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In this issue:• Call for Abstracts• Centennial Meeting Information• International Industry News• Student Member Information• Book Review: Scallop Farming

GROTON, CTDecember 2007

The centennial meeting of NSA will be held inbeautiful Providence, RI. For more informationabout this exciting meeting, see pages 2-3.

President’s MessageI don’t know what theweather is like in yourpart of the world, but asI’m writing this we arejust finishing aspectacular display offall foliage here insouthern New Jerseywhere I live and work.With leaves falling anda chill in the air I thinkabout some of myfavorite cold weather shellfish dishes – clam chowder,oyster stew, oyster stuffing. I’m sure you all have yourown favorites. Alas, dinner is not ‘till later on and thetopic of the moment is NSA…...

Throughout this newsletter you will find information aboutthe upcoming Centennial Anniversary meeting in April2008. This is certainly a meeting not to miss. SandyShumway, Karolyn Hansen and their crew of hardworkingvolunteers are busy chasing down speakers and sponsorswhile also organizing a host of special events. Newinformation is being added to the web page(www.shellfish.org) every week so visit there often andclick on the meeting logo to learn the latest. Abstractsubmissions and meeting registrations are being accepted,but don’t forget to log in so everything can be linked toyour membership. If your colleagues are not members,instruct them to create a free login account to submit theirabstracts and registrations – it’s easy and it’s free —better yet encourage them to join. They will more thanrecoup their membership fee from the reduced member ratefor meeting registration, subscription to JSR, the QuarterlyNewsletter and other NSA member benefits.

In the last newsletter I mentioned the BioOne memberaccess to JSR online as a new member benefit spearheadedby Susan Ford. Many of you have already visited theBioOne link and the early report is that JSR is one of themost sought out journals based upon the number of hitsreceived! The BioOne online access begins with Volume24 and we are continuing to look for ways to place

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previous issues, as well as JSR’s predecessor TheProceedings of the National Shellfisheries Association,online. Remember, this is a member benefit so you must belogged in to access full text and pdf files of JSR viaBioOne.

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President’s Message... Continued from page 1.

Like most non-profit organizations, NSA thrives onvolunteers from within its membership who contribute theirtime to ensure tasks are accomplished in a timely andprofessional manner. Like Susan Ford’s efforts to get JSRonline, the individuals listed on the back of this newsletterset examples for us all to follow. This Newsletter, forinstance, is diligently produced by Evan Ward who reliesupon many of you to contribute articles, reviews and othernews – you can do this by contacting Evan and sendinghim items of interest. The Membership Committee, StudentAwards Committee and Industry Committee can always useassistance – and students should volunteer to help TheRecruits. Meetings are also a great place to volunteer.Help is always needed with a variety of tasks includingorganizing, chairing or moderating sessions (contact SandyShumway or Karolyn Hansen); helping at the registrationdesk, or with the student auction, A/V or special events(contact The Student Recruits co-Chairs Nature McGinn orDane Frank); arranging food donations (contact Ed Rhodesor Gef Flimlin); or judging student talks (sign up when youregister for the meeting or contact Ami Wilbur and RyanCarnegie directly). Take a minute to consider where youcan help, then contact me or the appropriate CommitteeChair.

In closing, I hope that your research, production ormanagement efforts are going well, that you are workingtoward submitting an abstract for the meeting, and thatyou’ll consider volunteering to help strengthen andpromote the Association.

Dave BushekPresident

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Centennial MeetingInformation

Plans are well-underway for the centennial celebrations tobe held at the Westin Hotel, Providence, Rhode Island,April 6-10, 2008. By the time you receive this Newsletter,the registration forms and call for abstracts should be onthe NSA Web page. Please pay particular attention to theJANUARY 31 DEADLINE. This is the absolute deadline asdictated by the printers - material submitted after this willnot be included in the abstract book or program. We will,however, be able to accommodate posters after this date.

As always, we expect the Presidents’ Reception to be ablockbuster affair with a bounty of shellfish. Lots ofspecial sessions planned (see Call for Abstracts, pg. 3)including a Roundtable Discussion and cocktail partyfeaturing many of our senior members. Posters will be aprominent feature of the meeting and will be highlightedduring a dedicated session with happy hour and specialtreats. And don’t forget the Auction on Tuesday evening– start cleaning those closets now and bring yourcontributions with you or ship ahead to Sandy (address onback of Newsletter). If you want to reserve tickets for theThursday evening showing of Volcanoes of the Deep – anIMAX movie by our very own Rich Lutz, you need to do itearly. The $10 fee gets you into the IMAX theater andbuys you your very own DVD of the movie! Even theBusiness Meeting looks to be an exciting time – be therefor the festivities, it’s included in your registration (ohyeah, you’ll also get breakfast at this meeting…..). Forupdates on meeting activities, go to www.shellfish.org.

And remember, the Benthic Ecology Meeting will begin onWednesday evening. That will mean lots of interactionsbetween the groups and special sessions of interest toboth NSA and BEM are scheduled for Thursday morning(e.g., benthic-pelagic coupling, sea urchin ecology andbiology, and others). Don’t miss the Beach Party onSaturday night!! You are encouraged to register for bothmeetings and take advantage of the opportunity! Formore information on the BEM, go towww.benthicecology2008.uconn.edu.

Sandy Shumway, Local Arrangements ChairKarolyn Hansen, Vice-President & Program Chair

The Westin Hotel, Providence, RI)

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CALL FOR ABSTRACTSA CENTURY OF SHELLFISH

100th National Shellfisheries Association Annual MeetingAPRIL 6-10, 2008 Providence, Rhode Island

Please plan to join us for a fantastic NSA CentennialMeeting. We have a distinguished group of invitedspeakers, a diverse array of special sessions, a CentennialRoundtable of senior shellfish scientists, a ‘Most BeautifulOyster’ Contest, a special screening of the IMAX filmVolcanoes of the Deep by NSA’s own Rich Lutz, and thenot-to-be-missed Student Endowment Fund Auction. Weare fortunate to have an exhaustive list of sponsors thisyear thanks to the efforts of Sandy Shumway. All thedetails are posted on the NSA website – look for regularupdates as our session list and meeting schedule expands.Abstract submission details are online atwww.shellfish.org. If you are interested in presenting atany of the special sessions, please contact the sessionorganizer (see below), or submit your abstract for othercontributed sessions that are forming. Be sure to designateyour presentation as oral or poster. Abstracts should be nomore than 200 words (body of abstract). Subsequent toreceipt of your abstract, you will be notified of itsacceptance as an oral or poster presentation and providedspecific guidelines for your presentation. ABSTRACTSARE DUE JANUARY 31, 2008 and must be submittedthrough the NSA website – www.shellfish.org. NOABSTRACTS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER JANUARY31, 2008. NO ABSTRACTS WILL BE ACCEPTED VIAFAX TRANSMISSION. If you are unable to submit via theNSA website or have any questions about abstractsubmissions, please contact Karolyn Hansen, ProgramChair, at Karolyn.Hansen@udri.udayton.edu, or call (937)229-2141. If you are an invited speaker in a session, pleasesend your abstract to the session organizer as well.

Online MEETING REGISTRATION is now open on thewebsite and you are encouraged to take advantage of thesignificant savings for Early Registration which endsJanuary 31, 2008. HOTEL REGISTRATION at the meetingrate of $159/night is also available online with a cutoff dateof MARCH 5, 2008. Register NOW for the meeting andhotel! See you in Providence!

Karolyn HansenVice-President & Program Chair

Current List of Special Sessions (more to come!)Abalone - Peter Cook (pacook@cyllene.uwa.edu.au)Asian Shellfish Aquaculture - Giming GuoBay Scallops - Bill Arnold (bill.arnold@myfwc.com)Benthic-Pelagic Coupling - Evan Ward(evan.ward@uconn.edu)Biofouling - Sandy Shumway (sandra.shumway@uconn.edu)Bivalve Diseases in Aquaculture and Restoration - MartaGomez-Chiarri (gomezchi@uri.edu)Coastal Habitat Assessment Using GIS - Pam Neubert(pneubert@ensr.aecom.com)Centennial Roundtable - Susan Ford (susan@hsrlrutgers.edu)Genetics - Dennis Hedgecock (dhedge@usc.edu)Horseshoe CrabsLobster DiseaseMolluscan Dialogue - World Wildlife FundRestoration Panel Discussion - Rob Brumbaugh, TheNature ConservancyRestoration Technical Session - Ken Paynter(painter@umd.edu) & Steve Allen (stevenmallen@gmail.com)Sea Urchins - Mick Devin (mdevin@trufresh.com)Shellfish and Public Health - NESSA Session, MartinDowgert (martin.dowgert@fda.hhs.gov)Shellfish Industry SessionShellfish Physiology - Lewis Deaton (led9784@louisiana.edu)& Dane Frank (dana.frank@uconn.edu)ShrimpSpecial Student Session: ‘Getting Hired’ - Nature McGinn(namcginn@ucdavis.edu) & Dane Frank (dana.frank@uconn.edu)Soft-Shell Clam, Mya arenaria - Bill Walton(wwalton@whoi.edu) & Brian BealQPX - Roxanna Smolowitz (rsmol@mbl.edu)

Meeting Bonus!The Northeast Shellfish Sanitation Association(NESSA) will be meeting in conjunction with theNSA meeting and Dr. Laurie Backer, from theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, will bea guest speaker. Information regarding NESSAparticipation can be obtained from Martin Dowgert(martin.dowgert@fda.hhs.gov) or Sandy Shumway.This is an added bonus for our members to hear thelatest news regarding shellfish and public health.

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Recruits’ CornerLadies and Clams,

Four score and nineteen and a halfyears ago, our forefathers gatheredfor the first official meeting of theNational Shellfisheries Association.That makes the 2008 meeting ourCentennial celebration! Join in therevelry as we celebrate 100 years oforganized shellfish research.Present your most compellingwork, make professional contacts or just come and see yourfriends. It’s also affordable! Just apply for a Student TravelAward when you register for the meeting. Choose freeregistration or free shared lodging! But wait, there’smore...the application deadline for the Student TravelAwards has been extended to January 31 to coincide withthe abstract submission deadline. Go to our website,www.shellfish.org/recruits.htm, for more information aboutthese and other student opportunities, and while you’re atit check out our new format. Don’t forget that fame andglory (and $1000.00) await those applicants whoseresearch is chosen to be recognized with the Melbourne R.Carriker Student Research Grant or Michael CastagnaStudent Grant for Applied Research. You did apply, didn’tyou? Also, we co-Chairs are organizing another in ourseries of remarkably informative student sessions and thisone will be entitled “Getting Hired”. This seminar is a mustif you plan to ever work for a living and will includevaluable information on refining your CV, interview tips,salary negotiation strategies and stories from the trenches.

Another special thing about the2008 meeting is that it will bedirectly followed by the BenthicEcology Meeting (with a one dayoverlap) and there will be specialdeals and discounts available tohelp you attend all or part ofBEM. It will be a week ofscientific discovery with lots of

opportunities to meet and mingle, see and be seen by yourfellow scientists and students. So, in summary, prepareyour work, register for the meeting, apply for a travel awardonline and take the opportunity to attend some or all of theBenthic Ecology Meeting. If you have any questions orsuggestions please contact either Dane or Nature. See youin Providence, (it’s an offer you can’t refuse!)

Dane Frank & Nature McGinnStudent Recruits

Student Travel & PresentationAwards

Applications for the Student-Endowment-Fund (SEF) travelawards for the centennial meeting in Providence are due onJanuary 31, 2008. This is the same day that abstracts aredue. Award recipients may receive support for eitherlodging or meeting registration, depending on specifiedpreference, and all applicants will be eligible for theThurlow C. Nelson Award, for best student-oralpresentation, and the Gordon Gunter Award, for beststudent-poster presentation. Application forms andinstructions are available on the web at www.shellfish.org.Please contact us (Ami: wilbura@uncw.edu; Ryan:carnegie@vims.edu) if you have any questions.

Also, judges will be needed to evaluate SEF awardapplication submissions during the first week in February.We encourage non-student NSA members interested inreviewing applications to contact us. See you inProvidence!

Ami Wilbur & Ryan CarnegieEndowment/Student Awards Committee

*********************Deep Bay Field Station willFocus on Shellfish Research

The Centre for Shellfish Research (CSR) at MalaspinaUniversity-College in Nanaimo, British Columbia is buildingan off-campus research and training field site in Deep Bay,BC. This new site will include an upland seawater tank farm,laboratory, demonstration shellfish farm and act as acombination research facility for shellfish aquaculture,marine ecology and water quality. “We want to showcaseresponsible development while providing leading edgeresearch opportunities,” said Brian Kingzett, StationManager for the Deep Bay site.

Don Tillapaugh, the Director of the CSR sees the new fieldstation as an exciting opportunity for Malaspina, the CSRand the shellfish aquaculture industry in BC. “We’ll beworking with different campus departments on variousprojects - with the business faculty to investigate the costsof shellfish production issues, with the international facultyto facilitate international training opportunities and withother departments as the site expands.” The Deep Bay fa-cility will also serve as a public engagement facility.

The current timeline should see the Deep Bay site up andrunning by 2008. For more information on the Deep Bayfacility, contact Brian Kingzett at kingzettb@mala.bc.ca.

John Gardiner, WriterMalaspina University-College

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Book ReviewScallop Farming (2nd Edition). D. Hardy. Oxford:Blackwell Publishing, 2006, IX +315 pages, ISBN-10:1-4051-1363-4 (Hardback; £69.50)

When the first edition of Scallop Farming was published in1991, it was heralded by the publishers for its usefulillustrations, description of the biology of scallops andinternational scope of scallop culture. Written by anexperienced scallop farmer, it offered a first hand account ofthe topic, demonstrating how to make the most of basicequipment needed for culture efforts and stressing the useof ‘homemade’ anchors, rafts, cages and sorting tables – ingeneral, a no nonsense and common sense approach toscallop aquaculture. At the time,scallop aquaculture was in its infancyand the book was a welcome additionto the literature. It was popularbecause it was written by a scallopfarmer and the only available focusedtreatment of the subject. There were 12chapters (237 pages includingreferences and index) that coveredmethods of cultivation, spat collection,site selection, handling and processingand design and manufacture ofequipment.

This 2nd Edition, as the first, mightmore appropriately have been called‘Experiences of a British scallopfarmer’. In this context, the readerwould come away with a much different(and probably more favorable)impression of the effort. The authoruses the British/European king scallop,Pecten maximus, as a ‘useful model’ because this is ‘theone that most people seem familiar with’. Perhaps so inEurope, but certainly not the rest of the world. Further, thisis a long-lived species and some of the largest scallopaquaculture efforts globally focus on the short-lived, fastgrowing species of Argopecten and others. The briefsection on regulations also focuses, albeit superficially, onUK specifications and agencies.

The 2nd Edition is described as including ‘practicallyoriented advice, new technical, environmental andlegislative information and key information for running asuccessful farming operation.’ It is further touted as ‘anessential tool for all those working in the scallop farmingindustry and will be an important source of reference forequipment manufacturers and suppliers, traders andpolicymakers, environmental and marine scientists anduniversity and research establishments where these areasare studied and taught.’ I believe this volume falls far shortof all those assertions. The new edition includes 15chapters (315 pages including references and index). The

presentation is myopic and most of the book reads as anextended essay and/or personal account of scallop culture,mostly within the United Kingdom. The early sections(Chapters 1 and 2) on world interest, the farm environmentand its microscopic inhabitants, plankton life and seasonalvariations, red tides and algal toxins are superficial,confused and, in some cases, the statements made aresimply incorrect, e.g. that diatoms are larger thandinoflagellates, that no energy is expended by the scallopsin pursuit of food, and others. Moreover, most of theinformation is simply a collection of factoids and is neverintegrated with scallop culture per se. There are few

references to published literature orother sources of information and thebook is full of statements, figures andtables with no attribution to theoriginal sources. I found that a lot ofmaterial from the first edition has beenrearranged, but little new, other thanphotographs, has been added withregard to information on biology andculture methods including design ofequipment, moorings, use of divers,and other topics. While the authorincludes a heading entitled “WorldSymposia” that mentions, in verygeneral terms, the fact that there havebeen symposia on ocean ranching andnotes their ‘invaluable role inprompting many countries to take upthe challenge of scallop farming,’ thereisn’t even a mention of theInternational Pectinid Workshops (heldbiannually for the past 30 years) or thewealth of data and papers generated

from these meetings, and the role they have played inproviding academics and growers alike with a specializedforum for the exchange of information in scallop culture.One important topic that is given superficial treatment isthe role of algal toxins in scallop culture. The reader is leftwith a description of several toxins, but no clear descriptionof the role or impact of these toxins in scallop culture, oreven acceptable levels of toxins and internationalregulations (in the UK, EU or elsewhere). Anotherimportant topic treated very superficially is regulations ingeneral. The chapters on the business of scallop farmingand packaging and marketing are an interesting addition,but again, fall far short of providing very much useful orspecific information. I enjoyed the sections on gear andfarming logistics, and they clearly convey the years ofexperience of the author. It would have been nice to seemore actual photos than free-hand drawings. While thereare some good pointers in the section on the business of

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Book Review... Continued from page 5.

farming, there reader is left expecting more, e.g. a guidelinefor preparing an actual business plan. The section onfishing for scallops, crabs, prawns and lobsters seems outof place.

By far the most disappointing aspect of the book is the factthat after 16 years, the author has added a mere five newentries to the bibliography and there are only tworeferences post 1998. Culture of scallops has expandedexponentially and on a global scale during the past 15 yearsand there is little hint of that in this volume. While thisbook is a superficial treatment of global scallop culture, itis an interesting read provided by an experienced grower.Unfortunately, if you own the first edition there is no needto purchase the second.

Sandra E. ShumwayUniversity of Connecticut(Reprinted from Aquaculture International)

Asian Oyster ResearchPresented at ERF

Research on the Asian oyster Crassostrea ariakensis,proposed for introduction to Chesapeake Bay, has yieldedimportant new information about this oyster species and itspotential interactions within estuarine ecosystems of theeastern United States. In 2004, a collaborative researchprogram was initiated, funded largely by NOAA, andincludes more than 50 studies conducted by scientists at 15academic institutions, government research laboratories,and private consulting firms. The work is providing crucialscientific information for an Environmental ImpactStatement evaluating the pros and cons of the proposedintroduction and 7 alternatives, which federal and stateagencies expect to release for public review in May 2008.

Many of the research findings to date were summarized atthe Estuarine Research Federation meetings in Providence,Rhode Island on November 5, 2007. Presentations weredeveloped with input from multiple researchers tosynthesize results across numerous projects on key topics:understanding C. ariakensis in its native range –taxonomy, population genetics, distribution, and ecology;oyster diseases; potential interactions with native oysters;demographic and larval transport modeling; economic andfishery management; and broader geographical andtemporal contexts provided by examples of other oysterintroductions.

Also unveiled at the ERF meetings was a printed series thathas been produced to summarize the research with highgraphic content for all audiences such as managers,

From left to right: Ryan Carnegie (VIMS); Ximing Guo (Rutgers);Dianna Padilla (SUNY Stony Brook); Doug Lipton (UMD); ses-sion co-chairs: Mark Luckenback (VIMS), Jamie King (NOAA),and Roger Newell (UMCES); Elizabeth North (UMCES); DavidBushek (Rutgers); Edward Weber (Versar); Robert Wieland (MainStreet Economics).

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*********************Request for Nominations forWallace Award and Honored

Life MemberNominations are requested for recipients of the DavidWallace Award and/or the Honored Life Member Award ofNSA and should be sent to Dr. Lou D’Abramo atLdabramo@cfr.msstate.edu or Department of Wildlife andFisheries, Mississippi State University, Box 9690,Mississippi State, MS 39762. The NSA Awards Committeereviews nominations and selects recipients based upondemonstrated fulfillment of the criteria for qualification. Anomination should include a brief summary (no more than2, double spaced, typed pages) of why the nomineedeserves recognition. Descriptions and selection criteria ofthe Wallace Award and the Honored Life Member Awardare available at http://shellfish.org/awards.htm. Pastrecipients of both awards are also listed on the NationalShellfisheries Association website.

students, and the general public. Hard copies may berequested from Kim Couranz (410-267-5673;Kim.Couranz@noaa.gov), and digital pdf files are availableat http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/nonnativeoysters.aspx(click on “Research, Quarterly Reviews, and Publications”).Please help us share this printed series widely, as it is anexcellent educational tool for showcasing how the work ofshellfish researchers is informing this important publicpolicy issue.

Jamie KingNOAA

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From the JSR OfficeThis will be a bonus yearfor members - we expect tosee two special issues ofJSR, one from the mostrecent abalone conference(guest edited by PeterCook) and another onCrassostrea ariakensis(guest edited by MarkLuckenbach). Others are inthe queue and we hope tounveil a surprise issue at the Centennial Meeting.

