Tag: Shirley Baker

Oyster-Predator Dynamics and Climate Change

Figure 3. The oyster bed is photographed at low tide when the animals are exposed to the air. These are called inter-tidal oyster beds. In some places in Florida, where the water is deeper in the estuary, the oysters always are underwater. These are called sub-tidal oyster beds. Credit: UF/IFAS photo

Oysters are one of the most important natural resources found in coastal and estuarine areas of Florida, but some Florida oyster populations appear to be declining. One possible driver of oyster population decline is increased mortality from oyster predators, including marine snails. But other environmental factors, such as changes in temperature or salinity, may also affect oysters. This 5-page fact sheet written by Gabrielle Love, Shirley Baker, and Edward V. Camp and published by the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences describes how a changing climate may affect oysters directly but also indirectly by affecting their predators.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa228

Diagnostic Methods for the Comprehensive Health Assessment of the Long-Spined Sea Urchin, Diadema antillarum

Using a dissecting microscope to examine D. antillarum. This animal was to be necropsied, so spines were cut prior to the exam. If the procedure is planned as a nonlethal exam, the spines should not be damaged.

This 55-page document contains a wealth of information on the long-spined sea urchin, which is an important animal in coral reef ecosystems. The publication discusses diagnostic methods for Diadema antillarum and provides reporting forms for laboratory and diagnostic work. Written by Ruth Francis-Floyd, Jan Landsberg, Roy Yanong, Yasu Kiryu, Shirley Baker, Deborah Pouder, William Sharp, Gabriel Delgado, Nicole Stacy, Tom Waltzek, Heather Walden, Roxanna Smolowitz, and Greg Beck, and published by the UF/IFAS Veterinary Medicine—Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department, May 2020.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm244

Molluscan Shellfish Aquaculture and Production

Bags of clams packaged for sale. Ocean, seafood, fishing. UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones.
Molluscan shellfish aquaculture provides high quality and high value seafood for human consumption, and shellfish provide environmentally beneficial ecosystem services, such as nutrient extraction and water filtration, to the environment in which they are grown. In the past five decades, global fisheries and aquaculture have grown steadily, and seafood consumption per capita has increased. Molluscan shellfish has traditionally been a major component of world aquaculture. Today, molluscs are cultured in 76 countries. This 8-page fact sheet written by Huiping Yang, Leslie N. Sturmer, and Shirley Baker describes molluscan shellfish aquaculture in the United States and worldwide and outlines molluscan shellfish aquaculture stages and methodologies.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa191

FA152 The Role of Dissolved Oxygen in Hard Clam Aquaculture

FA152, an 11-page illustrated fact sheet by Kerry Weber, Elise Hoover, Leslie Sturmer, and Shirley Baker, discusses dissolved oxygen in clam leases, how to monitor varying concentrations, signs of oxygen stress, how it affects hard clam production, and how to develop a management strategy to adapt to dissolved oxygen levels. Includes contact information for state specialists, glossary and references. Published by the UF Program of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation, December 2008.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FA152