Sustainable Seafood Farming

DOT ORG. MOLLUSKS ARE VITAL TO THE FLORIDA ECOSYSTEM PLAYING A MAJOR ROLE IN THE RESTORATION OF LOCAL WATERWAYS. THAT INCLUDES NEAR SANIBEL ISLAND, WHERE OYSTER SHELLS ARE CONTRIBUTING TO MAJOR CHANGES ALONG SAN CARLOS BAY IN 2025. A MASSIVE 3 ACRE OYSTER REEF WAS COMPLETED. IT. IT'S PART OF A PROJECT LED BY THE SANIBEL CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION. IT IS THE LARGEST OF SIMILAR REEFS IN THE ENTIRE AREA TO PROVIDE SANCTUARY FOR OYSTER LARVAE AND DEVELOP A SELF-SUSTAINING ECOSYSTEM. THE OYSTER REEF IS THE LATEST EXAMPLE OF HOW MOLLUSKS ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE OVERALL HEALTH OF FLORIDA'S WATER. >> JOINING ME NOW IS DOCTOR JOE STALEY. ALL HE IS THE SCIENCE DIRECTOR. >> AND THEY CURATOR FOR THE BAILEY MATTHEWS, NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM AND AQUARIUM ON SANIBEL ISLAND. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. GREAT TO BE HERE. JENNIFER. YOU ARE AN EXPERT IN MOLLUSKS. YOU HAVE STUDIED THEM FOR 50 YEARS. 5, 0, >> YES, >> AND WE ARE TALKING TODAY ABOUT WHAT IS A MOLLUSK AND SUSTAINABLE FARMING. SO CAN YOU FIRST SORT OF GIVE US AN UMBRELLA VIEW OF WHAT THE MOLLUSK IS. SURE. >> WELL, MOST BECAUSE A GROUP OF ANIMALS THAT INCLUDE SQUID. OCTOPUS, CLAMS, OYSTERS, MUSSELS SNAILS, AND THEY ALL SHARE SOME FEATURES IN COMMON. YOU NEVER GET TO SOME GENETICS AND CALM. SO, YES, IT'S A VERY LARGE GROUP OF ANIMALS THAT INCLUDES RIGHT? NO MORE THAN 100,000 KNOWN SPECIES AND PROBABLY AS MANY YES TO BE, YOU KNOW, JUST COVERED BY. BUT HUMANS. >> AND MOLLUSKS ARE BEING FARMED FOR SEAFOOD. YES, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? >> WELL, I THINK THE MAIN REASON WHY FARMING MOST FOR SEAFOOD IS IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU BY DOING THAT? YOU GET THE FOOD TO PROVIDE THE FOOD WITHOUT ENCROACHING ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. WITH ALL, YOU KNOW, GOING OUT AND FISHING FROM ALL THOSE IN IN HAVING A PROBLEM GETTING BY CATCH WITH THAT. SO IT IS A VERY ELEGANT SOLUTION IN AND FARM ANIMALS CAN USE A VERY SMALL FOOTPRINT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. AND ACTUALLY, IT IS IN SOME CASES IT COULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THE ENVIRONMENT. WHEN YOU THINK OF OYSTERS, FOR INSTANCE, WHICH ARE ONE OF THE MAINS ALL OF THEIR FARM ON COURSE TO HELP CLEAN THE WATER BECAUSE THEY FILTER FOR FEEDING IT PT BYFIELD 3. AND IN DOING THAT, THEY REMOVE, YOU KNOW, PARTICLES THERE IN THE WATER. THEY REMOVE EXCESS CARBON. THEY REMOVE EXCESS NITROGEN AND AND MAKE THE WATER BETTER FOR OTHER FORMS OF LIFE. >> HOW DOES SOMEONE FARM THEM? WHAT'S THE PROCESS? WELL, THERE ARE MANY, MANY DIFFERENT PROCESSES ARE JUST MISSION OYSTERS FROM. >> WITH OYSTERS, THEY'RE SIMPLE PROCESS IS WHERE YOU CAN PICK UP EMPTY OYSTER SHELLS. YOU DRILL TO THEM AND RUN A REAL STREAM. DEPLOYED THAT INTO YOUR BAY WATERS AND THE NATURALLY THE WATCH THIS PAT, WHICH ARE THE BABY OYSTERS. NEW WILL FLOCK TO COUNT 2 FADEL ALL TO THOSE WEST THERE SHOW. AND THEN THE THING WILL GROW. I MEAN, THE NEW WATCHED IT WILL GROW ON TO THAT STRUCTURE. AND THIS IS ONE JUST ONE WAY OF DOING IT. AND IN SOME CLAIMS, FOR INSTANCE, THEY WILL GROW