29 Oct
Helen Gurney-Smith
Research Manager, Centre for Shellfish Research, Vancouver Island University
Applied Science for Shellfish Aquaculture Advancement: from New Species Development to Environmental Assessment
Abstract
This presentation will detail research carried out by the Shellfish Health and Husbandry team at the Centre for Shellfish Research, from projects involved in new species development to new health assessment tools and research infrastructure.
Native basket cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii) have been previously targeted as a suitable species for aquaculture development in British Columbia (BC) Canada, due to their relatively fast growth rate, ability to utilize different substrata and their adaption to the local conditions. Previously recent research has been undertaken by the group on broodstock conditioning, fertilization and hatchery stages including dietary preferences, rations, and optimal rearing temperatures for larvae and post-larvae and results will be presented here. Currently research is being conducted on different on-growing strategies for this species, to complete the aquaculture production cycle.
Mass mortalities of mussels have occurred in BC, significantly reducing industry stability and affecting possible expansion. Currently the Myt-OME program aims to develop genomics resources to investigate the effect of different environmental stressing agents on shellfish health and function in the ecosystem. Libraries specific for stress responses are being generated and sequenced to provide the basis of a novel multiple species marine mussel microarray, to examine changes in gene expression with different environmental conditions. In addition other research is investigating the effects of aquaculture husbandry practices on the genetic differentiation of mussel populations.
The Centre for Shellfish Research is a relatively recently evolved institute based at Vancouver Island University in BC and is currently developing a new field based research centre at Deep Bay in the centre of the BC shellfish industry.
Bio
Dr. Helen Gurney-Smith is a research scientist and manager at the Centre for Shellfish Research, and leads the Shellfish Health and Husbandry Group. Before coming to Canada in the summer of 2007 she previously conducted research into shellfish hatcheries including optimal and targeted diets for larvae and spat, stocking densities, rearing temperatures, settlement and conditioning strategies. She has worked as a post-doctoral research fellow in collaboration with academia and industrial partners at the School of Ocean Sciences at University of Wales in Bangor (U.K.) and the Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Centre at University College Cork (Ireland). She earned her PhD from the Gatty Marine Sciences Laboratories at the University of St Andrews (U.K.), a Masters of Research in Bioprocessing from the Department of Biochemical Engineering at University College London (U.K.) and Joint Honours BSc in Marine Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Wales in Bangor (U.K.).
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