Aquaculture course to teach next generation of oyster farmers

Roger Williams University leading local effort to reestablish oyster beds, restore bay

By Patrick Luce
Posted 1/3/17

Fresh off helping the town of Warren establish the state’s first municipal oyster farm, Roger Williams University is teaching the next generation of shellfish farmers.

The university …

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Aquaculture course to teach next generation of oyster farmers

Roger Williams University leading local effort to reestablish oyster beds, restore bay

Posted

Fresh off helping the town of Warren establish the state’s first municipal oyster farm, Roger Williams University is teaching the next generation of shellfish farmers.

The university announced this week it plans to reintroduce an Applied Shellfish Farming course to be taught during the winter/spring semester. The non-credit, 14-week Center for Economic and Environmental Development course aims to teach aspiring shellfish farmers and aquaculture professionals the ins and outs of commercially growing oysters, quahogs, scallops and mussels.

Aquaculture Extension Specialist and Marine Biology Professor Dale Leavitt will lead the course, which “is designed to aid new and experienced shellfish farmers to start or grow their shellfish farming enterprise in Rhode Island and other areas of Southern New England,” the university announced.

Professor Leavitt, who advises shellfish farmers nationwide, plans to provide students with an overview of shellfish farming, the biology of the fish and techniques to raise their young in a nursery, as well as the more regulatory aspects of shellfish farming, including the permitting process and how to maintain a farming lease, risk management strategies, and business and marketing management. 

Shellfish farmers are recommended to take the course, according to the Coastal Resources Management Council. Aspects of the course are also required for those applying for a Recreational Aquaculture Permit in Rhode Island.

The course is part of Roger Williams’ efforts to reestablish shellfish beds in the area and restore the bay. Oysters not only provide sustenance for crabs, lobsters — and, of course, people — but, as filter feeders, they also help clean the bay just by living. In addition to filtering algae and pollutants from the water, oysters establish three-dimensional habitats in the seabed, giving young fish a place to grow up.

While oysters are native to New England, they need the help of aquaculture experts to help them thrive.

“Narragansett Bay is a really interesting place for oysters,” Dr. Leavitt said. “Oysters grow well here but for some reason, the young don’t always survive. That could be due to predation from crabs, some contamination issues, and there’s not enough suitable substrate in the bay.”

Dr. Leavitt joined Warren Harbormaster Ed Cabral in November to plant baby oysters off Jacob’s Point. The oysters had been growing since early September in a large upweller tank at the town wharf. The 12-foot-long tank, through which Warren River water was pumped 24 hours a day, enabled the oysters to grow much faster than they would in the wild. 

When they were first put in the tank they were tiny, not much more than a quarter inch in size. By November, they’d grown to about an inch or so each. Dr. Leavitt said that is a good size for release, and with any luck many of them will set up on the bottom and survive predation in the coming months. The oysters should be large enough to harvest by the summer, and they are available to the public to harvest.

Roger Williams has also been helping oyster farmers on the other side of the bay in Warwick, in addition to raising their own in the university’s shellfish hatchery, and teaching the next generation of farmers in a booming industry.

“Oyster farming is the fastest growing agricultural commodity in New England,” Dr. Leavitt said. “Oyster production is becoming a big deal.”

The course — which will be held at RWU’s Bristol campus on Tuesdays, 6:30 to 9 p.m., beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 10, and continuing through April 25 — is expected to include mentoring and site visits of existing farms. The fee for the course is $100 per student, which includes all class materials. Interested participants can also attend individual classes on a drop-in basis for $10 per class. Anyone interested in registering should contact Professor Leavitt at dleavitt@rwu.edu, or Cheryl Francis at 401-254-3110 or cfrancis@rwu.edu. There will also be an online version of the course, which Dr. Leavitt said is attracting students from as far away as Florida.

oyster farming, Narragansett Bay, Roger Williams University

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