E Howard Ave Decatur

THIS PROJECT WILL ASSESS SUDDEN SPRING/SUMMER UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED OYSTER THROUGH A COORDINATED NETWORK OF COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH WITH TWENTY COMMERCIAL OYSTER FARMERS IN THE SOUTHERN US ACROSS NINE STATES: FARMS FOR AQUACULTURE RESEARCH AND MONITORING OF SHELLFISH (FARMS). THROUGH COLLABORATIVE, ON-FARM RESEARCH, THE PROJECT WILL TEST THE EFFECT OF PLOIDY (DIPLOID AND TRIPLOID) ON OYSTER PERFORMANCE ACROSS A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND DIFFERENT CULTIVATION PRACTICES OVER A COMPLETE PRODUCTION CYCLE. WORKING WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AN INDUSTRY-WIDE NETWORK TO 1) MONITOR, ASSESS, AND UNDERSTAND ENVIRONMENTAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND MANAGEMENT FACTORS THAT CAN DRIVE PRODUCTION SUCCESSES AND FAILURES, 2) REFINE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT MAY MITIGATE ENVIRONMENTAL AND HANDLING STRESSORS, AND 3) PROVIDE TOOLS AND BASELINE DATA TO ALLOW GROWERS TO MAKE INFORMED MANAGEMENT DECISIONS AND SHARE RESULTS WITH THE SOUTHERN OYSTER AQUACULTURE COMMUNITY.

DESPITE THE RECENT EXPANSION OF OYSTER AQUACULTURE IN THE SOUTHERN US (ESPECIALLY FROM NORTH CAROLINA AROUND TO LOUISIANA), LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THESE FARM-RAISED OYSTERS AND EVEN NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SOUTHERN FARM-RAISED OYSTERS CONTINUE TO PERSIST, ESPECIALLY IN REGIONS OUTSIDE OF THE SOUTHERN US. OVER TWO YEARS, THIS PROJECT PROPOSES TO EXPAND THE EXISTING PILOT TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TARGETS SEAFOOD RESTAURANT PROFESSIONALS (KNOW THY OYSTERS) TO 1) MULTIPLY THE NUMBER OF TRAININGS LOCALLY IN REGIONAL COASTAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH COLLABORATIONS WITH EXTENSION AGENTS AND 2) BROADEN THE GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE TO RESTAURANTS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY IN PIVOTAL 'FOOD' CITIES. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO CONDUCT FORMAL QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENTS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS TRAINING PROGRAM TO ESTIMATE THE CAUSAL EFFECT OF TRAINING ON KNOWLEDGE OF AND, ULTIMATELY, SALES OF SOUTHERN FARM-RAISED OYSTERS.