Why Grow Shellfish?

  • World population will exceed 9.6 billion by 2050.
  • Aquaculture, or the farming of aquatic organisms, currently supplies half of the fish and shellfish consumed in the world.
  • The United States currently ranks 17th in world production and imports over 90% of its seafood, resulting in a trade deficit of over $10 billion.
  • Expansion of the U.S. aquaculture industry will reduce the trade deficit, create new businesses and jobs and revitalize working waterfronts.
  • Shellfish (clams, oysters, scallops and mussels) farming is sustainable; shellfish filter (clean) the water as they feed.
  • There is an increasing recognition of the value of shellfish in ecological restoration.
  • Thus, shellfish are not only good to eat, they are good for the economy and the environment.

Who We Are:  
  • Shellfish Producers
  • Shellfish Processors
  • Seafood Distributors
  • Restaurant Owners
  • Scientists
  • Environmental Stewards
Our Partners:  

  • Bay Shellfish Company
  • BeachHouse Restaurant
  • Eckerd College
  • Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission
  • Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department
  • Mar Vista Restaurant
  • Mote Marine Laboratory
  • Port Manatee
  • Sandbar Restaurant
  • Sarasota Bay Watch
  • Sea Grant Extension
  • Stanford Research Institute
  • Tampa Bay Estuary Program

  • Two Docks Shellfish
  • USF College of Marine Science
Projects:  

What factors control reproduction in the Sunray Venus Clam, Macrocallista nimbosa?



Sunray venus clams are native to Florida and have been recognized as a potential commercial species for many years.  Recently, growers in Florida have begun producing sunrays for local restaurants.  The supply has not met demand due to the lack of a reliable supply of juvenile (seed) clams.


Researchers with the Gulf Shellfish Institute, in collaboration with a commercial shellfish hatchery, are investigating the factors that control the reproductive process so that juveniles can be produced throughout the year.


Funding source: Aquaculture Review Council, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

 Do native clams, Mercenaria campechiensis, enhance seagrass growth?


The Gulf Shellfish Institute is working with Port Manatee to determine the effectiveness of planting native clams as a means of augmenting seagrass production in Tampa Bay. Researchers will compare water quality, sediment composition, and seagrass growth between areas stocked with clams and areas receiving no clams.


Clams were once a commercial fishery in Tampa Bay.  Not only will this project help improve water quality in the bay (and thus support enhanced seagrass production), it will help restock this once valuable resource.


                                                                       Funding Source: Tampa Bay Environmental Restoration Fund (Tampa Bay Estuary Program)