Manuscripts continue to arrive with figures that arenothing more than printouts from EXCEL and otherspreadsheets. These are not of publication quality (see myEditorial, January 2007, Newsletter) and manuscripts arenow simply being returned until they are in the properformat.

Cover photos are always needed - if you have somethingyou would like to have considered, please send it along.Before you do, look at some previous covers to get an ideaof the quality of pictures needed and please be sure theyare in the proper ‘portrait’ orientation. And remember, anypicture that includes people must be accompanied by theirpermission to use the image.

Next, the continuing plea for reviewers. I get plenty ofauthors asking why their paper has not been reviewedovernight, and many of the same people take months toreview a paper (or never get around to it!). Everybody whois publishing should be reviewing - someone has to readyour papers. Please volunteer or accept the invitationwhen asked.

I continue to get very little in the way of feedback on JSRso assume that no news is good news – write to me or thePublications Co-Chairs, John Kraeuter and Susan Ford, ifyou have comments.

Finally, welcome aboard to Linda Kallansrude who will beserving as our new NSA Administrative Assistant. You’llnote her name on the return address for Newsletters andshe’ll be handling invoices for JSR. Linda has been helpingthe JSR office for many years and I am looking forward to along collaboration!

Sandy ShumwayJSR Editor

In Memoriam - Stewart TweedStewart MacMaster Tweed, Jr., a NSA member since 1979,died on February 8, 2007 at the University of PennsylvaniaHospital.

Mr. Tweed was born in Neptune, New Jersey (NJ) on March15 1945. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree fromSpringfield College in 1967, and worked at the ChesapeakeBiological Laboratory as a research assistant from 1967 to1968, after which he began graduate studies at RutgersUniversity with Dr. Hal Haskin. Through these studies, onthe biology of the oyster in Delaware Bay, he developed lifelong relationships with the Bay and its fisheries. In 1974 heleft Rutgers for a position as Senior Aquatic Scientist atWestinghouse Environmental systems where he worked onvarious power plant siting projects including the ClinchRiver Breeder Reactor. Stewart left Westinghouse in 1978to become Rutger’s first marine extension agent servingCape May, Cumberland and Salem Counties in NJ. Hebecame Department Head of Rutgers CooperativeExtension of Cape May County in 1991, and served in thatposition until 1996. He continued his work on oysters andexpanded that to involve the entire NJ fishing community.Through this work he developed a fierce love of anythingpertaining to the region’s fisheries and the families thatdepended on them. In 1984 he was the prime motivatorbehind the establishment of the Cape May County,Commercial Fishing, Low-Interest Revolving Loan Program.Stewart served as the Chair of the Loan SelectionCommittee from 1992 to 2007. He was proud that thisprogram had lent over $3 million to County fishermen andcontinued to grow and serve the community. Stewartinitiated the first USCG approved Fishermen’s Safety DrillConductor Course and Oil Spill Response training forFishermen in the Mid Atlantic. He also presented an FDACertified Training in Seafood Safety. Over 500 fishermenattended these courses.

In addition to his activities on behalf of the fishingcommunity in southern NJ, he developed his own pilotscale oyster farm on the Cape Shore of Delaware Bay. In2000 he became Rutgers County Agent Emeritus, beganconsulting for NJ Sea Grant, and worked, hands on, fulltime developing the oyster farm into a fledgling commercialenterprise. He received the Cape May County Board ofAgriculture’s Distinguished Service Award in 2005. In spiteof his declining health he continued to work on the oysterfarm, and with many of the other programs he had initiated.

Stewart is survived by his wife of 39 years, Gail; his mother,Miriam; his sister, Priscilla; his daughter, Patricia and herhusband and two children, and his son James. He will beremembered as one who used his love of the sea to make adifference in his community and in the lives of those heserved.

John KraeuterRutgers University

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International Industry NewsReport from the 10th Annual

ICSR, The NetherlandsThe 10th InternationalConference on ShellfishRestoration (ICSR) was heldin Vlissingen, TheNetherlands from November12-16, 2007. The theme forthis year’s conference was“innovation in theexploitation and managementof shellfish resources.” AadSmaal and his compatriots atthe Wageningen Institute for Marine Resources andEcosystem Studies put together a very full agenda ofscientific talks, posters, tours, dinners and entertainment.Topics included recruitment, ecosystem-basedmanagement, stakeholder involvement, and managementand new technologies.

The Dutch are the leading suppliers of mussels to Europeproducing 50,000 tonnes between the Oosterscheld and theWadden Sea. To put this in perspective, the Pacific CoastShellfish Growers Association estimates a paltry 1,200metric tons of mussels are produced by U.S. west coastgrowers. The entire U.S. west coast shellfish production ofall species of bivalves is estimated to be 48,000 tonness,with approximately 43,000 of that being heavy shelledoysters. U.S. participants on the industry tour sawshellfish processing at a scale to which we areunaccustomed, as well as modern Modified AtmospherePackaging (MAP). The Prins & Dingemanse’s musselprocessing facilities, Yerseke, has 10,000 kilogram purgingtanks that feed into parallel processing lines with overheadgantry cranes!

