Intense competition to harvest the state’s oysters led to an increase in armed pirates patrolling the waters. Fishers then looked farther south to the oysters of North Carolina. By the 1880s, the oyster beds of Maryland and Virginia were almost completely decimated due to destructive harvest practices that relied on iron dredging. These filter feeders sustained coastal economies, acted as natural cleanup crews and served as symbols for the coastal way of life for generations.Īs the United States rebuilt after the Civil War, many families on the East Coast turned to oyster harvesting for both food and money. Furthermore, oyster reefs act as effective storm buffers, dissipating storm wave energy and stabilizing estuarine shorelines.Īlong the coast and in streams, oysters filled North Carolina’s waters long before Europeans arrived in the 16th century. Healthy oyster populations improve water quality through nutrient filtering, and they provide nursery and protective habitats to finfish and other marine organisms. Native to North Carolina, Eastern oysters are critical to the ecological balance of the state’s waters. Sustainable: describes activities in which environmental degradation is minimized, especially by avoiding the long-term depletion of natural resources Background Seed oyster: a juvenile oyster, or a mature one ready to spawn, especially as used to stock a commercial oyster bed Nursery: stage of species cultivation between the hatchery and the growout phase this operation is designed to rapidly grow small seed at low cost to a size suitable for transfer to growout trays, bags or nets Monoculture: cultivation of a single crop, or the maintenance of a single kind of animal, to the exclusion of others Hatchery: facility for the propagation of the early life stages of aquaculture species, including seed production Growout: final stage of aquaculture production in which a species is raised for harvest Vocabularyīenthos: flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake or other water body these organisms are usually scavengers or feed on dead organic materialĬarbon sequestration: process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and depositing it in a reservoirĮcosystem services: benefits, such as pollination and decomposition, that humans gain from properly functioning ecosystemsĮstuary: partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more freshwater rivers or streams flowing into it, and a connection to the open sea Explain how the use, protection and conservation of natural resources by humans impact the environment from one generation to the next.Infer how human activities (including population growth, pollution, global warming, burning of fossil fuels, habitat destruction and introduction of nonnative species) may impact the environment. ![]() Critique conventional and sustainable agriculture and aquaculture practices in terms of their environmental impacts.Explain how human activities impact the biosphere.The lesson will focus primarily on the Eastern oyster ( Crassostrea virginica), which is the most commonly grown shellfish species in North Carolina.ĭuration: 1 class period Science Standards In this lesson, students will learn about the ecosystem benefits of shellfish and the role that shellfish aquaculture plays in reducing harvest pressure on wild stocks. ![]() They also help anchor numerous food webs, as larvae and adults alike. Shellfish are bivalve mollusks that provide critical habitat for many finfish and other marine organisms. Describe a complex food web associated with aquaculture farming. ![]() Explain how oysters are grown with aquaculture methods.ģ. ![]() Identify the ecosystem benefits that shellfish contribute, especially the effects on nearshore benthos.Ģ. Lesson 6: Shellfish Biology and Aquaculture Homeīy the end of this lesson, students will be able to:ġ.
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