How is UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant furthering studies into sustainable aquaculture?
Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks and aquatic plants.
Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Shellfish Research Laboratory conducts studies into successful strategies for cultivating native mollusk species and researches possible diseases and their prevention to help create a healthy and sustainable industry.
Most scientists and resource managers recognize that America’s fisheries are in serious decline due to overfishing and habitat degradation.
As demands for edible fish and shellfish continue to increase, many state and federal agencies now consider aquaculture as a primary means of future production of the nation’s seafood.
Oyster Farming in Georgia
In 2019, the Georgia legislature passed a law providing for commercial oyster farming in the state’s coastal waters. Oyster farming, also known as oyster aquaculture or mariculture, utilizes cages and other gear to grow oysters that are suitable for the half-shell market, and is a growing industry in many coastal states.
Clam Farming in Georgia
The northern quahog clam, Mercenaria mercenaria, stands alone as the single most economically valuable commercially farmed bivalve species in Georgia. Research evaluating hard clam mariculture began in the early 1980’s,resulting in diversification of the clam industry. In Georgia, there is commercial interest in the culture of southern quahogs within the state to reduce heat losses observed with northern quahog culture.
Oyster Farming in Georgia: A Beginner’s Guide to Methods, Permitting, and Funding
This guide will help cover the basics of getting into the oyster farming business in Georgia, with helpful tips and simple explanations of the more complex processes. Support for this guidebook was provided by the Jamestown Charitable Foundation.
Technical Manual for Farming the Southern Quahog, Mercenaria campechiensis, in estuaries characteristic of coastal Georgia and the South Atlantic Bight
This field manual provides technical guidance and includes necessary aspects of structuring an intertidal clam farm in regions similar to the South Atlantic Bight, particularly coastal Georgia. It covers equipment, stocking density of nursery and grow-out clams, siting and deployment of clams, and clam harvest. This project was funded by a NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy (SK) grant award.
Final Report: Strengthening the Georgia hard clam industry through expansion into southern quahog, Mercenaria campechiensis, mariculture
This study compared northern and southern quahog clams in Georgia to determine which performed better for commercial farming. This final report explains the study’s findings and recommendations for the future of clam aquaculture in Georgia. This project was funded by a NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy (SK) grant award.
