Shellfish Mortality Workshop

1. Shellfish Mortality Workshop Sponsored by the Centre for Shellfish Research and the B.C. Shellfish Growers Association October 16, 2003

2. Shellfish Aquaculture Mortality Workshop Identified an industry need - research Unexplained shellfish mortality events negatively effecting industry R&D workshop held- same objectives as today • Bring producers and scientists together • Develop key research questions • Develop collaborative research partnerships Fish bones as a “frame” work for needs assessment Key questions identified – no priorities attached

3. Workshop format • Industry presentations • Scientific presentations • Round-tables – industry and scientist working groups (Oysters, mussels, clams, scallops) • Fish-bones “Needs analysis”

4. Fish Bones • An informal collaborative process to determine the potential causes of mortality • Split into “interest-based” working groups • Nominate a recorder with good hand-writing to draw the fish • Student audio recorder • Everyone must contribute • Time – 1 hour • Final session – review of each working group

5. Fish bonesDrilling down through the husbandry process • Head – identify mortality issue e.g. tray culture oyster mortality • Skeleton – identify elements of culture process (e.g. seed sorting, year 1 on-grow, grading, tumbling, year 2 on-grow) • Ribs –identify main factors affecting each stage of culture process (e.g. grading seed) • Riblets (level 1) – identify factors affecting each of the main factors (hand grading, machine grading) • Riblets (level 2) - identify factors affecting each of the Level 1Riblets (e.g. duration of air exposure during the grading process) • Discuss potential causes of mortality and Circle those factors of highest priority for research • Formulate a research question (s)

6. Culture induced mortality Tray culture Oyster mortality Seed delivery Seed grading On-grow summer grading/ tumbling on-grow winter Nature induced mortality

7. Grading mechanism Tray culture oyster mortality Culture induced Speed hand experience Inventory validation machine duration Inventory control Seed delivery Seed grading Water temp Air temp HAB’s Duration exposure before grading Duration exposure after grading predators Nature induced salinity D.O.

8. Culture induced mortality Density Genetics Ploidy Tray-type De-fouling schedule Year-1 On-grow Bio-fouling parasites nutrition HAB’s predators Nature induced mortality

9. Research Question What is the effect of of air temperature and exposure interval on survival? Culture induced mortality Grading mechanism hand experience Tray culture Oysters mortality machine duration Seed delivery On-grow summer grading/ tumbling on-grow winter Seed grading Water temp Air temp Duration exposure before grading Duration exposure after grading salinity Nature induced mortality D.O.

10. Shellfish Mortality Workshop OysterResearch Questions • Effect of tumbling – duration, frequency timing/seasonality effects on survival, growth, shelf-life • Effect of putting damaged/dying oysters back into rearing containers • Background water quality monitoring for correlation/coincidence with survival/growth • Fouling – management practices for prevention/reduction • BMP’s for seed production, seed quality assessment standards • Genetics/bloodstock management BMP’s (tracking)

11. Shellfish Mortality Workshop Clam Research Questions • (manilas and geoducks) • Genetics – brood stock • Health- product from hatchery and monitoring algae • Growth – increase rate • Mortality – factors, increase survival, husbandry tools • Regulations – management systems • Optimum seed size – cost to survival ratio

12. Shellfish Mortality Workshop –Scallop Research Questions • Identify phytoplankton species • Establish phytoplankton monitoring • Culture species and determine physiological response/toxicity at various life stages • Size of phytoplankton ingested by various life stages • Determine conditions (temperature, food concentration) for holding young spat (over winter) • Improved environmental monitoring (temperature, salinity, food, current)

13. Shellfish Mortality WorkshopMussel Research Questions • Which is the best species for B.C. (i.e. gallos, edulis) and is it site related? • Evaluate genetic composition of seed available • Develop a site characterization and success evaluation (framework) – consider technology evaluation within this assessment • What is the spawning trigger and can it be prevented? • Does winter spawning cause mortality? • When is the best time and what is the best size to put mussels into trays? • Fouling management practices – avoid fouling especially barnacles. Is sinking an option? When, how deep, site variation (temporal, spatial)

14. Conclusion • Process worked • Great lists • No priorities • Need to go further (Phase 2) • One over-arching issue – the need to conduct environmental and health monitoring at regular intervals

15. Goal • To develop and test a workable, effective and repeatable workshop template for R&D priority setting • Apply “process” knowledge gained in Brainstorming workshop and Mortality workshop to this process