Department of Fisheries Oceanography Seminar Announcement - Dr. Wikfors
When: Wednesday,
May 1, 2019
2:30 PM
-
3:30 PM
Where: > See description for location
Description: The School for Marine Science and Technology
Department of Fisheries Oceanography
Seminar Announcement
"Aquaculture sustainability - What is it and how do we assess it? "
Dr. Gary H. Wikfors
Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Milford Laboratory
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
2:30 pm to 3:30 pm
SMAST East Rooms 101/102
836 S. Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford
Abstract:
The word “sustainable” is in constant, daily use. Everyone wants everything to be “sustainable,” but the criteria by which sustainability is judged often are subjective at best. Food production systems intrinsically need to be sustainable, or we will not be able to feed ourselves. Land-based food production world-wide varies widely in scale and technological sophistication, with the largest agribusiness practices having been defined as a means of turning petroleum into human food. Ten-thousand years after land-based agriculture began developing, the last “bush meat” food provisioning system – marine capture fisheries – has reached maximal sustainable yield; therefore, sustainable aquaculture is on everyone’s lips. My group in the Milford Laboratory has taken up the challenge of defining the “Aquaculture Sustainability” paradigm by naming our organizational unit the Aquaculture Sustainability Branch of the Ecosystems & Aquaculture Division of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. This presentation describes progress we have made toward understanding and encouraging sustainable shellfish aquaculture practices.
About Dr. Wikfors:
Gary’s terminal degree is in Phycology – the study of algae – but he always has worked at the intersection of phytoplankton and the bivalve mollusks -- such as oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels - that derive their nutrition from phytoplankton. Gary has studied trophic transfer of pollutants from phytoplankton to bivalves, biochemical nutrition of shellfish, and harmful-algal effects upon bivalves. Much of his research has employed a laboratory-based, experimental approach, but he also has been involved in large, multidisciplinary field studies. Gary was an early adopter of flow-cytometry for microalgal applications and use of this technology has sparked a subsequent interest in cellular immunity in bivalves and other invertebrates. As Chief of the Aquaculture Sustainability Branch, Gary has a hands-on role in several current team initiatives: 1) Nutrient bio-extraction using shellfish aquaculture, 2) Probiotic bacteria for use in shellfish hatcheries, and 3) Shellfish cellular immune response to environmental variation.
To access the live broadcasting, go to https://echo360.org/directLogin and click on "Alternate login". You will have to login as "smast@umassd.edu" with the password: smastumassd.
After login you will have to click on ALL CLASSES (MAR 700-01 - DEOS Seminar or MAR 700-02 - DFO Seminar) and click on the green LIVE streaming.
To view a video of an SMAST seminar (post-October 1, 2014), go to https://www.umassd.edu/smast/events/seminar-series/ and click on a highlighted title.
For additional information, please contact Sue Silva at s1silva@umassd.edu.
Department of Fisheries Oceanography
Seminar Announcement
"Aquaculture sustainability - What is it and how do we assess it? "
Dr. Gary H. Wikfors
Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Milford Laboratory
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
2:30 pm to 3:30 pm
SMAST East Rooms 101/102
836 S. Rodney French Blvd, New Bedford
Abstract:
The word “sustainable” is in constant, daily use. Everyone wants everything to be “sustainable,” but the criteria by which sustainability is judged often are subjective at best. Food production systems intrinsically need to be sustainable, or we will not be able to feed ourselves. Land-based food production world-wide varies widely in scale and technological sophistication, with the largest agribusiness practices having been defined as a means of turning petroleum into human food. Ten-thousand years after land-based agriculture began developing, the last “bush meat” food provisioning system – marine capture fisheries – has reached maximal sustainable yield; therefore, sustainable aquaculture is on everyone’s lips. My group in the Milford Laboratory has taken up the challenge of defining the “Aquaculture Sustainability” paradigm by naming our organizational unit the Aquaculture Sustainability Branch of the Ecosystems & Aquaculture Division of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. This presentation describes progress we have made toward understanding and encouraging sustainable shellfish aquaculture practices.
About Dr. Wikfors:
Gary’s terminal degree is in Phycology – the study of algae – but he always has worked at the intersection of phytoplankton and the bivalve mollusks -- such as oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels - that derive their nutrition from phytoplankton. Gary has studied trophic transfer of pollutants from phytoplankton to bivalves, biochemical nutrition of shellfish, and harmful-algal effects upon bivalves. Much of his research has employed a laboratory-based, experimental approach, but he also has been involved in large, multidisciplinary field studies. Gary was an early adopter of flow-cytometry for microalgal applications and use of this technology has sparked a subsequent interest in cellular immunity in bivalves and other invertebrates. As Chief of the Aquaculture Sustainability Branch, Gary has a hands-on role in several current team initiatives: 1) Nutrient bio-extraction using shellfish aquaculture, 2) Probiotic bacteria for use in shellfish hatcheries, and 3) Shellfish cellular immune response to environmental variation.
To access the live broadcasting, go to https://echo360.org/directLogin and click on "Alternate login". You will have to login as "smast@umassd.edu" with the password: smastumassd.
After login you will have to click on ALL CLASSES (MAR 700-01 - DEOS Seminar or MAR 700-02 - DFO Seminar) and click on the green LIVE streaming.
To view a video of an SMAST seminar (post-October 1, 2014), go to https://www.umassd.edu/smast/events/seminar-series/ and click on a highlighted title.
For additional information, please contact Sue Silva at s1silva@umassd.edu.
Contact: > See Description for contact information
Topical Areas: School for Marine Sciences and Technology, SMAST Seminar Series