Shellfish
BY NICKI HOLMYARD
Aquaculture by the book A new guide sets out everything you wanted to know about shellfish aquaculture
M
olluscan Shellfish Aquaculture: A Practical Guide, edited by Sandra E Shumway, is a highly readable and comprehensive overview of the biology, culture techniques and harves�ng methods used for a host of shellfish species. It also covers site selec�on, business planning, hatchery construc�on, diseases and pests, biofouling, water quality, gene�cs, best management prac�ce, cer�fica�on and regula�on, along with informa�on on the environmental and socio-economic aspects of the industry. This book is wri�en and edited by some of the most widely known and respected academics and industry prac��oners, covering mussels, clams, edible and pearl oysters, scallops, cephalopods, abalone and gastropods such as marine snails and conch. The extensive reference sec�on offers readers the opportunity to take a deeper dive into par�cular areas of interest, making it invaluable for students, researchers and regulators, as well as current shellfish farmers and anyone looking to enter the industry. “I hope this book will prove to be a useful manual that will provide newcomers with the informa�on necessary to spark their imagina�on and con�nue the global effort to grow and u�lise shellfish to their fullest poten�al,” Shumway told Fish Farmer. In the preface, Shumway points out that culture of bivalve molluscs has been carried out for centuries, but it only began to prosper in the past few decades, when technological advances started to be made in land-based hatchery systems and coastal grow-out techniques. Progress began with RRL Guillard, who isolated and cultured phytoplankton as a food source for bivalve larvae in the 1950s, and opened the door for the establishment of shellfish hatcheries. Today, hatchery produc�on is normal prac�ce for many species, and gene�c and molecular techniques are rou�nely used to improve broodstock and combat disease. Technology has also crept in, with the use of sophis�cated models to help shellfish growers with site selec�on and carrying capacity, while real-�me data monitoring is being used to assist with stock management decisions. The chapter on farming oysters for food and profit, includes a sec�on on the effect of climate change on oyster growth. The authors point out that the oyster industry in many parts of the world is dealing with issues caused by changing oceanic and estuarine carbonate chemistry condi�ons, which are impac�ng on the ability of larval oysters to form proper shells. They suggest that for oysters to thrive in changing environments in the future, hatchery produc�on may need to be moved on-land into recircula�on systems, and breeding programmes take mul�ple
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Shellfish regula�on may seem “ unfathomable, overwhelming and maybe a li�le discouraging ” www.fishfarmermagazine.com
09/08/2021 14:38:53
