World Aquaculture December 2019

44 DECEMBER 2019 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG Oyster harvesting and sales serve as a supplementary income source for local fishers in Puerto Rico. Warm year-round temperatures extend the growing season and oysters can quickly reach market size. Using mangroves systems as a nursery for spat collection rather than a harvest site will protect this valuable coastal resource. Conclusions The mangrove oyster is already an important species commercially exploited along the Brazilian and Venezuelan coasts. Mariculture provides a means of controlling where shellfish are raised and could improve product quality and safety as well as support local economic development. Mariculture leases could be used to growmangrove oysters in Puerto Rico. As envisioned, mangrove forests would become nursery areas where juvenile oysters are collected on artificial substrates. Designated growing areas could be established based on land use and water quality. Well-developed farming techniques could be used for rearing the young oysters. This pilot study demonstrates how rearing mangrove oysters in farm leases could potentially aid mangrove conservation, support local economic development and deliver a safer seafood product to local consumers. Notes Heidi Hertler, The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 534-G, Beverly MA 01915, hhertler@fieldstudies.org Jay Levine, Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine 2800 Faucette Dr., Raleigh, NC 27607 jflevine@ncsu.edu Graciela Ramirez-Toro, Inter American University of Puerto Rico Center for Environmental Education, Conservation, and Research, PO Box 5100, San German PR 00683, gramirez@ inter.edu This project was completed under permits issued by the US Army Corp of Engineers (SAJ-2011-0083 (LP-DCM). 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