellfish Aquaculture). With a recent donation, a new 6-month full-time apprenticeship was pilot tested in the summer/fall of 2024 Additionally, the farm manager position itself is a potential workforce development mechanism, with the first farm manager recruited into a farm manager position in Texas. Finally, the farm is a platform for outreach and demonstration. The farm has hosted dozens of commercial shellfish farmers as well as regulators and researchers, allowing them to see new gear and techniques, seek advice and compare notes. The farm is highly visible to the public, both on and off campus, and is shared on a live video stream to encourage public awareness of shellfish aquaculture.