Evening Lecture Series

Join us at the River Center for our evening lecture series!

Our December evening speaker is Noah Gorman, Marine Biology Student at Florida Atlantic University’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College.

Within the aquaculture industry Florida estuaries are utilized for their potential to grow commercially harvestable clams. The smallest size clams ready to be planted, called ‘seed clams’ are placed in field nurseries across estuarine mudflats where they feed phytoplankton until they have grown to harvestable size. However, planting clams in field nurseries brings environmentally dependent risks. Clam aquaculture within these field nurseries are inherently vulnerable to the influences of acidic/suboptimal pH swings, with the youngest clams at highest risk. The rising influence of ocean acidification may yet cause an even greater decline in optimal water conditions for various estuarine fauna. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of CO2-induced pH and changes on the growth and survival of seed stage Hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria.

Registration is required to attend.

This event is not recommended for children under the age of 14.