Aquaculture 2022

February 28 - March 4, 2022

San Diego, California

ANALYSIS OF CARBON AND NITROGEN ISOTOPES TO ASSESS NUTRIENT LOADING IN REHOBOTH BAY, DE AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON OYSTER Crassostrea virginica AQUACULTURE

 

Gulnihal Ozbay, Ph.D.* , Mohana Gadde, Memory Nakazwe,  and Aaron Bland

 

 Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware 19901 USA

*gozbay@desu.edu

 



 Since the 1950s, the Delaware Inland Bays (DIB) oyster ( Crassostrea virginica )  population has succumbed  due to anthropogenic influences. These ch anges decreased tolerance of nutrient influxes and led to the decline of the DIB ecosystem, social, cultural, and economic loss. Established oyster aquaculture sites and pilot reefs are expected to aid in bay restoration but require monitoring to identify nutrient sources. Thus, this research focuses on nitrogen and carbon isotope data from terrestrial, estuarine, and biological sources within Rehoboth Bay, DE to identify possible nonpoint pollution sources through nutrient tracking. The primary objective is to identify non-point pollution sources through monitoring of field sites (Figure 1). It is hypothesized that the greatest difference in isotopic signatures may be found at the wastewater plant and marina near the agricultural site due to high nutrient loading; these findings may correlate with water quality and isotopic data analyses. Samples of soil, submerged sediment, water, and oyster tissues were collected across the bays and analyzed for stable isotopes. Water quality parameters were monitored weekly at aquaculture sites, artificial oyster reefs, and non-reef locations, and nutrient tests identified concentrations of nitrogen, nitrate, ammonia, calcium carbonate hardness, alkalinity, and orthophosphate. Total suspended solids, stable isotopes, and biological analyses were conducted following the standard protocols previously published. R esults showed improved water quality at aquaculture sites and highlighted oyster effectiveness on ecosystem restoration. However, nutrient test analyses indicated a necessity for increased monitoring and data analysis at sites for clearer identification of non-point pollution sources. Isotopic analysis r esults are currently being conducted and is expected to provide further information about pollution sources and aid in the creation of best management practices for oyster aquaculture and bay health restoration.