Non Technical Summary
Non-Technical Summary:Oyster farms are harmed by bad weather, even occasionally closed by disease and pollution, the more so as coastal waters warm. It's time for the shellfish industry to follow the lead of salmon farmers and move to land-based production. After two years of trials at the Darling Marine Center, Maine Shellfish Developers is expanding to commercial scale at the non-coastal WaldoboroBusiness Park in Waldoboro, ME where we will be harvesting over a million oysters per year from a 3,600 sq. ft. solar-powered warehouse, using an ecologically sustainable system that is self-cleansing with marketable seaweed as the by-product.Two innovations are required: the development of a nutritious but inexpensive feed to substitute for expensive-to-culture live microalgae as well as novel tankage that hold large numbers of oysters in good health, measured by rapid growth - 9 months from seed to market - excellent survival rates and, of course, with great taste.This means that oysters - and eventually all shellfish - can be farmed everywhere in any numbers. Cost per unit is low thanks to economies of scale. In effect, these are to be the newest terrestrial crops. They will enhance US food security, create jobs and open opportunities for seafood export.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
402	0310	1010	100%

Knowledge Area
402 - Engineering Systems and Equipment;

Subject Of Investigation
0310 - River basins;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;

Goals / Objectives
Major Goal:The major goal is to grow large numbers of oysters from seed to market size indoors year around profitably in such a way that production can readily be replicated at other sites, ideally by licensing others.Objectives:Objective 1. The purpose of Phase I is to establish sound scientific data combined with physical demonstrations of key tasks in support of a subsequent Phase II application. Phase II is intended to expand production capacity by adding an annex to house 16 more oyster grow-out units, converting Phase I production units to seedling-only purpose. To operate 16-more will require significant levels of automation and waste water management. Phase I will require 8- months. Matching funds are already in place as is the necessary staff and building.Objective 2. Given limited indoor space, we intend to demonstrate that a single fiberglass container holding 3,400 gallons of artificial seawater at 70 F (21 c) will accommodate 90,000 oysters of average 2.0" (51 mm) growing at a rate of 1.5 mm/week. By stockinga single Mark Vtankwith 35,000 x 1.5" (38 mm) seedlings each month, we project a harvest of 30,000 marketable oysters/month following a residence time of 3.5 to 4.5 months.Objective 3. We also intend to demonstrate that in identical tankage as in 2.0 above 250,000 x ¼" (6.4 mm) seedlings from our hatchery will also grow at an average rate 1.5 mm/week, thereby attaining the requisite 1.5" (38 mm) following a residence time of 4.5 to 5 months. This will yield a harvest of 200,000 x 1.5" seedlings/month or enough to stock 6 x 3,400 gallon oyster production units.Objective 4: We will purchase or spawn the equivalent of 250,000 x 1.0 mm oyster seed/month and maintain these in special containers at 70 F (21 C) until they attain the requisite ¼" (6.4 mm) with an estimated residence time of ~1.0 month. (Note: We expect to achieve the above growth and survival rates utilizing a proprietary feed formula that emulates the typical plankton content recovered from Maine's Upper-Damariscotta estuary. This alternate feed, as with the plankton, will contain from 0% to 5% live microalgae or the equivalent in algal paste.)Objective 5: As mentioned in Objective 1 above, a Phase II application will report production metrics achieved in Phase I along with demonstrations of how 16 additional production units can be managed with the least staff and near 100% recirculation as is required at a non-coastal site. Phase I will give compelling substance to the Phase II application, reporting those data obtained from objectives 2, 3 & 4 above combined with the relevant automation and waste water management demonstrations.

Project Methods
Before designing and demonstrating priority elements of automation, it is essential that we get at least one production unit fully stocked and capable of a monthly harvest of 30,000 x 2.5" marketable oysters. The key metric is 1.5 mm/week growth-rate (and commensurate weight gains) with mortality less than 1.0%/week. Achieving this may or may not require further innovations in the basic RAS set-up(s) and waste water management system(s) beyond what is already in operation with the prototypic production unit (Mark IV) at the Darling Marine Center. However, it should be noted that where Mark IV is a rectangular tank with horizontal flow-through and oblong oyster cages, Mark V currently being installed in the Waldoboro Business Park is a circular tank with vertical down-flow and with trapezoidal oyster cages.Given these base production metrics outlined under Objectives 2, 3 & 4 emerging as intended, the Phase I R&D focus shifts to how to handle both growing and harvest size stock with minimal manual labor. Requirements include routine weighing, washing, tumbling, sorting, counting and either returning to the production unit for more growth or packing for shipment. Except for washing and tumbling, these have to be accomplished at a work station that is remote from the product unit(s).Efforts: Except for our proprietary feed formula and the commensurate mass feed manufacturing methods, production methods will be shared with potential franchises as well as with the public in the occasional open house at the Park. Technical staff is encouraged to publish non-feed results in trade journals and the Production Manager routinely blogs on Facebook. This "open-book" approach supports recruitment of franchisees, spreads a wider professional network and ultimately will foster a well-known brand name. Because our product will be the "box wine" of the oyster industry, public dissemination of aquaponic methods, sustainability and traceability will boost sale price.Evaluation:Desired Result 1. Being able to consistently market oysters weekly;Desired Result 2. Being able to demonstrate a cost structure that would allow us to be profitable with a farm-gate price of $0.45.Desired Result 3. To demonstrate the feasibility of doing so with minimal manual labor and maximum remote control and remote monitoring.