Ami Wilbur, pictured on the right with technician Amy Finelli, directs the UNCW Shellfish Research Hatchery, studying oysters and other North Carolina shellfish species. Photo by Jamie Moncrief\/UNCW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHer goal is to develop lines of local oysters for use in North Carolina by the state\u2019s growers. In addition, she wants to determine if oysters from local waters are better adapted to, and grow faster in, conditions in North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first support for this selective breeding work came through the N.C. Blue Crab and Shellfish Research Program, administered by Sea Grant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Sea Grant funding that I received for the hatchery has been instrumental in initiating our program. When the hatchery was initially constructed, there were no operations funds. So our initial efforts to pursue the goals the planning committee had set for the hatchery were largely funded by Sea Grant,\u201d Wilbur says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2016, she will produce the third generation of the Sea Grant lines. They were started using wild oysters from the Crab Hole oyster sanctuary in the Pamlico Sound, as well as reefs in Stump Sound, Hewletts Creek and Lockwood Folly River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Funding from UNCW and the New Hanover County Farm Bureau has enabled the research hatchery to continue the breeding program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each generation takes about two years. Oysters are spawned in the hatchery, and their offspring are initially grown in indoor tanks and later, at the facility\u2019s outdoor farm. Once the young oysters reach about 9 mm, Wilbur sends some to industry partners who provide information on how the oysters do in different locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the oysters are mature, they are returned to the hatchery. Those that exhibit specific desired characteristics are spawned to produce the next generation. The selection criteria include disease resistance, quick growth and the deep-cupped shape prized by the restaurant industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hatchery staff also is evaluating the performance of triploid oysters, with three sets of chromosomes instead of two. These oysters grow faster and are marketable year round. The production process involves patented technology from Virginia. This means that the hatchery\u2019s triploids result from crossing a North Carolina female oyster with a male from Virginia. Initial results indicate that the triploids outgrow the diploids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m 100 percent in support of the hatchery because I think they\u2019re doing the work now that is going to pave the way for us down the road,\u201d says Joey Daniels, who heads Bodie Island Oysters. \u201cThe groundwork is being laid for an industry to take off here. And it\u2019s important that it continues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWilbur is trying to grow sunray venus clams, a shellfish that is popular among consumers in Florida. Photo by E-Ching Lee.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHis business is one of several helping the UNCW hatchery grow out the oysters as part of the research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wilbur points to Virginia\u2019s oyster industry that has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade or so. \u201cThat\u2019s largely on the back of a program like this one, started at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science,\u201d she says. Her hope is to match \u2014 or even surpass \u2014 that achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But she\u2019s not content to rest on these bivalves alone. Based on industry input, Wilbur also is branching out, raising local lines of bay scallops and sunray venus clams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur research focus is the idea of providing farmers with some ability to diversify their crops so that they’re not just growing oysters. And these are two candidate species that they’re expressed interest in,” she notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This is not just an exercise in scientific curiosity. It really does have real-world impact,” Wilbur stresses. “Basic science can happen in the hatchery, but the focus is on applied research that can do good things for North Carolina.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PLANNING FOR GROWTH<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Wilbur is not the only one who singles out Virginia as an example to follow. Many local shellfish experts and growers believe that North Carolina can \u2014 and should \u2014 build its oyster aquaculture industry to rival that of its northern neighbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2014, North Carolina’s oyster aquaculturists brought in about $343,000, while Virginia’s industry was worth $17.1 million. In 2005, both states’ oyster aquaculture industries had similar outputs. Virginia’s farm-gate value totaled about $240,000 while North Carolina’s was approximately $260,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To achieve Virginia’s level, experts believe North Carolina must expand aquaculture operations and support hatcheries that can provide local oyster seed for various ventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weirich is seeking additional areas where Sea Grant can contribute to industry growth. He has received a 2015 National Sea Grant Aquaculture Competition grant that includes support to develop demonstration facilities to evaluate gear types for off-bottom oyster culture and production of other shellfish species for industry diversification. These facilities also could serve as sites for training sessions to transfer knowledge and technology to growers. See the Tiding on page 3 for details of this new funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But those ae in the near future. For now, the siting tool and research hatchery are addressing different parts of this effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“There’s increased interest in exploring the farms. There’s increased interest in pursuing sites. That’s clear by contacts we’re getting, by what we hear from DMF,” Posey says. “The conversation and the interest have ramped up dramatically. The actual existence of larger culture farms hasn’t gotten there yet \u2014 but that’s a progression of time.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He believes that the siting took will help those interested in aquaculture, particularly those unfamiliar with the coast. “It’s always been a matter of transforming that interest into people doing it,” he notes. “We’ve lots of room for expansion and still keep our pristine and wonderful resource.