Dutch mussel culture is done efficiently on the bottomutilizing large sea-going vessels which harvest seed fromwild beds in the Wadden Sea to plant on exclusive leaseseither there or in the Oosterschelde. Like Pacific oysters onthe west coast, crops may be harvested and transplantedmore than once for growout and fattening. Yerseke, whereall of the mussels are landed and processed, has the onlymussel auction in the world. Samples are taken from ships’harvest lots, analyzed for size, meat yield, color and fouling.Bidders purchase the entire boat load which is thenpumped out onto holding beds in the adjacentOosterschelde.

As impressive as the magnitude of the culture operations,was the magnitude of controversy. The Wadden Sea beinga nature preserve has been fertile ground for conflictbetween environmentalists and the shellfish sector. Thelarge wild-harvest cockle fishery was recently eliminated

due to impacts on the environment. Mussel culture appearsto be next in line. There is intense pressure fromconservation groups to leave the wild-mussel seed beds forthe eider duck population. With the writing on the wall,growers are scrambling to develop alternative seed sources.This is a daunting task with production of this scale.Innovative hanging spat collectors are being developedand tested along with suspended culture systems. Roemvan Yerseke, who was experimenting with hatcherytechnology when I visited a couple years ago, has jumpedin with both feet and is working aggressively to masterhatchery seed production. Others who have marine bedsand terrestrial farms on both sides of the dikes areproposing nursery culture in excavated ponds.

Pacific oysters spread to the Wadden Sea in 1998, with amassive naturalization and spread in 2003. Today it isestimated there are 15 square kilometers of sea bottomcovered with oysters. Similarly in the Oosterschelde,Pacific oysters have naturalized and cover some 8 squarekilometers. In the U.S. Pacific Northwest this would not beseen as a problem as the massive beds of oyster clusterswould be seen as a resource to harvest, shuck and cullsingle oysters. Europeans unfortunately only consumetheir oysters live on the half shell. As such these oysterbeds continue to grow, filtering precious algae previouslyavailable for the mussels, as well as mussel larvaethemselves. Further complicating the situation is that manyof the oysters are in preserves where they are protected.

From a grower’s perspective, the ICSR included a numberof great talks, a few which stood out to me. Peter Hermanpresented results from the EU MaBenE project (short for“Managing Benthic Ecosystems”). This project focusedon the development of integrated management models forextensive cultures of shellfish (http://www.nioo.nl/projects/mabene/). Explaining that the primary interaction betweensuspension feeders and the ecosystem is through filtrationand nutrient regeneration, Peter eloquently explained howphysical interactions in the environment strongly influencethese processes and their practical applications forculturing shellfish. Filter feeders are incredibly efficientwith the ability to clear the water in short order. As such,systems that provide algae a chance to reproduce areactually the most productive. Intuitively growers think thatturbulent well mixed water with current is best. MaBenEhas show that this is not necessarily the case. For example,stratified fjords with nutriclines that are broken periodicallyby wind, provide algae with a refuge at the surface toreproduce. When this system is continually well mixed thealgae are rapidly grazed off and the system is lessproductive. In shallow well mixed bays it is best to farm insmaller patches with space between them to provide algaetime to reproduce as it passes between patches.

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With respect to shellfishaquaculture, New Zealand isbest known for the productionof the green-shell mussel,Perna canaliculus. Produced insuspension culture on highlymechanized long-line farmsprincipally in the MarlboroughSounds region of the SouthIsland, mussels have dominatedthe country’s aquacultureproduction for the last 25 years. In addition to mussels, thecommercial shellfish farming sector also produces about 36million oysters annually – a drop in the bucket compared tothe 97,000 tonnes of green-shell mussels produced in 2006.

The New Zealand oyster industry is poised to undergosignificant growth in the years ahead as farmed Pacificoysters are cultured in increasing quantities for exportmarkets, mainly in Asia. As an example, a new oysterfarming operation (BioMarine) is anticipated for start-up inearly 2008 in the remote Kaipara Harbour region on theNorth Island, 75 km north of the New Zealand capital ofAuckland. Kaipara Harbour is relatively large at 1000 sq kmwith ample tidal exchange with the Tasman Sea.BioMarine’s Operations Director, Jim Dollimore hasindicated that the New Zealand shellfish industry isexperiencing significant growth as the aquaculture sectorgears up to produce another of New Zealand’s signatureclean, green foods – Pacific oysters. Most of the NorthIsland oyster farms are on the relatively populated eastern(Pacific Ocean) coastline either in Mahurangi Harbor area

International Industry News

New Zealand’s Oyster IndustryExpands

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ICSR Report... Continued from page 8.

Additional talks on integrated multitrophic aquaculture(IMTA) were thought provoking. Integrated culturesystems - growing finfish, shellfish, macroalgae, worms,etc. all benefiting from and/or mitigating each other’simpacts - is a popular concept as growers seek sustainablepractices. A final talk which stood out was on offshoreshellfish farming by Kevin Heasman from the CawthronInstitute in New Zealand. He talked about advances beingmade in offshore mussel culture. The Kiwis have beenworking on this for a few years now and it appears they’regetting the kinks worked out.

Bill DeweyTaylor Shellfish Farms

or on the Coromandel Peninsula further to the south. Inrecent years, BioMarine has struggled to maintain highwater quality for growing oysters in the Mahurangishellfish region where nonpoint runoff from agriculturalactivities, septic pollution, and sewage from pleasure boatshave contributed to declining water quality over the lastdecade or so. To maintain production standards and aneven supply of product, BioMarine intends to focus itsnew operation on relaying oysters from this large shellfishfarming region, which is subject to increasing pollutionpressure, to the Kaipara Harbour for final growout insuspended cages above the seafloor.

