Life Sciences Commons^™

The Luther H. Blount Shellfish Hatchery at Roger Williams University was begun in 2004 in an effort to restore shellfish beds to Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. Over the years by way of the philanthropy of the Blount Family, the hatchery has grown and has served to train many professional shellfish hatchery personnel, and has served as a support facility for shellfish disease and nutrition research.

Successful commercial aquaculture operations have grown in the Pacific Northwest and the Canadian West Coast on two exotic species Crassostrea gigas and Tapes philippinarum introduced from Japan during the 20th Century. Introduction of the Asian oyster C. ariakensis was proposed as a means for recovering distressed oyster fisheries in Chesapeake Bay, but it was not pursued after extensive public review deemed the practice too risky. However due to increased global shipping, exotic bivalves are being transferred worldwide. The recent introduction of a Western Hemisphere mussel Mytella charruana into the Philippines provides a good case study of shellfish aquaculture industry opportunities …

In the United States, water quality standards for shellfishing and shellfish aquaculture waters have been governed since 1925 by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) first administered by the United States Public Health Service. With the greater popularity of aquacultured shellfish in the United States and the growth of market demand, seed availability is cited as one of the most pressing issues for the industry. The early recognition by ISSC of shellfish seed under certain conditions as being exempt from NSSP water quality classification requirements has already removed one of the largest regulatory barriers to expansion of seed production in …