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weirich welcomes the new blood. “The growth of the industry will be largely dependent on getting new people involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The current growers are doing a great job, but to realize the increase in oyster aquaculture that Virginia has, we need more growers in North Carolina. And the tool can help with that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alphin fields calls from many noncoastal residents who want a farm. If the hits on the siting tool website are any indication \u2014 about 500 to 1,000 page views per month since its launch \u2014 many people are interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like penguins at the edge of the ice,\u201d Posey explains. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get a few going to get the others going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SUPPORTING DEMAND<\/h2>\n\n\n\n But once the industry starts to grow, North Carolina needs to have sufficient resources \u2014 meaning oyster seed \u2014 to support its own entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very important to get our own research hatchery to get the bugs worked out from the specific lines and then get hatcheries in North Carolina to start producing seed for North Carolina growers,\u201d Styron says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The one commercial hatchery in North Carolina does not produce enough seed to meet the demand of local aquaculture operations. So the state\u2019s growers turn to Virginia or other states for their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWilbur grows out shellfish along the boat dock behind the research hatchery, located on the Intracoastal Waterway in Wilmington. Photo by Jeff Janowski\/UNCW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis dependence is neither advisable nor sustainable, as demand increases or during times of inevitable seed shortage. \u201cMore and more people are going to be competing to get that seed. And Virginia, they\u2019re going to take care of themselves first. That\u2019s understandable,\u201d oyster grower Daniels says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s where the research hatchery can help. Its goal is to introduce tested lines of locally sourced oyster seed and make the North Carolina oyster growing industry self-sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re finding that a lot of North Carolina-specific lines are doing better than the actual Virginia lines,\u201d Styron says of the oysters he is growing out for the UNCW hatchery. \u201cIf that shows something local is going to perform better, that\u2019s going to help us in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researchers and growers also note that regulatory changes could encourage the oyster aquaculture industry. This topic was discussed at the N.C. Oyster Summit in early 2015<\/a> and also in the N.C. General Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMurphey says DMF supports aquaculture but the agency has a duty to discharge. \u201cWe want to see people succeed in it but we\u2019re also very diligent about making sure that we are good custodians of the public trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Styron, for one, would like to see more legislative action \u2014 and soon. \u201cIt\u2019s a nonpartisan issue too. Both sides of the aisle like oysters. That\u2019s the great thing. And both sides of the aisle like the coast. It\u2019s all positive,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Weirich advises patience, noting that the issue is starting to gain some traction. \u201cLegislators realize the importance of oyster aquaculture to North Carolina,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The environmental benefits a booming oyster aquaculture industry can bring to the state is one topic experts and growers hope will influence the dialog on regulatory changes to support the oyster aquaculture industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see this as a win-win,\u201d Wilbur says. \u201cThere\u2019s a tremendous opportunity for economic development and there\u2019s also a tremendous positive environmental impact from oyster aquaculture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oysters in the water, whether wild or cultured, filter out impurities and clean the water. They also provide good hiding places and nurseries for economically important juvenile fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been working here for 20 years. Everybody wants to know what they need to do to bring back the fish or bring back the oysters. It\u2019s clean up the water quality,\u201d Alphin says. \u201cGrowing shellfish is the ultimate green industry. It leaves the water cleaner than when the water arrived. You\u2019re not adding food. They pull their food right out of the water column. They promote water clarity. They promote stability of the bottom,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt that point, I look at this and I have a hard time seeing a downside to promoting shellfish culture for saving our coastal resources. It just makes perfect sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article was published in the Autumn 2015<\/a> issue of Coastwatch. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFor contact information and reprint requests, visit <\/em>ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/contact\/<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"That\u2019s what some University of North Carolina Wilmington scientists hope their research will do: Build the oyster aquaculture industry in North Carolina. Seed funding from North Carolina Sea Grant has jump-started two projects that could help the state achieve this goal. These UNCW researchers are developing building blocks that might make it easier and more efficient for those who want to grow oysters in the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":10504,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-immersive.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"E-Ching Lee","ncst_show_custom_author":true,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"backgroundColor\":\"custombg_one\",\"caption\":\"Photo Baxter Miller\",\"displayCategoryID\":699,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[681,597,699,596],"tags":[],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[1448,1442,1447],"class_list":["post-4929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-681","category-blue-economy","category-fall-2015","category-sustainable-fisheries-and-aquaculture"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":699,"name":"Fall 2015","slug":"fall-2015","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":700,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":681,"count":9,"filter":"raw"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR A COMMON WEALTH - Coastwatch<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n