Kelp + oysters farming in shallow water bays
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Hi all ... I'm new to all of this and am heavily into research mode. I am in Texas, one of the last states to allow oyster farming. I know this program and organization are heavily focused on kelp farming, and I was curious if kelp and oyster farming in the same area would be feasible in a shallow water bay environment, thinking water depth < 10 ft.
@justin_dove13 Have you taken a look at the online oyster course ? They may have an answer to your question as well as some other helpful information for farming in the Gulf of Mexico.
@jwhis Oh cool, thanks for the heads up! I went further in the courses here and learned that kelp is a cold water plant, which obviously won't work in Texas. I also reached out the SeaGrant/Texas A&M partnership to ask about a few things and see what options are available for creating a diverse farm. I also learned that Texas was one of the last states to allow oyster farm permits. A lot of learning going on over here.
@jwhis Oh cool, thanks for the heads up! I went further in the courses here and learned that kelp is a cold water plant, which obviously won't work in Texas. I also reached out the SeaGrant/Texas A&M partnership to ask about a few things and see what options are available for creating a diverse farm. I also learned that Texas was one of the last states to allow oyster farm permits. A lot of learning going on over here.
@justin_dove13 Hi Justin, kelp tends to need cooler water temperatures (<60 degrees) so I imagine you'd have a hard time cultivating kelp species in Texan waters. However, there is some promising work happening in Florida and the Caribbean on other types of tropical seaweed cultivation. Check out some of the links to these projects in this community post thread.
@lindsay_olsen Awesome, thank you so much! I'll definitely check these out. The diverse farming methods promoted by GreenWave (kelp + shellfish) to both diversify income but also have a greater impact on the ecological system as a whole seems very appealing. I'm also curious, though, if maybe coupling oyster farming and another conservation effort supported by the USDA might also be beneficial, particularly in Texas or other warm water environs.
@lindsay_olsen Awesome, thank you so much! I'll definitely check these out. The diverse farming methods promoted by GreenWave (kelp + shellfish) to both diversify income but also have a greater impact on the ecological system as a whole seems very appealing. I'm also curious, though, if maybe coupling oyster farming and another conservation effort supported by the USDA might also be beneficial, particularly in Texas or other warm water environs.