Biofouling Species on Kelp and Oyster Farms

How do environmental conditions influence fouling and nuisance species associated with kelp (Alaria marginata and Saccharina latissima) and Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) farms?

Mariculture, the cultivation of marine plants and shellfish, is a growing, sustainable industry in Alaska outlined as a high research priority in the Alaska Science and Technology Plan.

Kelp and shellfish mariculture practices require various structures that provide substrate for a diversity of biofouling organisms to settle and grow.

During community visits and ongoing conversations between Alaska EPSCoR researchers and mariculture farmers, farmers expressed concern that changing environmental conditions could encourage the growth of biofouling species. Biofouling species are organisms that compete with mariculture species for resources, like weeds, and thereby reduce crop quality. Organisms like tunicates can clog up oyster cages, reducing water flow. Kelp adorned with biofouling species is less marketable.

While farmers clean their gear of biofoulers, their growth is still a broad concern. Researchers will investigate if reduced salinity and increased turbidity correlate with a reduction of fouling organisms.

To determine sources of variability in salinity and turbidity, researchers will examine how freshwater discharge influences farm water conditions.