SYMP 9-4 - Ocean protein for the plant: interdisciplinary research to improve sustainable aquaculture practices

The ocean supplies 17% of protein to humans. Thus, a goal of the UN Ocean Decade is to promote marine food supplies and ocean economies that are sustainable in a changing climate. To meet this goal, there is a large movement to increase marine protein production via economically and environmentally sustainable aquaculture practices. Here, I present a case study in abalone aquaculture that illustrates how integrating basic research in biomechanics, physiology, and ecology in conjunction with strong academic-industry partnerships can inform sustainable practices in shellfish aquaculture.

Abalone aquaculture increased 500% between 2006-2016 and currently shows no signs of abatement. Abalone farming in the U.S. is relatively small compared to other shellfish markets, but its demand is growing, especially in California. Abalone farming has the added benefit of reducing environmental impacts, such as eutrophication and habitat modification, compared to other aquaculture systems. Thus, advancing this industry provides an exciting opportunity to develop large scale, economically sustainable aquaculture practices that attract a range of stakeholders, such as seafood markets, restaurants, and even artists, given the beautiful shells that these animals produce.

Unfortunately, abalone are extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially ocean acidification (OA), which is already altering shellfish aquaculture. OA has been shown to impact growth, physiology, and shell calcification at every stage of development. Co-culturing shellfish with seaweeds via integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) is a proposed mechanism for ameliorating OA impacts on shellfish production. Specifically, seaweeds uptake CO2, increasing seawater pH and creating more favorable conditions for growth and calcification.

We are leveraging academic-industry partnerships between Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and local California farms for abalone (Monterey Abalone Company), oysters (Hog Island Oyster Company), and seaweeds (Monterey Bay Seaweeds) to design IMTA systems that mitigate the impacts of OA on shellfish. By combining tools in biomechanics, physiology, and ecology, we have documented significant increases in growth, shell thickness, and shell strength in abalone that were grown in co-culture with seaweeds. Thus, our approach has exciting potential to improve the time to market, durability during transport, and overall abalone production, which will greatly benefit abalone and other shellfish markets. More broadly, this case study illustrates how basic research on the organismal level can be used to inform critical goals of the UN Ocean Decade. It further advocates for the contribution of basic research to applied solutions for ocean policy and management.