NOAA/National Marine Aquaculture Initiative (NMAI): Environmental and Technical Assessment of Alternative Shellfish Production Methods

The past two decades have seen a rapid expansion of alternative and innovative methods for the cultivation of shellfish; however, there is little information on the effects of these practices on the surrounding environment.

To aid in the environmental assessment of different types of shellfish culture — Aquaculture Productivity will construct three-dimensional numerical models of four different study sites located in Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, and Puget Sound. The completed models will then be used to determine the relative impact of each production method modeled.

This project is being managed by the Pacific Shellfish Institute and involves researchers from Connecticut Sea Grant, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences.