NOAA scientist to discuss shellfish feeding at DMC

On Wednesday, June 12, at 6 p.m. the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center will host a talk by Dr. Darien Mizuta, of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Laboratory in Milford, CT.

The presentation is titled “In situ feeding performance for shellfish culture” and it will highlight a recent study of how shellfish filtration is affected by local environmental factors, such as temperature and food quality and quantity.

Understanding filtration and feeding performance of shellfish is important to both wild and cultured populations. For farming especially, this critical information is used to determine the best sites for productive farms. Dr. Mizuta reviews techniques and considerations used when evaluating sites for shellfish aquaculture, showing as example a previous work at an offshore mussel farm in Massachusetts, and explains how the same approach can be applied to sea scallops here in Maine.

The event is also a chance to hear about the work of the NOAA Milford Laboratory, which has a long history of support and collaboration with the shellfish industry of the Northeast.  As a partner and a resource for research and development in shellfish production, local growers will benefit from understanding the mission and capacity of this federal laboratory, and connecting with staff members.

Dr. Mizuta will be joined by NOAA Milford Laboratory Director Dr. Gary Wikfors, Mark Dixon, Dr. Shannon Meseck and Dr. Skylar Bayer (formerly at the Darling Marine Center) also from the Milford Lab. In addition, the group will include Dr. Seabom Sohn, East Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Gangeung, Korea.  There will be plenty of time for discussion and networking during the meeting.

The talk will be held in the Library Classroom on the Darling Marine Center’s upper campus.

Since seating is limited, an RSVP is needed for this meeting. For more information, a reasonable accommodation or to RSVP to this event, please contact Dana Morse, Maine Sea Grant and University of Maine Cooperative Extension, at dana.morse@maine.edu, or 207.563.8186.