Phase 2 of Increasing the Global Presence of Oyster Nurseries Through Adoption of Large Field-Based Bottle Upwellers: Optimization + Field Studies

Commodities

• Animals: shellfish

Practices

• Animal Production: aquaculture
• Crop Production: nurseries
• Education and Training: on-farm/ranch research

Many small- and mid-scale shellfish farms lack access to floating upweller system (FLUPSY) nurseries, limiting their ability to produce high-quality seed and constraining the growth of sustainable shellfish aquaculture. Our ongoing Western SARE-funded project has demonstrated that land-based bottle upweller systems (BUPSYs) using large bottles can serve as a low-cost, low-labor alternative with consistently high survival. However, two questions remain critical for broader producer adoption: (1) how BUPSY-reared seed performs through grow-out to market, and (2) how to optimize BUPSY bottle design to improve growth rates and shell shape. This Phase 2 project addresses these producer-identified needs through two objectives.

Objective 1: Pilot test a new bottle designed to reduce agitation and promote more uniform flow, potentially reducing cupping and increasing growth rates.

Objective 2: Evaluate growth, survival, shell strength, and marketability (cup shape, shuckability) of BUPSY-grown seed throughout grow-out in commercial farm conditions, compared with genetically matched seed grown simultaneously via FLUPSY. Tracking performance from nursery to market will determine whether BUPSYs provide equal or improved economic returns.

This project will provide growers with a new, validated nursery option that increases farm capacity, improves profitability, and decentralizes seed production to strengthen the resilience of rural aquaculture communities across the Western region. Expected outcomes include: (1) full performance metrics for BUPSY-reared oysters from nursery to market, benchmarked against FLUPSY production; and (2) an optimized, adoptable bottle design for Pacific Coast farms. Outreach will include on-farm demonstrations, presentations at regional shellfish growers' conferences and workshops, and digital resources for producers.

Objective 1: Test a new bottle upwelling system (BUPSY) bottle shape that is designed to reduce agitation and promote more uniform flow, potentially reducing shell cupping and increasing growth rates.

Objective 2: Evaluate on-farm performance and marketability of BUPSY-grown seed compared with genetically matched seed grown simultaneously via floating upweller system (FLUPSY).