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End Date
8-5-2020 10:40 AM
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Department
Environmental Science and Policy
Faculty Mentor
Terry Shehata, PhD
Keywords
shellfish, oyster farm, restoration, aquatic ecosystems, grant writing
Abstract
This grant proposal is being submitted by a non-profit organization that aims to preserve and restore aquatic ecosystems in specifically designated regions as well as to educate the public on ways this is done and what they can do to help. We are requesting funding to create an oyster farm along any given section of the coast off of the State of Maine. The oyster farm will consist of approximately 50 floating bags and a single up-weller that contains 8 drums within that has the capability of housing 10,000 baby oysters. Part of the funding will go towards a wintering shed which will house the oysters over the winter until Maine’s waters are warm enough for them to continue to grow in. Our aim is to raise 10,000 oysters for three years until they are considered adults. Through working with volunteers we will be able to educate them about oysters and their benefits to the ecosystem. We will hold public information seminars and classes for school-aged students where they will be able to learn and ask questions about shellfishing and what we are doing to preserve and restore Maine’s coastal waters. Oysters filter up to 50 gallons of water a day which takes out free-floating particulate matter and bacteria from the water. This project will impact the public by having a higher compliance rate with shellfish regulations, a 5% increase in the natural shellfish population by the end of the first 3 years and will significantly improve water quality.
Carina Way Presentation Transcript
Open Access?
1
Shell Fishing for the Community
This grant proposal is being submitted by a non-profit organization that aims to preserve and restore aquatic ecosystems in specifically designated regions as well as to educate the public on ways this is done and what they can do to help. We are requesting funding to create an oyster farm along any given section of the coast off of the State of Maine. The oyster farm will consist of approximately 50 floating bags and a single up-weller that contains 8 drums within that has the capability of housing 10,000 baby oysters. Part of the funding will go towards a wintering shed which will house the oysters over the winter until Maine’s waters are warm enough for them to continue to grow in. Our aim is to raise 10,000 oysters for three years until they are considered adults. Through working with volunteers we will be able to educate them about oysters and their benefits to the ecosystem. We will hold public information seminars and classes for school-aged students where they will be able to learn and ask questions about shellfishing and what we are doing to preserve and restore Maine’s coastal waters. Oysters filter up to 50 gallons of water a day which takes out free-floating particulate matter and bacteria from the water. This project will impact the public by having a higher compliance rate with shellfish regulations, a 5% increase in the natural shellfish population by the end of the first 3 years and will significantly improve water quality.
