Recipient Organization
TRIPLE N OYSTER FARM LLC
1265 STEPHENS AVENUE
BATON ROUGE,LA 708083766
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Inland oyster seed production utilizing artificial seawater in a closed recirculating aquaculture systemis being developed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the Louisiana State University Innovation Park. The Gulf Coast (and East and West Coast) oyster industry faces numerous challenges including increased exposure to anthropogenic pollution, climate change, ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, predation, disease outbreaks, and low salinity events. This has prompted Triple N Oyster Farm to condition andspawn oysters, raise and set larvae, and raise seed oysters in a closed system away from the coast of Louisiana. This move has several potential benefits including the production of oyster seed in a controlled environment where temperature, salinity, feed, and nutrients can be optimized for a reliable production of seed for the oyster industry. These inland operations are resilient in the face of tropical storms and hurricanes. The consistent production of quality oyster seed will supply the expanding oyster industry with much needed oyster seed.This research will help ensure America's agricultural system is equitable, resilient, and prosperous.The results of this research will expand opportunities for economic development and improve quality of life in rural and tribal communities by supporting traditional oyster and alternative oyster culture businesses along the coastal zones of the USA.
Animal Health Component
10%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
85%
Applied
10%
Developmental
5%
Goals / Objectives
Triple N Oyster Farm will experimentally determine the protocols required to produce four million (5.6mm)to ten million (2.8mm) oyster seed per month at an inland hatchery/nursery. The four objectives are:To determine the species of marine algae that are suitable to grow in open air ponds utilizing artificial seawater in a closed RAS.To build and evaluate a 50,000L batch pond system to continuously supply feed to the inland oyster nursery.To experimentally determine the maximum oyster seed production that can be supported at the inland Baton Rouge facility.To consider the scaleability of hatchery operations through experimentation.
Project Methods
Task 1.To determine the species of marine algae that are suitable to grow in open air ponds utilizing artificial seawater in a closed RAS.To support the advancement of product development, large quantities of healthy marine algae are required. This task focuses on experimentally determining which marine algae species are suitable for production in open air ponds in Baton Rouge, LA. Six open air ponds will be constructed on site in Baton Rouge, LA.Marine algae stocks will be maintained on solid and in liquid media. Starter batches of the algae will be grown in 150 mL of artificial seawater and nutrients contained in 250 mL flasks. All starter media will be sterilized and/or filtered through tangential flow filters to remove microbes prior to inoculation. Several species of the marine diatoms of the genusChaetocerosandThalassiosira, and a chlorophyteTetraselmis sp. will be maintained and tested for their abilities to grow in the ponds. All these species are known to produce nutritionally adequate diets to shellfish either alone or in combination.The candidate algae will be ranked from fastest to slowest growing by measuring growth curves (minimum of 3 replicates) following inoculation. Each 8000L pond will be inoculated with 250L of log-phase algae culture. Growth rates are expected to produce harvestable algae in a period of 6 days, but this value will be dependent of environmental conditions such as light intensity and temperature.Task 2.To build and evaluate a batch pond system to supply continuous feed to the inland oyster nursery.To support the advancement of product development, large quantities of healthy marine algae are required.Seven ponds measuring 60 feet by 6 feet and 12 inches deep will be constructed at the inland nursery.Each pond will have a capacity of 8000L of artificial seawater and a pinwheel to keep the algae suspended. This technology is often utilized in the biofuel industry but has yet to be developed to produce marine algae at an inland location as a food source for oyster seed. The artificial seawater will be passed through a biological/physical filter and exposed to UV before being used and reused to fill an empty pool. The seawater will be monitored for chemical and microbial composition during growth and over time as the water is reused. As algae is cultured in the seawater and the seawater is reused it is expected that the chemical composition of the seawater will change. Continuous monitoring of macronutrients and micronutrients will be performed to determine which and what amount needs to be replenished over time to maintain optimal growth conditions for the algae. Measurements will be taken using a HachD5000 spectrophotometer and HACH reagents in house, as well as monitoring using commercially available