| Citation | Veggerby, K., MD Scheuerell, BL Sanderson, P Kiffney and B Ferriss. 2024. Shellfish aquaculture farms as foraging habitat for nearshore fishes and crabs. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 16:e10282. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10282 (https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10282) |
| Title | Shellfish aquaculture farms as foraging habitat for nearshore fishes and crabs (v2) |
| Publication Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Keywords | shellfish, habitat, ecosystem services, feeding, oysters, aquaculture |
| Abstract | Oyster reefs across North America have declined precipitously over the past 140 years. In Washington State, Olympia oyster Ostrea lurida reefs historically provided water filtration and nearshore structural habitat for fishes and invertebrates, but these oysters are now functionally extinct across almost all their historical range. In place of these naturally occurring reefs, commercial shellfish farms consisting mainly of non-native Pacific oysters Magallana gigas now occupy patches of nearshore habitat across the Puget Sound, as well as inside several bays and inlets along the Washington outer coastline. These farms modify the intertidal substrate by adding structural habitat in the form of suspended oyster grow bags, predator exclusion nets, loose oyster beds, and other shellfish grow-out gear. As interest and investment in shellfish aquaculture has expanded both locally and globally, so too has interest in how these farms modify intertidal habitat, and whether the complex structure |
| Official Citation | Veggerby, K., MD Scheuerell, BL Sanderson, P Kiffney and B Ferriss. 2024. Shellfish aquaculture farms as foraging habitat for nearshore fishes and crabs. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 16:e10282. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10282 |
| Links | (https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10282) |