Alternative Oyster Culture Site and Gear Selection

1. Alternative Oyster CultureSite and Gear Selection John Supan, Ph.D. La. Sea Grant College Program LSU Agricultural Center Governor’s Oyster Advisory Committee Meeting June27, 2013 New Orleans, Louisiana

2. LSU Oyster Research & Demonstration Farm

3. Benefits of advanced culture technology As with all business, site selection is the first and most importantdecision to be made when selecting locations for alternative oyster culture. The site and its characteristics (e.g., bottom type, water depth, salinity regime, etc.) should dictate which culture system is used (e.g., raft, rack, cage or longline). As off-bottom oyster culture is developed in Louisiana and other gulf states, it is very important to foster not only entrepreneurial spirit and creative design, but also the use or development of culture systems that allow aerial drying of oysters and their culturecontainers to help deter biofouling (e.g., barnacles, algaeand wild oyster overset), to reduce labor costs associatedwith cleaning to improve economic feasibility.

4. AOC Site Selection • Suitable oyster lease (per map) • Approved Shellfish Growing Waters • management options • open for harvest • Salinity regime • faster growth • flavor • Bottom type • gear type & methods • Water depth • gear type & methods • winter tides • Fetch • exposure

5. Benefits of advanced culture technology As with all business, site selection is the first and most importantdecision to be made when selecting locations for alternative oyster culture. The site and its characteristics (e.g., bottom type, water depth, salinity regime, etc.) should dictate which culture system is used (e.g., raft, rack, cage or longline). As off-bottom oyster culture is developed in Louisiana and other gulf states, it is very important to foster not only entrepreneurial spirit and creative design, but also the useor development of culture systems that allow aerial drying of oysters and their culturecontainers to help deter biofouling (e.g., barnacles, algaeand wild oyster overset), to reducelabor costs associatedwith cleaning to improve economic feasibility.

7. Australian Adjustable Longline System The ALS is a series of cylindrical mesh bags suspended horizontally on a longline Riser posts with clips allow suspension of longline at various heights The longline is anchored by pilings and can follow shoreline contour

9. The OysterGroTM floating oyster culture cages from Bouctouche Bay Industries Ltd., New Brunswick,Canada. Photograph is from the Chesapeake Oyster Company web site: http://www.bayoyster.com/equipgo.html

11. LoPro oyster cages from used commercially in Chesapeake Bay. Photograph is from the Chesapeake Oyster Company web site: http://www.bayoyster.com/equip_go.html

16. Greatest Concerns • Theft • Damage/Loss • Liability

18. Marine Enterprise Zones • Sited for Optimum Performance • Environmental • Water quality • Biological • Culture species • Engineering • Hydrodynamics • Economics • Logistics • Reduces User Conflict in Coastal Zone • Reduces Exposure to Liability

19. Park Administrator • Obtains Coastal • Use Permits • Coast Guard • Approval • Manages Park • Users • Provides security • & support

21. Common Sights Along Coastal Louisiana Exclusive use of water column?

22. Common Future Sights Along Coastal Louisiana?

24. For more information, contact: John Supan, Ph.D. Louisiana Sea Grant College Program Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803 jsupan@lsu.edu