Marine Invertebrate Fisheries, Restoration & Aquaculture
Putting Science to Work along the Coast
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Overview of Our Research
In our research, we emphasize the use of controlled field experiments to solve applied problems and to answer questions posed by the public. In particular, our work focuses on issues related to marine invertebrate aquaculture, fisheries management and restoration. Within the Gulf of Mexico, species of interest include the eastern oyster, blue crabs and shrimp, which form the basis for important commercial and recreational fisheries. We are based at the Auburn University Shellfish Laboratory on the campus of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab on Dauphin Island, Alabama. (The most beautiful photographs on this site are courtesy of Fernando DeCillis.)
Find a complete list of our scientific publications on ResearchGate
Recent Scientific Publications
Effects of desiccation practices and ploidy in cultured oysters, Crassostrea virginica, on Vibrio spp. abundances in Portersville Bay (Alabama, USA)
Grodeska, SM, JL Jones, WC Walton & CR Arias. 2019. Effects of desiccation practices and ploidy in cultured oysters, Crassostrea virginica, on Vibrio spp. abundances in Portersville Bay (Alabama, USA) Aquaculture In Press
Elevated mortalities of triploid eastern oysters cultured off-bottom in northern Gulf of Mexico
Wadsworth, P, S Casas, J La Peyre & WC Walton. 2019. Unexplained mortalities of triploid eastern oysters cultured off-bottom in northern Gulf of Mexico. Aquaculture 505:363-373.
A meta-analysis of growth rate in diploid and triploid oysters
Wadsworth, P, AE Wilson & WC Walton. 2018. A meta-analysis of growth rate in diploid and triploid oysters. Aquaculture
Effects of desiccation practices of cultured oysters, Crassostrea virginica, on Vibrio spp. in Portersville Bay (Alabama, USA)
Grodeska, SM, JL Jones, CR Arias & WC Walton. 2017. Effects of desiccation practices of cultured oysters, Crassostrea virginica, on Vibrio spp. in Portersville Bay (Alabama, USA). Journal of Food Protection 80:1280-1287.
Performance of oysters selected for dermo resistance compared to wild oysters in northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries
Casas, S, WC Walton, G Chaplin, S Rikard, J Supan & J La Peyre. 2017. Performance of oysters selected for dermo resistance compared to wild oysters in northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries. Aquaculture Environment Interactions 9:169-180.
You can find more oyster farming tools here.
Recent Outreach Tools
Branding opportunities for oyster farmers (webinar)
Branding opportunities for oyster farmers. 10/12/16 1 hour 6 minute video webinar, produced by National Aquaculture Alliance
Oyster Sentinel: Oyster Disease Monitoring
Perkinsus marinus (Dermo) is the causative agent of a fatal disease of oysters. To see its distribution, prevalence and intensity in the Gulf of Mexico select an area of interest.
On the Lid Newsletter
A monthly newsletter for those interested in oyster farming in Mississippi and Alabama.
