A TARGETED FIELD SURVEY OF PARASITES ON OYSTER AQUACULTURE FARMS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

The goals of this project are to increase sustainability of oyster aquaculture farms using novel data on parasite transmission, to provide an improved understanding of physiological trade-offs in oysters infected with multiple parasites, and to build climate change scenarios for bio-eroding oyster parasites that will inform climate change adaptation. We will work towards these long-term goals through three objectives: (1) Test whether connectivity to wild oyster reefs is linked to bio-eroder parasite impacts on oyster farms, relative to other environmental conditions and farm practices; (2) Assess body condition trade-offs in oysters co-infected with bio-eroders and P. marinus; and (3) Determine linkages between bio-eroders and climate-relevant parameters.