Drought, lack of fresh water and over harvesting all pose a threat to oysters. However, one farm in Florida, USA is taking a proactive approach by trying out an innovative kind of technology.
Leo Lovel's Spring Creek Oyster Company has a lease to grow
oysters in floating cages near the water's surface. Current law
requires the cages to be within six inches of the sea floor.
Floating cages have been used to successfully farm oysters in Spain, Italy, Australia and Canada but are new to Florida.
Oysters grow faster in floating cages as there are more nutrients at the top of the water.
When it comes to aquaculture, flexibility is not a word you hear often.
Usually we read about strictly regimented operations where every last detail has been carefully planned. So news of a farm that will run on a 'learning by doing' basis caught my attention.
Plans for a 300-hectare site in Waikato, New Zealand, include a private operater growing either kingfish or hapuka while a contractor monitors the environmental impact. Initially, this method will be trialled over half the area with plans to upscale it if it is a success.
The council believes this approach is suitable at the right scale and benefits from the ability to react to problems swiftly.
The development holds potential for significant money and jobs in the region. A council-funded study estimates that 6,000 tonnes
of fish farming will generate NZ$100 million create 470
full time jobs.
An Antarctic lake 4 km below the ice might be home to fish according to a study published in the PLoS One Journal.
Scientists sifted genetic material in ice drilled from close to the surface of Lake Vostok and found signatures for organisms such as bacteria that are often associated with marine molluscs, crustaceans and even fish.
However, the team have also suggested that the material may also represent past contamination.
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| Modification of a picture by David Monniaux (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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