Bay-Scale filtration of cultivated oysters in relation to tidal flushing and phytoplankton renewal

Description

Cultivated bivalves, like oysters, can deplete available natural food resources (e.g., phytoplankton) faster than the ecosystem can reinstate them through primary production and water renewal. This project is designed to compare the filtration capacity of a cultivated oyster crop against renewal rates of water and phytoplankton within an inlet. The research will look at the seasonal variability in bay-scale seston (such as phytoplankton) depletion rates. A depletion index will be able to provide an indication of the importance of seston uptake in relation to estuarine water volume and tidal flushing. The project will also seek to determine whether cultivated stocks consume the available phytoplankton faster than the bay is able to replenish its internal primary production. A final objective is to describe the relationship between the area's breach opening and food fluxes in the culture bay.

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2010 - 2013

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Gulf of Maine, Scotian Shelf

Principal Investigator(s)

Luc Comeau
Email: Luc.Comeau@dfo-mpo.gc.ca