How We Help
Research
Learn about current research projects happening at the Gulf Shellfish Institute.
Bivalve and Seagrass Co-benefits
Climate-ready Shellfish
Ecosystem Services of Bivalves
New Aquaculture Species Development
Bivalve & Seagrass Co-benefits
Seagrasses are marine foundation species that provide essential ecosystem services including nursery habitat, sediment stabilization, and carbon capture.
Large-scale seagrass declines due to poor water quality and harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a major concern across the State of Florida. However, innovative and cost-effective restoration techniques incorporating positive interactions with bivalves could improve seagrass outcomes and accelerate natural recovery.
GSI is currently working on several laboratory and field-based research projects that aim to understand whether native bivalves (Mercenaria campechiensis) can facilitate seagrass growth and productivity. We currently utilize shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) in the majority of our co-restoration studies due to its important ecological role as an early successional species in subtropical seagrass beds and extensive use in Florida seagrass restoration.
Watch our team deploy hard clams to seagrass restoration plots in Sarasota Bay, Florida.
Climate-ready Shellfish
Global environmental change is reshaping marine communities, and thermal stress negatively impacts Florida's aquaculture industry.
Climate change poses many challenges for shellfish, with industry partners beginning to report mass summer mortalities in their stocks; despite these setbacks, aquaculture demand continues to increase following the collapse of wild fisheries.
GSI is currently researching the effects of multiple environmental stressors (thermal stress and salinity stress) on some of the industry’s most iconic and profitable shellfish species. Importantly, GSI has demonstrated that not all bivalves are equally resilient to these environmental stressors. Understanding how high temperatures and extreme salinities interact in a rapidly changing marine environment will help farmers better adapt to current and future conditions, select future lease locations, and time both stock movement and harvesting for minimal product loss.
Read more about our project results here.
As part of our climate-ready shellfish research, we’ve distributed heat tolerant hard clams to industry partners for conditioning and spawning. Resulting F1 progeny have been successfully grown in a nursery setting and out-planted on commercial leases as part of an experimental, selective breeding program to promote a more climate-resilient shellfish industry here in Florida.
Ecosystem Services of Bivalves
Bivalves, including clams and oysters, play a crucial role in marine ecosystems through their ability to filter water and influence nutrient cycling.
By filtering suspended particles and excess nutrients from the water column, bivalves help maintain water quality and clarity, mitigating the risk of eutrophication and harmful algal blooms (HABs).
GSI is quantifying clearance rates in a variety of economically and ecologically important shellfish species, such as the northern hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), southern hard clam (Mercenaria campechiensis), eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), and the bay scallop (Argopecten irradians). In addition to bivalve size, we also examine how a variety of environmental parameters affect filtration rates. GSI also plans to examine bivalve filtration in the presence of red tide (Karenia brevis) to determine how well shellfish can counteract HABs and to better understand the delivery of this important ecosystem service under adverse conditions.
As part of our All Clams on Deck Initiative, GSI has partnered with researchers at the University of Florida to determine how large-scale clam restoration projects can influence nutrient cycling in coastal ecosystems. Click here to view a study on nitrogen removal in restored bivalve reefs.
New Aquaculture Species Development
Aquaculture is gaining importance as a climate-smart and sustainable means of food production.
With rising global populations and the progression of climate change, our food systems are under increasing strain. To ensure food production is resilient, fair, and sustainable, ongoing research and development of new aquaculture techniques and methods are essential.
While aquaculture in Florida predominantly focuses on the culture of northern hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria), GSI and industry partners are currently investigating the potential of new shellfish species to be cultured for both commercial and restoration purposes. Research that supports the successful culturing of new species will allow farmers to diversify production and minimize risks, enabling the industry to expand in ways which simultaneously benefit coastal communities and the environment.
Ask a scientist!
Share your questions with us, and let's explore together how science can address real-world challenges effectively.