Assessing survival of triploid oysters compared to diploid controls on farms in NS

A parasite present in the Bras dâOrs Lake in Cape Breton, NS has closed the oyster aquaculture and wild fishery in Cape Breton since the initial outbreak in 2002. This parasite has also affected oysters in the Eastern US. The industry in the US has survived and is stable in part due to the production of triploid oysters. Triploid oysters grow to market size faster and this fast growth rate reduces the time the oyster spends in the wild and therefore reduces the timeframe that the oyster may become infected with the parasite. A triploid oyster is one that has three copies of its genome instead of two. The objectives of this project are to develop the most efficient protocols for induction of triploidy for the aquaculture sector in NS. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Sarah Stewart-Clark

Student:

Ian Sewell

Partner:

Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia

Discipline:

Animal science

Sector:

Fisheries and wildlife

University:

Program: