Wayne Porter

Captain United States Navy (Retired)

The Role of Aquaculture in Providing Sustainable Food Security and Prosperity

Several years ago, I co-wrote with Marine Colonel Mark Mykleby, A National Strategic Narrative, to provide a positive direction for our nation in the 21st Century. The essence of that strategic vision, was a focus on the sustainability of prosperity and security, empowered by values that characterize us as Americans. Values we share with much of the world. As the Special Assistant for Strategy to then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ADM Mike Mullen, I was focused on global trends – both threats and opportunities. Food security and environmental impacts were high on my list. In fact, as a result, I was named the first Walton Fellow at ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability, and my doctoral dissertation dealt with the importance of sustaining agriculture and aquaculture here in Monterey County, and across the nation. Mike Graham, and the folks here at the Moss Landing Marine Labs, helped open my eyes to the opportunities we have here in California to become a leader in aquaculture education and development. Aquaculture has remained a personal interest of mine, both on the Board of Advisors for Ocean Sustainability for Paul Alan’s Vulcan endeavor and in work I have done on fisheries protection with the Indonesian Navy while at NPS. In fact, I also maintain a house in Maine, another state with great interest in both offshore and inshore aquaculture and fisheries commercial development.

As the world’s population approaches nine billion, the role of sustainable fish and aquaculture harvests is increasingly critical both for food security and global market viability. Just as Silicon Valley has been a powerful engine for the national and global economy, so too, can California now lead the way in demonstrating the innovation, technology, and stewardship of aquaculture needed to drive us toward a better, more prosperous, stable, and sustainable future. I commend you all on recognizing the need to convene this conference, and I encourage you to pursue the opportunity this offers to move our and state and the nation into even greater prosperity, while addressing a critical national and global security challenge.

Mike Rust

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association

Aquaculture Science Advisor

Marine Aquaculture - California Style!

California often leads the nation on new technology and ideas that inspire change nationally and internationally. California values often become national values and even world values, as California’s products and ideas circle the globe. Why can’t California define what marine aquaculture will look like, not just locally, but for the nation? For that matter, the western world? California is a land with deep respect for the environment, excellent science organizations, a rich agricultural tradition and it’s the epicenter of high tech. Californians are picky about where their food comes from. Californians enjoy a high quality of life. This also means that business is regulated, laws are complex, labor is expensive and the population is well educated. These factors inform a ecosystem approach to aquaculture in a western context that has four attributes as it’s foundation. An ecosystem approach to aquaculture is a systematic approach in a (1) geographically specified area that contributes to the (2) resilience and sustainability of the ecosystem; (3) recognizes the physical, biological, economic, and social interactions among the affected components of the ecosystem, (including humans); and seeks to (4) optimize benefits among a diverse set of societal goals. Addressing California’s values can produce a new model for marine aquaculture....but we better hurry because the rest of the world is not waiting.

Jerry Schubel (Aquarium of the Pacific)

John Molina (Pacific Six)

California, the Land of Opportunity for Marine Aquaculture…? And Why one Person Took the Plunge

This will review the challenges and the opportunities, the risks and potential rewards for the U.S. and California to become leaders in offshore aquaculture, with an emphasis on finfish aquaculture. John Molina, Pacific Ocean AquaFarms will describe why he decided to take the plunge and invest in a farm proposed for off San Diego.

Tony VaughtOwner of Professional Aquaculture Services

Vice President of the California Aquaculture Association

California Aquaculture: Where we are and how we got there

California has a long history in aquaculture, with over two dozen species grown for food recreation and research. Private aquaculture is diverse due to California’s rich natural resources, climate and species. This overview of California will identify species grown, areas of production, new technologies and the direction and growth of aquaculture in California. Information on how the industry has grown and what lessons have been learned that can be applied to further growth in marine and inland settings. The goal is to identify those areas of commonality so as to increase collaboration and to solve problems related to production and quality, while at the same time enhance and protect the environment. Several key elements of production methods, geographical areas of private aquaculture and species diversity will be covered.

Potential Economic Impacts of Aquaculture to California

Michael Jones

The Maritime Alliance

Aquaculture, Biomarine and the California Blue Economy

Aquaculture – the farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae, and other organisms – is important across multiple levels such as food, feed, fuel and medicine. It also creates value in downstream logistics and supporting industries as well in upstream Value-Added opportunities when using 100% of the ocean harvest in the Circular Economy (CE). This talk will give an overview of a growing appreciation of aquaculture and BioMarine in the Blue Economy

Shaun Richards

The Center for the Blue Economy at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies

Current and Future Economic Trends of Aquaculture

This presentation covers the current state of aquaculture starting with California and expanding to the national and global aquaculture markets. It will look at the performance of California compared to the rest of the United States and the world. Finally, it will explore the future short term and long term trends of aquaculture in terms of threats, technological advancements and economic potential.

Mike King

Kings Seafood

Aquaculture in California: A Need, an Opportunity, a Leader

California has a long history with the Pacific Ocean and the state’s genetic makeup is laced with innovation. To top it off, we control one of the most powerful marketing tools in the world: Made in California. This presentation will highlight and identify the market for aquaculture product from California as well as show how the development of this industry will align with the culture of this state. Being present in all phases of the seafood supply chain, from harvest to plate, King’s Seafood Company has identified the need for responsible aquaculture. A growing world population and food security are topics to discuss while Guest feedback and sales of aquaculture product in our restaurants are figures that tell the story. We are in the midst of a changing and growing world, California needs to be a leader again.

Doug Bush

Ventura Shellfish Enterprise

Economic Considerations for Offshore Mussel Aquaculture from a Port District Perspective

The Ventura Shellfish Enterprise is a port district led collaborative initiative that seeks to establish twenty 100 acre offshore parcels for the cultivation of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis. Economic context for the project includes historic commercial landings of wild caught species, costs to maintain and operate harbor facilities, commitment to a Coastal Plan, annual dredging requirements, US import data for cultured mussels, and economic multipliers for harbor based landed seafood products. This initiative seeks to establish all permits and entitlements for subsequent subleasing or assignment. Operators of these parcels will contract for access to turn key offshore aquaculture opportunities and access to centralized regulatory compliance pathways. In exchange, product will be landed with assessed royalties at the host port of Ventura and thereby increase the economic base of the harbor district for the purpose of ensuring long term economic sustainability.

Mark Drawbridge and Don Kent

Hubbs Sea World Research Institute

Marine Finfish Farming in Southern California - From R&D to Commercial Reality?

The global need for aquaculture production to meet the growing demand for seafood has been obvious for decades as highlighted by the corresponding plateau in capture fishery harvests. In the United States seafood is imported at a staggering level of over 90% with more than 50% of that being produced by aquaculture. Such heavy reliance on imported seafood has significant ramifications to our nation’s seafood security and safety, as well as obvious lost economic opportunities. This is in stark contrast to our worldwide leadership in efficient agriculture production, which is led by California. Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) has been conducting applied aquaculture research on a variety of marine finfish species for almost 40 years. This includes rearing depleted native species for restocking, ornamental fish for the aquarium trade, and food fish to bolster flat harvest landings. The scale of production varies according to need but commercial scale processes have been fully developed and tested in the hatchery and at sea for species like white seabass, California yellowtail, and striped bass. Complementary research in all areas related to further enhancing sustainability is being conducted in parallel.

Attempts to transfer this technology to the US commercial sector have failed thus far in land-based recirculating systems. Acquiring access to operate commercially in the open ocean has stalled regional implementation of proven cage technologies in US waters, while our neighbors in Mexico are seizing the opportunity. In partnership with an investment group and the Port of San Diego, HSWRI is seeking permits for an offshore farm site that is planned to produce 5,000 tons of fish, with California yellowtail being the primary species due to its high market value, fast growth rate, and existing market familiarity. According to a recent study by the San Diego Economic Development Corporation, farm sales are projected to be $50 million annually, which is five times San Diego’s commercial fisheries landed value. The farm would help support over 300 seafood jobs annually at wages approximately two times the regional average, and in doing so, help to revitalize the local working waterfront. From a regional perspective, the operation would generate more than $50 million in Total Economic Impact and catalyze new spending on the order of $100 million annually. Statewide the project would represent a 20% increase in ex-vessel sales. If 100 of these farms were operated, it would feed all 39 million Californians safe, local grown seafood at current average consumption levels. The space required to do this would be 3.1 km 2 or 0.07% of the available state and federal waters off California that consist of soft bottom substrate and a depth of 30-100m. And then there are the economic benefits…

Paula Sylvia

Port of San Diego, Aquaculture and Blue Tech

Aquaculture and Blue Economy Initiatives at the Port of San Diego

The Port of San Diego was established by state legislation as a trustee of the land and water around San Diego Bay for the promotion of fisheries, commerce, navigation and recreation. Inherent to The Port’s mission is to utilize its various assets in leading and accelerating the blue economy around San Diego Bay. Water dependent business is a long and proud tradition at the Port and its sustainable future is critical to our region’s long term success of water dependent fisheries and technologies.

In 2015, the Port established an Aquaculture and Blue technology Program to explore new environmental and economic opportunities to diversify its portfolio and strengthen our collective economic impact.

In 2016, the Port established a Blue Economy Incubator and strategic investment fund to assist in the creation, development, and scaling of new business ventures on San Diego Bay, focusing on aquaculture and blue technology.

To advance development of both aquaculture and blue technology initiatives, the Port has been conducting several planning and pre-development studies, including, but not limited to: 1) Coastal marine spatial planning to inform future development for aquaculture in and around San Diego Bay; 2) Baywide feasibility study to assess infrastructure capable of supporting aquaculture; 3) Developing a health baseline for oysters in San Diego Bay; 4) Research to support the development of permit ready infrastructure; 5) Reviewed prospects and logistics for early pilot projects; 6) Stakeholder outreach for the San Diego Ocean Planning Partnership.

This presentation will provide an overview of the Port’s aquaculture and blue economy initiatives as well as highlight how Ports and Harbors can and are increasingly playing a critical role in the development of sustainable aquaculture, given their familiarity and expertise in the permitting and entitlements process for a variety of coastal and ocean uses; the unique role they often play as a landlord, operator and/or regulator, and as champions of the blue economy. As the state-legislated trustee of tidelands and submerged waters of San Diego Bay, developing sustainable domestic aquaculture helps fulfill the Port’s public trust responsibility to promote fisheries and commerce, as well as aligning with its mission to enhance and protect the environment.

Case Studies of Aquaculture Activities in or with Relevance to California

Terry Sawyer

Hog Island Oyster Company

Good Things Grow Slowly

Simona Augyte

University of Connecticut

Aquaculture in the Northwest Atlantic - Challenges and Sustainable Solutions

Seaweed aquaculture started to flourish in the Northwest Atlantic in 2010 with a kelp farm in the Gulf of Maine. There are currently 27 commercial open water seaweed farms (Kim et al. in Review) with numbers growing. The drive for economic development and growth observed in New England and the state of New York was mediated by a strong collaborations between academia, specifically the University of Connecticut, and industry partners. The challenges associated with the technology transfer of nursery development, outplanting and processing were again eased with guidance from the scientific community and grant support. Outreach and involvement from educational groups has been critical to reach local, regional and state representatives. Current challenges include permitting, reliable seedstring production, scaling up farm production, processing and market development. Sustainable solutions will be discussed including the importance of highlighting ecosystem services and conducting outreach to gather support for this growing industry.

José A. Zertuche-Gonzáles

Universidad Autónoma de Baja California

Mariculture Development off Baja California, Mexico

Mariculture off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, started in the mid 70´s with the introduction of the Japanese oyster Crassostrea gigas as part of a joint project between the Mexican government, the State University of Baja California (UABC) and one cooperative of local fishermen. Presently, there are numerous companies devoted to mariculture of commercially valuable marine organisms including: mussels, clams, abalone, fish, shrimp and seaweeds. A large percentage of their production is exported to USA and Asian countries. With the exception of tuna farming, the majority of the technologies being applied started as research projects at the State University of Baja California. Presently, others federal research centers, such as: The Center for Research and Graduate Studies of Ensenada (CICESE), the Center for Biological Research (CIB-La Paz), as well as the State University of the southern state of Baja California Sur and the Center of Interdisciplinary Marine Research (CICIMAR) include aquaculture research, joint projects with private sector and aquaculture programs for undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Alejandro Buschmann

Universidad De Los Lagos

Aquaculture Trends in Chile and an Analysis of some Sustainability Issues

Aquaculture has become one of the major sectors for the Chilean economy during the past decades. The main production (ca. 800,000 ton) is still the production of different salmon species. The production of mussel has also been increasing during the past decade, but other mollusks (abalone and scallops) have still a rather low production. There is a low production of microalgae in the north of the Chilean coast and the red macroalgae Gracilaria chilensis has been cultivated along the Chilean coast for the agar industry. On the other side of the economic development that aquaculture has bring to different regions in Chile, there is a discussion on several threats that aquaculture face today like: the environmental effects of escapees; the use of antibiotics and other chemical products; the relationship between wastes and eutrophication conditions between others.

Dane Klinger

Conservation International

Promises and Pitfalls of Emerging Technological Innovations in the Aquaculture Sector

Aquaculture is the world’s fastest growing food production sector, but it has often been slow to develop and adopt technology-driven innovations. That is beginning to change. Technological improvements have the potential to move the industry towards enhanced profitability, environmental performance, resource efficiency, social responsibility, resiliency, and transparency. Moreover, improvements are being developed for a range of different types of aquaculture enterprises, from family-owned farms to operations owned by multi-national conglomerates. This talk highlights the opportunities and challenges posed by several recent innovations in the aquaculture sector and their relevance to aquaculture in California.

Lisa Tucker

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

The Role of Seafood Watch in Improving the Sustainability of Global Aquaculture

Aquaculture can be done sustainably, regardless of production system or species. Countries and regions that produce the majority of farmed seafood imported by the United States often do so in ways that are not ecologically sustainable, however there are examples of better-performing production of the most commonly consumed species. Along with these examples, there are promising efforts to drive improvement in ways that are appropriate to the specific region, and do not attempt to apply a one-size-fits-all approach to improvement. The Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative (ASIC) was founded with the goal of creating a forum for local stakeholders to develop and implement improvement strategies for farmed shrimp and wild capture fisheries in Asia. ASIC is comprised of representatives from all of the Southeast Asian countries, and has developed improvement frameworks for shrimp farming that reflect realistic practice in the region. Products that meet the requirements of the frameworks are considered equivalent to a Seafood Watch yellow “Good Alternative”, or a green “Best Choice” rating.

Neil Sims Kampachi

Worldwide Holdings

Offshore Aquaculture - Scaling to Success

Offshore aquaculture has suffered from both the broad‐brush negative association with nearshore net pen aquaculture, and from a paucity of commercially successful models to use as the basis for further investment and scale‐up.

This is now changing dramatically, as best represented by Norwegian salmon farming’s embracing of radically innovative, massive offshore culture systems for new “green” concessions. In addition, there is now growing recognition from academics and leading marine conservation NGOs of not just the opportunity to expand aquaculture to offshore waters, but of the imperative to do so. Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy have both begun to overtly advocate for the expansion of offshore aquaculture. More recent academic assessments provide further support for scaling offshore production responsibly.

This presentation reviews these developments, and discusses where further enlightened NGO support could truly help to advance offshore aquaculture to meet its full potential.

Josh Silverma

Calysta

Feedkind Protein: California-based Feed Ingredient to Support Sustainable Aquaculture

Feedkind protein is a single cell protein produced by Calysta, a California-based company. Feedkind protein is highly digestible and has a composition and performance similar to super-prime grade fishmeal. However, Feedkind protein does not impact wild fish populations, nor does it compete with human food production for on-shore water or land usage. Feedkind protein represents a preferred, sustainable feed ingredient to support expanding aquaculture projects in the state.

Social and Environmental Considerations - Concerns and Proactive Responses

Paul Olin

California Sea Grant

Resolving Controversial Issues in Marine Finfish Aquaculture

World capture fisheries reached a plateau in the late 1980s and have since then leveled off at around 85 to 90 million metric tonnes/year (mmt/yr.). Despite this leveling off of global harvest, seafood supplies have continued a sustained growth through aquaculture production of fish, mollusks, crustaceans and algae. Today, the production of edible seafood from wild harvest is surpassed by that from aquaculture and expanding aquaculture production around the world is likely to continue. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations projects that global seafood supplies must increase 27 mmt by 2030. This is more than 2 mmt/yr., which is about equal to the worldwide production of farmed salmon.

Farming of marine finfish is not without controversy. Real concerns exist about the potential to degrade water quality, organic material accumulating in sediments beneath cages, disease transmission, escaped fish competing with their wild counterparts and altering genetic variability, the use of therapeutants and the use of finite fishmeal supplies in fish feeds. All of these issues are being addressed through research being conducted throughout the world at universities and private companies with the common goal being to minimize or eliminate adverse environmental impacts.

Advanced models such as Aquamodel™ have been developed to accurately predict impacts of proposed fish farming scenarios on surrounding water and sediment quality. To provide predictions on the genetic effect of escaped fish on wild populations an OMEGA model has been developed to forecast what these impacts might be. This all helps to provide regulatory certainty as to what the effects of marine finfish farming could be and enable an effective regulatory program to oversee the industry. Avoiding escapes is obviously desirable and significant advances in net-pen design and net materials have been achieved in the last 30 years to reduce numbers of escapes.

There is still significant research that needs to be undertaken to advance the industry and if there is a desire to continue eating seafood and supply future needs, while reaping the health benefits and economic opportunities afforded by this industry, marine finfish farming could be part of the solution. Efficient fish farms could produce seafood equivalent to the entire global wild harvest using an ocean footprint the size of Lake Michigan.

Contessa Kellogg-Winters

Aquaculture Stewardship Council

Value and Confidence Across the Chain: How Third-party Certification can Deliver Transparency and Build Public Trust

Consumers increasingly want to feel confident that the fish and shellfish in their markets has been raised in a manner responsible to both the earth and the community. The Aquaculture Stewardship Council logo, a mark backed by an independent, third-party certification awarded through a transparent audit process, can provide assurances to the buying public that their selection has been raised in a manner that meets strict values. Furthermore, the farm to table traceability offered through certification confers additional benefits across the supply chain to multiple stakeholders and provides another layer of accountability to compliment local and state regulations. Ongoing collaboration with complimentary ratings and certification schemes can help further improve public perception and provide further support for the responsible expansion of the aquaculture industry in California.

Kim Thompson

Seafood for the Future/Aquarium of the Pacific

Perceptions Matter: A Guide to Collaborative Efforts to Address Public Misperceptions about Marine Aquaculture

Responsible marine aquaculture (shellfish, seaweed, and finfish) is a promising opportunity to increase healthy food production while decreasing our environmental footprint. Despite strong scientific evidence that California and the U.S. have ample conditions to support environmentally and economically responsible marine aquaculture, we remain a laggard in production. One of the factors affecting the growth of marine aquaculture in California and the U.S. is negative public perception. Social acceptance of marine aquaculture, or lack thereof, can impact regulatory and permitting decisions. It is a growth-limiting factor for domestic expansion. The public’s hesitation to embrace and foster the growth and expansion of marine aquaculture has resulted in a great loss of opportunity for conservation, food security, and economic support for communities and working waterfronts. There are national and international efforts underway to address public misperceptions about marine aquaculture. These efforts are critical to ensure that messages about marine aquaculture are provided cohesively and accurately across different stakeholder groups. It is possible—with collaboration—to change public perceptions to support responsible growth of marine aquaculture in California and the U.S. for healthy ocean ecosystems and communities.

Diane Windham

NOAA Fisheries

Addressing Potential Interactions Between Protected Species and Aquaculture Gear

Sustainable offshore marine aquaculture development, informed by best available science, is a NOAA priority. Offshore aquaculture gear and farm operation practices are not well understood by many, including various stakeholder interests and even local, state, and federal regulatory agencies. Perceptions often equate aquaculture gear as similar to commercial fishing gear. NOAA is working with stakeholders and regulatory agencies to share aquaculture expertise and familiarity with gear and how it operates in the ocean environment. Another NOAA priority is conserving and protecting marine resources and using science to inform gear technology and best management practices. In recent years in California and elsewhere, there has been a marked increase in marine mammal entanglement in crab and lobster fishing gear, raising concerns about any action that puts lines in the water. The NOAA organization is actively working on not only assessing best available science to respond to this concern, but also focusing on developing tools to address this concern in a regulatory context.

Tiffany Waters

The Nature Conservancy

Aquaculture by Design: Restorative Aquaculture and Smart Growth

The demand for seafood is dramatically increasing around the world, and wild fisheries cannot keep up. With 90% of global fish stocks overfished or fully fished, we must increasingly look to aquaculture as a means of sustainable food production. Today, more than half of global seafood produced comes from aquaculture, and this $144 billion a year industry is booming—farm raised seafood now exceeds global beef production. This rapid rise has led to environmental costs in many countries, including damaged coastal habitats and polluted waters. However, we believe it’s possible to get aquaculture right. Our goal is to establish how and where aquaculture can expand in ways that protect the environment while meeting food production needs and providing livelihoods for coastal communities. And in the case of shellfish or seaweed aquaculture, helping recover lost ecosystem services. The Nature Conservancy is working in California, Washington, Virginia, Palau, Belize, Indonesia, Australia, and Hong Kong with businesses, governments, and local fishers and growers to ensure that aquaculture is not only sustainable but, in some cases, even beneficial for the environment, ensuring that people and nature can thrive.

Alan Lovewell

Local Bounty/Real Good Fish

Inclusive Opportunities for Aquaculture: Working Closely with Coastal Communities to Create Aquaculture Opportunities that Empower Fishermen, Improve Ecological Health, and Reinforce the Local Food System

In recent years, global aquaculture production surpassed global production of wild seafood, however the U.S. has cautiously not followed this trend. A lingering fear of significant environmental and social impacts has limited the adoption and support of this rapidly maturing industry. Fortunately there are a enough examples of responsible aquaculture to fully realize the true opportunity of aquaculture, while not only mitigating the risk, but creating net benefit to the community; a win-win for people and planet. As a larger component of domestic seafood production, benefit to the community; a win-win for people and planet. As a larger component of domestic seafood production, aquaculture presents a unique opportunity to restore and enhance local ecosystems, catalyze entrepreneurship, support local employment, and deliver nutritious food to our communities. In the pursuit of responsible aquaculture programs, it is critical to recognize the interest of the communities that accommodate and ideally benefit from these ventures. Key questions to ask in development of responsible aquaculture programs are: what opportunities are being created? which community members are getting access to this opportunity? who will benefit from production? Which, if any, local resources are in competition? What are the short-term and long-term implications for supporting healthy wild ecosystems and fostering sustainable wild fisheries? From ecological restoration, storm buffers, and replenishment of local fish species in Hawaii, to training local fishermen to start new aquaculture businesses off the coast of Massachusetts, there are several examples of how responsible aquaculture programs can not only mitigate impacts, but truly enhance the greater social and ecological community, from ocean to plate.

William Foss and Kenny Belov

Two by Sea

Aquaculture: The Essential Bond Between Fishing and Farming, a Brief Discussion of the Responsibilities and Roles Within Two Interconnected Industries

In defining aquaculture with its role and responsibilities, parallels and symbiosis with commercial fishing become apparent. This recognition sets clear pathways and identifies challenges for both industries. As the need for quality protein grows, aquaculture can serve to provide part of this need. Optimal use of aquaculture indicates that it should do so by first soliciting partnerships with the commercial fishing industry. As marine resources become more difficult to forecast, aquaculture serves as a steady foundation to feed populations while supporting a higher cost of wild caught fish as a rarer commodity. The resources that are consumed by aquaculture, likewise, cannot be allowed to misappropriate that which is beneficial to the commercial fishing industry and overall health of the world’s oceans. Lastly, a recognition in these industries that both operate under the auspices of “Agriculture” sets a framework to intelligently manage respective resources with an eye to the future.

Regulatory Landscape of Aquaculture in California and Beyond

Randy Lovell

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Caught in the Framework: Identifying the Hits and Misses of State Aquaculture Regulation

The complexity of regulations governing aquaculture has been cited by the industry and its observers as a key impediment to its development both in California and the US. Despite numerous calls by stakeholders and decision-makers to improve permitting efficiency, root causes ingrained in various well-meaning, unrelated statutes have had implications that sometimes confuse and confound efforts to foster domestic aquaculture growth. Untangling the snags in our regulatory framework and differentiating them from needed safeguards will require dedicated investment and attention to understand both the causes and the solutions.

Andrew Button

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

A Compressed History of the Virginia Oyster Industry from 1895-2018. What has Changed, What has Not, and What Should

Virginia has one of the oldest and most progressive private oyster ground leasing systems in the county. Shellfish aquaculture leases are easy to get, easy to keep, inexpensive and in most cases, lightly regulated. The current system is expansion and innovation friendly, but can lead to underutilization of currently leased ground and user conflicts. This presentation will describe the mostly good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly of Virginia shellfish aquaculture.

John Finger

Hog Island Oyster Company

The California Experience