MSCI 560C - Bivalve Shellfish Aquaculture: Environmental Interactions

Fall (1) Kellogg.

Bivalve Shellfish Aquaculture is a sequential series of modules offered over one semester designed to introduce students to all aspects of bivalve shellfish aquaculture, including 1) shellfish biology and production methods (560A), 2) shellfish health and diseases (560B), 3) environmental interactions (560C), and 4) socio-economic considerations (560D). Taken individually or collectively, the intent is to provide students a strong background in bivalve shellfish aquaculture to qualify them as competent to work with issues related to commercial shellfish aquaculture. This is not a course intended to teach someone how to become a shellfish farmer. Lectures will be set in a global context and be inclusive of a wide variety of bivalve species, with a focus in field labs on species of importance in Virginia and Chesapeake Bay.

Environmental Interactions (MSCI 560C) is a short course (3.5 weeks) designed to introduce students to interactions between bivalve shellfish aquaculture and the environment. In the first half of the course, lectures will focus on both the effects of the surrounding environment on shellfish aquaculture including global climate change impacts, supply of phytoplankton to support bivalve growth, and impacts of fouling organisms. In the second half of the course, lectures will focus on the impacts of shellfish aquaculture on the surrounding environment including the potential of bivalve aquaculture to improve local water quality, potential negative impacts of aquaculture on surrounding natural habitats, potential for aquaculture to introduce or facilitate the spread of non-native species, and the role of farm practices in limiting the impacts of aquaculture on the surrounding environment. The field lab portion of the course will provide students with the opportunity to design a study that assesses the impact of an aquaculture farm on the surrounding environment and gain hand-on experience by executing their sampling design.