Oyster Reef Restoration Site at Soundview Park on Clason Point in the Bronx, NY
Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture
Oyster aquaculture (farming) in most of New England, including New Hampshire, involves gear such as grow-out bags and racks of various configurations. This allows the farmer to precisely control the position of the oysters, which is a requirement for effective coupling with seaweeds which can benefit from the nitrogenous wastes excreted by oysters. There are several native seaweeds that have significant potential for estuarine Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems. One is Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus), a red alga that has several markets. It is a good source of carrageenan (kappa- and lamda-) which is used as a gelling, thickening and stabilizing agent in foods and cosmetics. It has also recently become a specialty food product in the northeast, with Acadian Seaplants Ltd. in Nova Scotia successfully marketing color variants to gourmet food markets in Asia. Another candidate is Gracilaria tikvahiae, a common warm temperate species found throughout the Great Bay and in estuaries in maine. Gracilaria produces the hydrocolloid agar that has a variety of uses in the food industry, as well as for microbiological culture media, and other biotechnical applications. Thus, there is substantial potential in New Hampshire for development of IMTA methods involving oysters and seaweeds.
One of the most important issues relevant to IMTA development with oysters is the benefit of various multi-trophic systems on water quality. We recently completed a 3-year study that quantified the nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) removal ("bioextraction") potential for farmed oysters at six sites in the Great Bay estuarine system. The second year (2012-13) of this project was funded by NOAA and involved an international team of scientists assessing shellfish and seaweed bioextraction potential in Great Bay and Long Island Sound.
One of the most important issues relevant to IMTA development with oysters is the benefit of various multi-trophic systems on water quality. We recently completed a 3-year study that quantified the nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) removal ("bioextraction") potential for farmed oysters at six sites in the Great Bay estuarine system. The second year (2012-13) of this project was funded by NOAA and involved an international team of scientists assessing shellfish and seaweed bioextraction potential in Great Bay and Long Island Sound.
Oyster Reef Restoration in the Hudson River, NY
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Vessel Disturbance (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) Marine Laboratory
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Invertebrate Sampling and Taxonomy
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Biofouling studies and the UNH Marine Research Pier (Judd Gregg Marine Research Complex)
Our research on biofouling communities—the plant and animal assemblages that develop on substrates such as boat hulls and fish cages—has included characterizing their ecology, testing the anti-fouling effectiveness of paints and coatings, and assessing the effects of the fouling communities on the physical properties of the substrates themselves. Most of this work has been collaborative in nature, and we have partnered with coatings manufacturers, chemists, and engineers.
Nutrient Bioextraction
Environmental managers have become concerned about increasing nitrogen (N) concentrations in the Great Bay Estuary. Ongoing regulatory efforts to curb N loadings to the estuary include upgrading wastewater treatment facilities as well as controls on contributions from various non-point sources in the watershed. Additionally, the role that oyster harvesting from the rapidly growing oyster aquaculture industry in the state is also being assessed. We have been involved with studies looking at oyster farm expansion as well as N (and carbon) concentrations in farmed oysters from different areas of the estuary, and N cycling by wild oysters.
