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Testing natural substrates for Crassostrea virginica settlement

Seychelle Brainard • Cooperative Oxford Lab • NCCOS

Mentor: Dr. Jason Spires

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Biography

Smith College 2025
Environmental Science & Policy and Mathematical Statistics
Why this internship?
Marine Science Graduate School

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Summary

Nature Based Settlement Experiment

Monitoring Station Upgrades

Oyster Growth Modeling

Miscellaneous

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Nature Based Settlement Experiment

Background: OYSTERS OYSTERS OYSTERS

The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is a keystone species

Current population is estimated to be about 1% of historic levels

Targeted oyster restoration effort

Photo Credit: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/oyster-reef-habitat

Photo Credit: https://www.scarce.org/return-of-the-oysters/

Photo Credit: https://www.umces.edu/oysters/history

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Nature Based Settlement Experiment

Project Description

This study compares the settlement rates of Crassostrea virginica (C. virginica) larvae on natural substrates to oyster valves

Goal: “green the gray”

Photo Credit: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/research-shows-hardened-shorelines-threaten-seagrass/

Uncoated Basalt Fiber

Coated Basalt Fiber

Coconut Fiber

NCCOS research helps inform and drive strategic restoration and management of coastal habitats in order to enhance ecosystem services. Our research provides the science, models, and tools required for evaluating performance and restoration for a wide array of habitats and ecosystems including coral reefs, estuaries, and oysters. With natural and nature-based infrastructure, decisions about where and how to create and restore coastal habitats can influence ecosystem service delivery and as a result, the resilience of coastal communities to inundation and other climate-related stressors. Our restoration science and products allow land managers, decision makers, and communities to make informed, data-driven decisions about how to best plant for, adapt to, and mitigate climate-enhanced threats to ecosystem services and coastal habitats

INCLUDE THAT THIS WAS PRIMARY DONE IN OXFORD BUT ALSO WORKED AT UMD HORN POINT OYSTER HATCHERY

Goal: “green the grey” with natural materials to foster the growth of oyster reefs and develop new, more sustainable aquaculture practices

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Nature Based Settlement Experiment

Methods

Settlement materials: coconut fiber, uncoated basalt

fiber, coated basalt fiber, oyster valve

Settlement Chambers: 1000 larvae each

5 day settlement period being fed algae

Counted the number of spat attached to each material

Placed in flow-through for 2 weeks

Oyster valve, control (C)

Uncoated basalt fiber (UB)

Coconut fiber (CF)

Coated basalt fiber (BF)

Settlement Chamber

Pediveliger Larvae pre transfer to settlement chamber

Diagram of settlement chamber set up in COL’s habitat lab

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Nature Based Settlement Experiment

Results

Coconut Fiber

Coated Basalt Fiber

Oyster Valve

Uncoated Basalt Fiber

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Nature Based Settlement Experiment

Results

Circle represent data points from the pseudoreplicates and crosses represent means for settlement materials

17.3%

16.9%

7.4%

7.3%

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Nature Based Settlement Experiment

Scaling up: Horn Point Oyster Hatchery

University of Maryland Horn Point Oyster Hatchery

3 meters of coconut fiber in setting tank

Purpose: pilings, rocks, bay bottom

1 million C. virginica larvae

Kept on flow through for 3 weeks

Adding larvae

Settlement tank set up

Confirmation of settlement

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Nature Based Settlement Experiment

Results

Results after two weeks in flow through tanks

Significant loss

Coconut Fiber

Uncoated Basalt Fiber

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Nature Based Settlement Experiment

Discussion

Potential to be suitable for oyster settlement

Next steps: variations of these materials

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Oceanographic Monitoring Systems

Continuous Deployments and Upgrades

Water quality data from COL for public use

Modified for long-term deployment and reprogrammed

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Oyster Growth Curves

Bottom Grown Oysters

Bottom grown oyster growth model

Farm Aquaculture Resource Management (FARM) model and Maryland Nutrient Trading Program
3-year oyster aquaculture cultivation cycle in one year

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Internship Competencies

Systems thinking

Developing knowledge synthesis and systems thinking skills
Analyzing ideas and evaluate information
Identifying important aspects of the system
Form logical conclusions based on evidence and evaluation

o Constructs a problem statement with evidence of the most relevant contextual factors

o Identifies important aspects of the system

Describes how parts of the system interact

o Relates how the system interacts with the outside world

o Proposes one or more solutions that are sensitive to contextual factors such as ethical,

logical, and cultural dimensions of the problem

o Develops a logical, consistent, feasible plan to solve the problem

o Analyzes own and others’ assumptions and points of view when making an argument

o Conceptualizes, applies, analyzes, synthesizes, and/or evaluates information gathered

from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication,

as a guide to belief and action

o Makes logical conclusions based on previous evidence and evaluation

o Synthesizes existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways

o Performs, makes, thinks, or acts in imaginative ways characterized by innovation,

divergent thinking, and intellectual risk-taking

Over the course of the internship, I worked to develop my knowledge synthesis and systems thinking skills. Especially during the nature based settlement experiment, I was given the opportunity to take the lead on this project which required me to analyze different ideas, evaluate the information from literature and observations, and apply these theories to the experiment. When we observed significant fall off, it forced me to consider different aspects of the system to determine the limitations and develop the next steps for this project.

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Miscellaneous

Dive operations support, vessel safety training, oyster shucking, fishing and more!

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Thank you for your time and interest

Special thanks to Jason Spires, COL, Smith College, CRC, and Horn Point Oyster Hatchery