Oyster growth across a salinity gradient in a shallow, subtropical Gulf of Mexico estuary
An increase in oyster aquaculture as a sustainable method of shellfish production is one response to overharvest and degradation of natural oyster reefs over the past century. Successful aquaculture production requires determining the environmental conditions optimal for oyster growth. In this study...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Experimental Results |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2516712X20000726/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811156305621024768 |
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| author | Benoit Lebreton Jennifer Beseres Pollack Brittany Blomberg Terence A. Palmer Paul A. Montagna Michael Nevels |
| author_facet | Benoit Lebreton Jennifer Beseres Pollack Brittany Blomberg Terence A. Palmer Paul A. Montagna Michael Nevels |
| author_sort | Benoit Lebreton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An increase in oyster aquaculture as a sustainable method of shellfish production is one response to overharvest and degradation of natural oyster reefs over the past century. Successful aquaculture production requires determining the environmental conditions optimal for oyster growth. In this study, the salinity, temperature, chlorophyll a concentration and the growth of Crassostrea virginica were monitored at four locations within the Mission-Aransas Estuary, Texas (USA), a shallow subtropical estuary influenced by relatively low freshwater inflow. Mean growth of the oyster shell (0.205 mm d–1 and 0.203 g d–1) and soft tissues (3.447 mg d–1) was highest when salinity was low (mean = 15.5) and chlorophyll a concentration was high (8.4 μg l–1). Oyster growth also varied temporally with periods of spawning. In low-inflow estuaries such as the Mission-Aransas Estuary, oyster farms should be sited close to river mouths so that oysters can benefit from freshwater inflows and lower salinities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:48:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b1a556cde8148e682fd77ed4ff86377 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2516-712X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:48:17Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Experimental Results |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b1a556cde8148e682fd77ed4ff863772023-03-09T12:34:18ZengCambridge University PressExperimental Results2516-712X2021-01-01210.1017/exp.2020.72Oyster growth across a salinity gradient in a shallow, subtropical Gulf of Mexico estuaryBenoit Lebreton0Jennifer Beseres Pollack1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2995-4006Brittany Blomberg2Terence A. Palmer3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6602-9760Paul A. Montagna4Michael Nevels5Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5869, Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5869, USA UMR Littoral, Environment et Societies (CNRS – University of La Rochelle), Institut du Littoral et de l'Environnement, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, FranceHarte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5869, Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5869, USAHarte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5869, Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5869, USAHarte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5869, Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5869, USAHarte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5869, Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5869, USAUniversity of St Andrews, Biomolecular Sciences Building, Fife, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, KY16 9STAn increase in oyster aquaculture as a sustainable method of shellfish production is one response to overharvest and degradation of natural oyster reefs over the past century. Successful aquaculture production requires determining the environmental conditions optimal for oyster growth. In this study, the salinity, temperature, chlorophyll a concentration and the growth of Crassostrea virginica were monitored at four locations within the Mission-Aransas Estuary, Texas (USA), a shallow subtropical estuary influenced by relatively low freshwater inflow. Mean growth of the oyster shell (0.205 mm d–1 and 0.203 g d–1) and soft tissues (3.447 mg d–1) was highest when salinity was low (mean = 15.5) and chlorophyll a concentration was high (8.4 μg l–1). Oyster growth also varied temporally with periods of spawning. In low-inflow estuaries such as the Mission-Aransas Estuary, oyster farms should be sited close to river mouths so that oysters can benefit from freshwater inflows and lower salinities.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2516712X20000726/type/journal_articleCrassostrea virginicaGulf of Mexicosalinitychlorophyll aoyster farming |
| spellingShingle | Benoit Lebreton Jennifer Beseres Pollack Brittany Blomberg Terence A. Palmer Paul A. Montagna Michael Nevels Oyster growth across a salinity gradient in a shallow, subtropical Gulf of Mexico estuary Experimental Results Crassostrea virginica Gulf of Mexico salinity chlorophyll a oyster farming |
| title | Oyster growth across a salinity gradient in a shallow, subtropical Gulf of Mexico estuary |
| title_full | Oyster growth across a salinity gradient in a shallow, subtropical Gulf of Mexico estuary |
| title_fullStr | Oyster growth across a salinity gradient in a shallow, subtropical Gulf of Mexico estuary |
| title_full_unstemmed | Oyster growth across a salinity gradient in a shallow, subtropical Gulf of Mexico estuary |
| title_short | Oyster growth across a salinity gradient in a shallow, subtropical Gulf of Mexico estuary |
| title_sort | oyster growth across a salinity gradient in a shallow subtropical gulf of mexico estuary |
| topic | Crassostrea virginica Gulf of Mexico salinity chlorophyll a oyster farming |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2516712X20000726/type/journal_article |
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