Where we go from here:
If results show that the shell plantings improve the health of the oyster populations, oyster fishermen may implement them as an adaptation strategy to mitigate the effect of ocean acidification.
Development of the pH proxy will support future scientific efforts to evaluate variability in oyster experiences over large areas and over time as pH continues to increase in response to higher atmospheric CO2 levels.
The Crew:
I’d like to thank Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery for allowing me to do my field work on site, and for their support of my work.
Additionally, I cannot talk about my research without adding an enormous thank you to all of the people who have helped me in the past year. My fieldwork is a minimum of a three-person job, and as a result, I’ve needed to plead for volunteers to help me. Luckily, I have some incredible friends who have jumped at my call.
They’ve been enthusiastic, flexible, patient, and all around incredible. They’ve stuck with me through foggy night-time sampling when we could barely find the sample plots, downpours, 5:00 AM starts, 2:00 AM ends, crab infestations, and surprise elk encounters. Secretly I think they do it for the tacos.
Want to see and learn more? Check out this video from Oregon Sea Grant!