THE LITTLE YOUNG IN THE IN THE LAB ENCLOSED FACILITY AND AND THEN AT SOME POINT THAT SOME SIZE THEY WILL BAN BRING THAT INTO NASH BACKS, PUT THEM BACK IN THE NATURAL WATER AND AND LEAVING THEM THERE TO GROW. >> AND WHY IS THIS SUSTAINABLE ABILITY SO IMPORTANT >> WELL, I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU YOU'RE NOT MEDDLING WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN THE SENSE THAT NO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT A STOCK. YOU KNOW HOW MANY ARE STILL DOUBT THAT WE CAN FISH. WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SAID IT LIMITS. NUMBERS OF NOTE MOSCA WHO CAN GET. >> I THINK IT'S PRETTY IMPORTANT. SO WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR CONSUMERS TO CHOOSE? SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD WHEN THEY'RE IN THE GROCERY STORE. >> WELL, WE KNOW SUSTAIN A BEACH MEANS. >> PROTECTING THE NATURAL STALKS PROTECTIONS AND NOT INTO THAT ROLE. >> POPULATIONS OF MALLS IF YOU BOUGHT 2. WHO'S DOING YOUR YOUR SHOPPING IF YOU OPT TO CHOOSE A PRODUCT THAT IS BENIN, SUSTAINABLY, HARVESTED OR CULTURE OR FARMED. YOU ARE HELPING PROTECT THE NATURAL POPULATIONS OF THE SPECIES. >> HOW CAN SOMEONE LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS SUSTAINABILITY? YOU KNOW THE RISKS. THERE ARE SEVERAL RESOURCES ONLINE THAT THAT ONE CAN VISIT. ONE OF THEM IS THE MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM. >> THEY HAVE YOU KNOW. COAST OF ITALY UPDATED LIST OF SUSTAINABLE MOLLUSKS AND FISH. ALSO AND I ACTUALLY CARRY A LITTLE CARD WITH ME. SO IF I GO TO A RESTAURANT, YOU CAN OPEN THAT AND CHECK TO SEE IF THAT SPECIES THEY'RE OFFERING THAT POINT. IT'S A SUSTAINABLE. >> SPECIES FOR CONSUMPTION AND YOUR MUSEUM RECENTLY HOSTED AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM ALL ABOUT THIS. WHY IS IT SO SIGNIFICANT TO GET THIS INFORMATION OUT? WELL, WE HAVE VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, ACTUALLY, FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. >> AND ACTUALLY RUN THE PROGRAM YESTERDAY GIVEN BY A INTERN JAMES GRUBER WHO ACTUALLY IS A STUDENT HERE WITH THE FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY. AND THE EVENT WAS YES TO COME UP THE TOPIC AND I HAVEN'T I HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE MUSEUM YET, BUT I WANT TO CHECK AND SEE, YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ATTENDED THE PROGRAM. AND I BET IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. >> AND IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO SEE WHAT MOLLUSK LOOK LIKE THERE, THERE IS A BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY AT YOUR MUSEUM. TELL YOU ABOUT IT. >> YES, WE'RE JUST IN OCTOBER 2025. WE REOPEN OUR GREAT HALL SHELLS, WHICH IS THE FOCAL POINT OF THE MUSEUM OR HAVE A LARGE NUMBER EXHIBITS AND IN THE HURRICANE, IAN WAS ACTUALLY THE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE LAST STRAW TO MAKE MADE U.S. ACT VERY FAST AND REDESIGN THE GREAT HALL AND HAVE ALL THESE NEW INFORMATION IN AND AROUND A COUPLE OF CALLS AND SHELVES THERE FOR PUBLIC VIEW. SO I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO VISIT. >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THANK YOU, DOCTOR. RIGHT.