{"id":14168,"date":"2022-02-10T12:41:28","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T17:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=14168"},"modified":"2023-10-04T11:00:57","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T15:00:57","slug":"shellcast-application-helps-growers-forecast-harvest-closures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/shellcast-application-helps-growers-forecast-harvest-closures\/","title":{"rendered":"ShellCast App Helps Growers Forecast Harvest Closures"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Screenshot<\/p>\n

For Immediate Release<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contact:<\/em><\/strong>
\nNatalie Nelson, nnelson4@ncsu.edu<\/a>
\nSheila Saia, ssaia@ncsu.edu<\/a>
\nKatie Mosher, kmosher@ncsu.edu<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

North Carolina weather is unpredictable, to say the least. For most, that means determining whether or not to pack a rain jacket for the day ahead \u2014 but for shellfish growers along the coast, an extra inch or two of rain can impact their harvest schedules and other operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, a team of engineers and computer scientists at NC State University worked with key partners to create ShellCast, an online application for predicting temporary shellfish lease closures. Lease closures are issued by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries as the result of storm runoff polluting coastal waters and potentially contaminating shellfish, which can lead to illness if consumed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Temporary closures of shellfish harvest areas are a big challenge for many North Carolina shellfish growers and can have a big effect on inventory management, cash flow, and ultimately the bottom line,\u201d <\/span>explains Eric Herbst, North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s coastal aquaculture specialist<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While growers are always instructed to yield to formal announcements and requirements for closure, ShellCast provides guidance to growers on how best to navigate potential closures<\/span>. <\/span>Herbst adds, <\/span>\u201cKnowing the likelihood of a closure occurring in the immediate future can help drive decisions regarding resource and time allocation to mitigate or manage the effects of a pending closure on their business.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Natalie Nelson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ShellCast project was started in early 2020 under the direction of Natalie Nelson, who leads the Biosystem Analytics Lab at NC State. The project flourished despite the pandemic and other challenges. It is supported by North Carolina Sea Grant, NC State\u2019s Biological and Agricultural Engineering department<\/a>, and the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association<\/a>. <\/span>The tool was presented at the <\/span>Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference<\/span><\/a> in November 2021 and will be presented at the <\/span>NC Aquaculture Development Conference<\/span><\/a> in March 2022. <\/span>Visit <\/span>go.ncsu.edu\/shellcast<\/span><\/a> for more information on the ShellCast app.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nelson and the ShellCast team first produced a beta version of the app, which was tested by shellfish growers in a pilot program. Following the conclusion of the program, growers provided feedback through surveys and focus group discussions to improve the app before releasing it to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We’re very appreciative of the important feedback we received from North Carolina shellfish growers and aquaculture professionals while developing the ShellCast web app,\u201d says Sheila Saia, a member of the app\u2019s web development team who is now associate director of the North Carolina State Climate Office. \u201cAs a researcher, it has been rewarding for me to see how shellfish growers are actively using ShellCast in conjunction with other weather forecast apps to make decisions about their operations.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sheila Saia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Users described ShellCast as a \u201cgreat tool\u201d in the pilot program, with forecasting capabilities that function similarly to traditional weather applications that anticipate precipitation. But, unlike these standard weather apps, ShellCast is aimed at helping shellfish growers optimize their business decisions by providing targeted information specific to the growers\u2019 lease areas, allowing them to gauge the possibility of a lease closure and how that could impact their decisions to harvest.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Development of ShellCast was funded by North Carolina <\/span>Sea Grant <\/span>as a <\/span>core research project for its 2020-2022 cycle<\/span><\/a>. Knowing the importance of such a tool to shellfish growers, Herbst lauded the app\u2019s rapid development and user testing: “As a North Carolina Sea Grant extension specialist, there is nothing more gratifying than seeing things come full circle \u2014 from identification of an industry need, development of technology, and adoption of that technology by industry to meet that need \u2014and witnessing the extraordinary in the process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Key technical partners for ShellCast have included:<\/p>\n