As the global demand for seafood increases each year, there is a growing need to expand sustainable aquaculture in the interests of food security and resilience of coastal communities. Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, are grown in West coast estuaries - where cultures often overlap with the federally protected native eelgrass,...
Bioturbation caused by ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, burrowing activity can negatively affect Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, aquaculture through their burial and subsequent suffocation. The shellfish aquaculture industry used chemicals to control burrowing shrimp populations in Washington State estuaries for decades, but, due to public and governmental scrutiny, that practice has...
Estuaries are an important ecological link between terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems, but are also subject to a variety of human pressures. Along the West Coast of the United States, shellfish aquaculture is one extensive use of estuarine tidelands. Specifically, Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) aquaculture has been practiced for almost...
Understanding the ecological role of Pacific oyster aquaculture (Crassostrea gigas) and eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) as important habitats in US Pacific Northwest estuaries is critical for management and regulatory decisions. The oyster aquaculture industry is currently restricted by regulations concerning impacts of their activities on Z. marina. This seagrass is...
The introduction of non-native species often results in fundamental changes in the structure and function of disturbed environments. In the Pacific Northwest (PNW), the introduced seagrass Zostera japonica is rapidly expanding in distribution, impacting stakeholders and public use of the intertidal. Z. japonica’s expansion has prompted a number of different...
Two indigenous species of burrowing shrimp inhabit and often dominate the intertidal zone of estuaries along the US West Coast, the ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, and the blue mud shrimp, Upogebia pugettensis. Both species are considered ecosystem engineers and play a role in maintaining estuarine health and ecosystem function. They...
Determining age in crustaceans is inherently imprecise because they molt
periodically and do not retain hard structures throughout their lifespan. Morphological
measurements, such as carapace length, are often used to estimate age because
methods for direct ageing do not exist. However, variability in individual growth rate
and molt frequency can...