Bivalve Aquaculture

Marine science students are studying temporal growth rates among two bivalve species, the sunray venus clam Macrocallista nimbosa and the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica, that are thriving within our flow-through aquaculture system on campus. Students tag oysters to track their own specific oyster groups, utilize metric calipers to measure bi-weekly growth, and investigate the numerous biotic and abiotic variables related to the survivability and growth of these native species within an estuarine ecosystem.