inductively coupled plasma mass spec (ICP).Dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, pH, ammonia,nitrite, nitrate, and alkalinity are some of the key parameters that will be measured.Growth rates and biomass yield will be determined for the candidate algae selected in Task1. Correlations between yields and nutrient status, temperature, and irradiance will be obtained.The ponds will be filled, one pond a day, and harvested one pond per day following a batch protocol for inoculation.After a pond is drained the pond liner will be scrubbed with a mild bleach solution to remove benthic organisms. This will limit the potential for the introduction of unwanted microbes, including algae, into the ponds. In the heat of summer, it is expected that greenhouse style shading cloth will be utilized to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting the ponds.Optimal husbandry protocols will be developed to allow Triple N Oysters to produce a healthy and consistent supply of marine microalgae as feed for oyster seed in a pond system and further support innovation of the inland operations.Task 3.To experimentally determine the maximum oyster seed production that can be supported at the inland Baton Rouge nursery.This task will help define the commercial capacity of the operations at the inland location for the Phase III full commercialization plan. The Phase I project showed that a large number of oyster larvae can be produced at the inland location. Task3 will experimentally determine the nursery capacity (to grow oyster seed) at the inland location. A small prototype oyster nursery was able to produce a small number of 3mm oysters during Phase I. There were two identified limitations to growing larger quantities and sizes of oyster seed. First, as indicated in Task1 and Task2 above, large quantities of marine microalgae are required to grow large quantities of seed. Second, the infrastructure/protocol to grow large quantities of algae and oyster seed needs to be directed by further research and development. Research published in 1985 by Walshet al. utilized pond algae culture to supply food to a hard clam nursery. One of the authors on that publication (Chris Withstandley) will be the main consultant for the planned Phase II tasks.A full commercial scale oyster nursery will be constructed to increase production at the inland facility. An initial goal of 4 million 4-6 mm oyster seed per month for 2024 and 10 to 15 million per month in 2025. There are no similar systems in operation in the USA. A flow-through system will bring water and algae to the growing oyster seed. Flow rates will be experimentally measured to optimizeboth algae use and waste removal efficiencies in the closed nursery system. The number of marine algae being fed from the pools will be optimized to ensure fast growth of the oyster seed without overfeeding. Overfeeding will stress the filtration components in the system and lead to excesses of microbes.Water quality testing will measure both macro- and micronutrients to record changes that occur over time.Metagenomic analyses will be conducted with the Craig Venter Institute, andVibriomonitoring will occur in collaboration with Dr Hou at LSU.As observed in the Phase1 project, additions of specific depleted nutrients will likely occur to keep the water chemistry optimal for oyster seed growth, and for algae growth.Measurements will be taken using a HachD5000 spectrophotometer and HACH reagents in house, as well as monitoring using commercially available inductively coupled plasma mass spec (ICP).Dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, pH, ammonia,nitrite, nitrate, and alkalinity are some of the key parameters that will be measured.Task 4. To consider the scalability of the inland operations through experimentation.Inland operations of an oyster hatchery/nursery led to the production of a unique and innovative product: inland produced oyster seed. To meet the escalating demand for oyster seed for the oyster industry and coastal restoration projects an increase in production will be experimentally assessed from the results of tasks 1-3 above. During the phase 1 project a single hatchery brood generated 42 million pediveligers for setting to seed. That system has a total volume of 6000 L.Task4 will test the hypothesis that the system can be magnified in size without any production efficiency losses. Total hatchery larvae brood system volume will be increased to 24,000L and utilize the water storage and filtration equipment from the 6000L system.A 24,000L brood tank system should yield 168 million pediveligers per spawn. Production of marine microalgae such asIsochrysis luteawill be increased to meet the feed demand. Water chemical and biological parameters will be measured during the experiments to assess deficiencies, if any, existing in the water storage/filtration process in the ASW-RAS.Metagenomic analyses will be conducted with the Craig Venter Institute, andVibriomonitoring will occur in collaboration with Dr Hou at LSU.If needed, modifications of the hatchery system will be conducted to sustain higher levels of production.