Similar to other new shellfish operations in North America,the ecological review of this proposed farm resulted inyears of delays and significant reduction in the scale of theproject than originally proposed. In this case, research insouthern Kaipara Harbour indicated that the project couldnegatively impact populations of rare tube-buildingpolychaetes and subtidal seagrass beds that shelterjuvenile snapper populations. Other concerns included theeffects of growing oysters in BST type cages maintainedon off-bottom longlines, though tidal currents (up to 60cm/sec) and wind driven surface currents in the area wereviewed as adequate to disperse biodeposits produced bythe cultured oyster population with minimal negativeeffects. Shading of seagrass by oyster cages was seen asthe principal negative effect and the project wassubsequently altered in scope to accommodate this andother impacts.

The new 70 hectare farm is permitted to initiate operationsin early 2008 with development of growout systems to bestaged over time and monitoring of effects to be completedbefore subsequent components are added. In terms ofeconomic output, the farm is designed to accommodate250,000 cages capable of producing up to 36 million oysterseach year if BioMarine’s other farms can be used asnurseries. This operation alone would represent a doublingof New Zealand’s current annual-oyster production. Thecompany also plans to build a new factory in 2009 toprocess these oysters and steadily increase productionover the next decade to result in 100 new processing jobs.

In New Zealand, it has been long recognized that oysterfarming is an appealing use of nearshore waters due mainlyto the economic benefits associated with marine shellfishfarming, a relatively benign activity. The depth of water andcurrent flows in the Kaipara Harbour suggest that otherforms of aquaculture such as Turbot farming be consideredfor the future. There may be potential for polyculture withholothurians and clams under the oyster cages as well.[Some information obtained from an article published inThe New Zealand Herald, August 24, 2007].

Joth DavisIndustry Committee

Upcoming Events

Page 10

Aquaculture America: February 9-12, 2008, Disney’sCoronado Springs Resort, Florida. For information visitwww.was.org.

National Shellfisheries Association, 100th AnnualMeeting: April 6-10, 2008, Westin Hotel, Providence, RI.Registration is now open; deadline for abstract submissionis January 31, 2008. For information visit www.shellfish.org.

Benthic Ecology Meeting: April 10-13, 2008, Westin Hotel,Providence, RI. Deadline for early registration and abstractsubmission is January 31, 2008. For information visitwww.benthicecology2008.uconn.edu.

World Aquaculture 2008: May 19-23, 2008, Busan Korea.For information visit www.was.org.

Physiomar 2008, Reproduction, Growth, Bioenergetics, Nu-trition and Genetics of Marine Molluscs: September 1-4, 2008,IUEM, Technopole Brest-Iroise in Plouzané, France. Dead-line for abstract submission is February 29, 2008; registrationopens April 1, 2008. For more information visit www.univ-brest.fr/IUEM/PHYSIOMAR

NSA Fund RaisingCampaign

10k

100 years - $100,000. That’s the goal- to raise $100,000 for the StudentEndowment Fund before the centennialmeeting of NSA to be held inProvidence, Rhode Island in 2008.Please send your donations to ChrisDavis, NSA Treasurer (contactinformation on back page). The studentsare our future - please make an extraeffort to make this campaign a success -the future of NSA depends upon it.

2008 Shellfish-FarmingCalendar

The Massachusetts Aquaculture Association (MAA),a not-for-profit organization, has published a 2008calendar entitled A Year in the Life: Cape CodShellfish Farming 2008. You can view the calendarand purchase a copy at www.massaqua.org. Adonation of $12 US plus $4 for shipping and handlingis required, with funds being used to support MAA’sactivities.

In the News

Reminder:Pay Dues By January 31, 2008.A surcharge will be assessed for

late payment of dues.

MetamorphosisDr. Hélène Hégaret received her PhD in Oceanography fromthe University of Connecticut, Department of Marine Sci-ences under the guidance of Drs. Sandy Shumay and GaryWikfors (NMFS, Millford). Hélène is now off to theUniversidad de Los Lagos, Chile to work on harmful algaeoff the southern Chilean coast, funded by a post-doctoralfellowship from the French Ministry of Foreign and Interna-tional Affairs. Congratulations Hélène!

Former NSA Member Rita Colwell Awarded National Medalof Science - Dr. Rita Colwell, Distinguished UniversityProfessor at the University of Maryland, College Park, wasawarded the National Medal of Science by the President onJuly 27, 2007. The Medal is awarded to individuals “deservingof special recognition by reason of their outstandingcontributions to knowledge in the physical, biological,mathematical, or engineering sciences,” and was updated byCongress in 1980 to include social and behavioral sciences.

From 1998 to 2004 Dr. Rita Colwell served as the 11th Directorof the National Science Foundation (NSF). Under Dr. Colwell’sleadership, the National Science Foundation budget grew byover 68 percent, surpassing US$5 billion for the first time in2003, and the agency was recognized for excellence in bothscience and management. Dr. Colwell holds a B.S. inBacteriology and an M.S. in Genetics from Purdue University,and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University ofWashington.

