Will clams and blue crabs feel the pinch of ocean acidification?
If clams have weaker shells, and crabs have weaker claws, will that change how much crabs will eat hard clams?
If clams have weaker shells, and crabs have weaker claws, will that change how much crabs will eat hard clams?
The conference, hosted by the Marine Advisory Program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, helps connect industry growers, suppliers, researchers, and agency staff.
Virginia’s hard clam industry produces between $20 and $30 million of clams annually, and individual clam farms cover areas ranging from 10’s to 100’s of acres. A Virginia Sea Grant-funded research team led by VIMS faculty members Iris Anderson, Mark Luckenbach, and Mark Brush is investigating the effects of these large-scale aquaculture operations on the flow of nutrients in Bay ecosystems. The results will help managers and clam farmers make sure the industry can function sustainably for years to come.
Virginia’s oyster aquaculture industry is growing steadily despite the struggling economy and some setbacks in hatchery production, according to a report from Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Virginia Sea Grant.