BIOFOULING ON AQUACULTURE CROPS AND GEAR WITH A VIEW TO ERADICATION

Biofouling is a costly and serious problem for all types of aquaculture and with certain types of shellfish, culture is highly vulnerable. Fouling organisms not only clog gear, stopping water flow and food delivery, they can also settle and grow on the cultured organisms themselves, causing reduced growth rates, decreased product quality and mortality. In response to increasing problems with biofouling on our oyster and mussel aquaculture farm, this Phase I proposal seeks to 1) determine quantitatively biofouling on mussels, oysters and their associated gear at two commercial aquaculture sites in Maine; 2) characterize and quantify the biofouling effects on the growth and mortality of oysters and mussels and their associated gear; 3) assess and prioritize the relative importance of each fouling species to the overall fouling problem to determine which species will be targeted for mitigation studies in Phase II and 4) make a preliminary assessment of one novel and promising biofouling mitigation technique. These studies will identify and characterize fouling organisms and communities on cages/ropes/rafts/bottom (mussels and oysters) at two aquaculture farms in Maine. It is our intention in Phase II to test and screen potential means of mitigation and control for the dominant species identified in Phase I. We anticipate that results of these studies will improve our farm management strategies with the overall goal of increasing operational efficiency and improving growth and survival rates of our oysters and mussel crops. Other aquafarmers will also benefit as we develop new management techniques.