Understanding Shellfish Aquaculture Environments in North America and Europe by Combining Field Measurements with Computational Fluid Dynamics and Bioenergetic Models
Carter Newell, Blue Hill Hydraulics Incorporated
This talk will summarize 20 years of research performed in Maine (mussel bottom and raft cultures), British Columbia (oyster raft cultures), Washington State (manila clam bag and net cultures, mussel raft and geoduck cultures), and Ireland (mussel bottom and longline cultures and oyster trestles) by the authors to understand how particle flux and consumption by shellfish cultures effects aquaculture productivity. Utilization of 2-D and 3-D flow models, calibrated with field measurements, provides an oceanographic context to site selection and biomass management on the farms. Detailed studies of aquaculture structures (rafts, bags, nets, trestles) and their effects on flow and particle flux are used to develop farm scale models. Field investigations of shellfish growth and feeding behavior using benthic ecosystem tunnels, biodeposition chambers and moored current meters and CTD’s provide a calibration of bioenergetic models. Flow and seston depletion models, for farm scale and bay scale effects of aquaculture, have recently been put in a GIS context using STEM-GIS, and results may be exported to end users in executable files.