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NSA thanks Wiley-Blackwell for sponsoring this issue of theQuarterly Newsletter

Dr. David Bushek, PresidentRutgers UniversityHaskin Shellfish Research LaboratoryPort Norris, NJ 08349Phone: (856) 785-0074 ext. 4327Email: bushek@hsrl.rutgers.edu

Dr. Jonathan (Joth) Davis, President-Elect; Co-Chair, Industry CommitteeTaylor Shellfish Farms15425 Smoland LaneBainbridge Island, WA 98110Phone: (360) 765-3566Email: jdavis@bainbridge.net

Dr. Karolyn Mueller Hansen, Vice-President;Program Chair 2008; Webmaster (content)University of Dayton Research Institute300 College ParkDayton, OH 45469Phone: (937) 229-2141Email: karolina@mindspring.com

Dr. Maureen Krause, SecretaryHofstra UniversityBiology DepartmentHempstead, NY 11549Phone: (516) 463-6178Email: biomkk@hofstra.edu

Dr. Chris Davis, TreasurerPemaquid Oyster CompanyP.O. Box 302Waldoboro, ME 04572Phone: (207) 832-6812 (voice & Fax)Email: cdavis@midcoast.com

Mr. John Ewart, 2007-2008 Member at LargeUniversity of DelawareDelaware Aquaculture Resource CenterLewes, DE 19958Phone: (302) 645-4060Email: ewart@udel.edu

Dr. William C. Walton, 2006-2009 Member-at-Large; Chair, Membership CommitteeCape Cod Cooperative Extension/Woods HoleP.O. Box 367Barnstable, MA 02630Phone: (508) 375-6849Email: wwalton@whoi.edu

Dr. Ryan Carnegie, 2007-2010 Member-at-Large;Co-Chair, Endowment / Student AwardsCommitteeVirginia Institute of Marine ScienceGloucester Point, VA 23062Phone: (804) 684-7713Email: carnegie@vims.edu

Mr. George Abbe, Chair, Audit-Budget-FinanceCommitteeMorgan State University, Estuarine Research CenterSt. Leonard, MD 20685Phone: (410) 586-9709Email: gabbe@moac.morgan.edu

Dr. Sandra Shumway, Editor, Journal of ShellfishResearch; Local Arrangements 2008University of ConnecticutDepartment of Marine Sciences1080 Shennecossett RoadGroton, CT 06340Phone: (860) 405-9282; Fax: (860) 405-9153Email: sandra.shumway@uconn.edu

Dr. J. Evan Ward, Editor, NSA Quarterly NewsletterUniversity of ConnecticutDepartment of Marine Science1080 Shennecosset RoadGroton, CT 06340Phone: (860) 405-9073; Fax: (860) 405-9153Email: evan.ward@uconn.edu

Dr. Ami Wilbur, Co-Chair, Endowment / StudentAwards CommitteeUniversity of North Carolina WilmingtonDepartment of Biology and Marine BiologyWilmington, NC 28409Phone: (910) 962-2389Email: wilbura@uncw.edu

Dr. Susan E. Ford, Historian; Co-Chair,Publications CommitteeRutgers UniversityHaskin Shellfish Research LaboratoryPort Norris, NJ 08349Phone: ( 856) 785 0074 ext. 4305Email: susan@hsrlrutgers.edu

Mr. George (GEF) Flimlin, Co-Chair, IndustryCommitteeCommercial Fisheries & AquacultureRutgers Cooperative ExtensionToms River, NJ 08755Phone: (732) 349-1152Email: flimlin@aesop.rutgers.edu

Mr. Richard C. Karney, Co-Chair, Industry Comm.Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish GroupRFD Box 1153Vineyard Haven, MA 02568Phone: (508) 693-0391Email: MVSG@adelphia.net

Mr. Teri L. King, Chair, Pacific Coast SectionWashington Sea Grant ProgramUniversity of WashingtonP.O. Box 488Shelton, WA 98584Phone: (360) 432-3054Email: guatemal@u.washington.edu

Dr. Lou D’Abramo, Chair, Past-President’s,Elections & Awards CommitteesMississippi State UniversityDepartment of Wildlife and FisheriesMississippi State, MS 39762Phone: (662) 325-7492Email: ldabramo@cfr.msstate.edu

Dr. John N. Kraeuter, Co-Chair, PublicationsCommitteeRutgers UniversityHaskin Shellfish Research LaboratoryPort Norris, NJ 08349Phone: ( 856) 785 0074Email: kraeuter@hsrl.rutgers.edu

Ms. Linda Kallansrude, Secretariat14 Carter LaneEast Quogue, NY 11942Phone (631) 653-6327Email: lindajk@optonline.net

Ms. Nature McGinn, Co-Chair, Student RecruitsBodega Marine LabBodega Bay, CA 94923Phone: (707) 875-1973E-mail: namcginn@ucdavis.edu

Mr. Dane Frank, Co-Chair, Student RecruitsUniversity of ConnecticutDepartment of Marine SciencesGroton, CT 06340Phone: (860) 405-9235E-mail: dana.frank@uconn.edu

Dr. Scott E. Siddall, Webmaster (technical)Denison UniversityGranville, OH 43023Phone: (740) 587-5799Email: Siddall@denison.edu

Ms. Linda KallansrudeNSA Secretariat14 Carter LaneEast Quogue, NY 11942

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