Twenty-Five Years of Sustainable Shellfish Culture: Lessons Learned.

Twenty-five Years of Sustainable Shellfish Culture: Lessons Learned.

Originally founded as an aquaculture research facility in 1968 for San Diego State University, the Carlsbad Aquafarm, located in the Agua Hedionda Lagoon in Carlsbad, CA, now grows over 1.5 million pounds of eco-friendly shellfish, annually. Products include Mediterranean mussel, Pacific oyster, Speckled scallop, green abalone and red seaweed. The farm is committed to sustainable mariculture and pursuing a necessary balance between the demand for responsible seafood production and the preservation of our oceans’ resources.

Shellfish aquaculture produces market-ready seafood without the addition of food, drugs, or other artificial substances; everything the organism needs to grow must be already present in the location in which it is cultivated.  Beyond its value in food, it may be time to focus on the natural role shellfish and algae play in water quality improvement.