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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12802.
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ECOSYSTEM CONCEPTS FOR SUSTAINABLE BIVALVE MARICULTURE

Committee on Best Practices for Shellfish Mariculture and the Effects of Commercial Activities in Drakes Estero, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, California

Ocean Studies Board

Division on Earth and Life Studies

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12802.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. C8074080026 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-14695-1

International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-14695-X

Front Cover: Image of the Northern quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria, was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Back Cover: Images from top right, counterclockwise: longlines in Samish Bay, Washington; Herrold Oyster Company workers picking oysters in Willapa Bay, Washington; Kumamoto oysters; eelgrass and longlines in Willapa Bay, Washington (all of these were used with permission from Bill Dewey, Taylor Shellfish Company); and mussel lines (used with permission from Fisheries and Oceans Canada).

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12802.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine


The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.


The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.


The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.


The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.


www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12802.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12802.
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COMMITTEE ON BEST PRACTICES FOR SHELLFISH MARICULTURE AND THE EFFECTS OF COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES IN DRAKES ESTERO, PT. REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE, CALIFORNIA

CHARLES (PETE) H. PETERSON, Chair,

University of North Carolina, Morehead City

BARRY A. COSTA-PIERCE,

University of Rhode Island, Narragansett

BRETT R. DUMBAULD,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Newport, Oregon

CAROLYN FRIEDMAN,

University of Washington, Seattle

EILEEN E. HOFMANN,

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia

HAUKE KITE-POWELL,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

DONAL T. MANAHAN,

University of Southern California, Los Angeles

FRANCIS O’BEIRN,

Marine Institute, Galway, Ireland

ROBERT T. PAINE,

University of Washington, Seattle

PAUL THOMPSON,

University of Aberdeen, Scotland

ROBERT WHITLATCH,

University of Connecticut, Groton

Staff

JODI BOSTROM, Associate Program Officer

SUSAN ROBERTS, Board Director

JEREMY JUSTICE, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12802.
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OCEAN STUDIES BOARD

DONALD F. BOESCH, Chair,

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge

EDWARD A. BOYLE,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

JORGE E. CORREDOR,

University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez

KEITH R. CRIDDLE,

University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau

JODY W. DEMING,

University of Washington, Seattle

MARY (MISSY) H. FEELEY,

ExxonMobil Exploration Company, Houston, Texas

ROBERT HALLBERG,

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Princeton University, New Jersey

DEBRA HERNANDEZ,

Hernandez and Company, Isle of Palms, South Carolina

ROBERT A. HOLMAN,

Oregon State University, Corvallis

KIHO KIM,

American University, Washington, DC

BARBARA A. KNUTH,

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

ROBERT A. LAWSON,

Science Applications International Corporation, San Diego, California

GEORGE I. MATSUMOTO,

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, California

JAY S. PEARLMAN,

The Boeing Company (retired), Port Angeles, Washington

ANDREW A. ROSENBERG,

Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia

DANIEL L. RUDNICK,

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

ROBERT J. SERAFIN,

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

ANNE M. TREHU,

Oregon State University, Corvallis

PETER L. TYACK,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

DAWN J. WRIGHT,

Oregon State University, Corvallis

JAMES A. YODER,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

OSB Staff

SUSAN ROBERTS, Director

CLAUDIA MENGELT, Senior Program Officer

DEBORAH GLICKSON, Program Officer

JODI BOSTROM, Associate Program Officer

SHUBHA BANSKOTA, Financial Associate

PAMELA LEWIS, Administrative Coordinator

HEATHER CHIARELLO, Senior Program Assistant

JEREMY JUSTICE, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12802.
×

Acknowledgments

This report was greatly enhanced by the participants of the meeting held as part of this study. The committee would like to acknowledge the efforts of those who gave presentations at the meeting: Kevin Amos (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Michael Beck (The Nature Conservancy), John Bonardelli (independent consultant, Norway), Ryan Carnegie (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), William Dewey (Taylor Shellfish Farms), João G. Ferreira (New University of Lisbon, Portugal), Rebecca Goldburg (Pew Charitable Trusts), and Robert Rheault (Moonstone Oysters). These talks helped set the stage for fruitful discussions in the closed sessions that followed. The committee would like to thank Dennis Hedgecock (University of Southern California) for his contribution on bivalve genetics, which is included in Chapter 3.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report:

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12802.
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MALCOLM BEVERIDGE, WorldFish Center, Cairo, Egypt

IAN DAVIES, Fisheries Research Services Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

JOÃO G. FERREIRA, New University of Lisbon, Portugal

SUSAN FORD, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

REBECCA GOLDBURG, Pew Charitable Trusts, Monclair, New Jersey

JON GRANT, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

RICHARD KARNEY, MV Shellfish Group, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

DOUGLAS LIPTON, University of Maryland, College Park

CHRISTOPHER MCKINDSEY, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Mont-Joli, Quebec

ANDREW A. ROSENBERG, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Judith E. McDowell, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, appointed by the Divison on Earth and Life Studies, and Michael C. Kavanaugh, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., appointed by the Report Review Committee, who were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12802.
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U.S. mariculture production of bivalve molluscs-those cultivated in the marine environment-has roughly doubled over the last 25 years. Although mariculture operations may expand the production of seafood without additional exploitation of wild populations, they still depend upon and affect natural ecosystems and ecosystem services. Every additional animal has an incremental effect arising from food extraction and waste excretion. Increasing domestic seafood production in the United States in an environmentally and socially responsible way will likely require the use of policy tools, such as best management practices (BMPs) and performance standards.

BMPs represent one approach to protecting against undesirable consequences of mariculture. An alternative approach to voluntary or mandatory BMPs is the establishment of performance standards for mariculture. Variability in environmental conditions makes it difficult to develop BMPs that are sufficiently flexible and adaptable to protect ecosystem integrity across a broad range of locations and conditions. An alternative that measures performance in sustaining key indicators of ecosystem state and function may be more effective. Because BMPs address mariculture methods rather than monitoring actual ecosystem responses, they do not guarantee that detrimental ecosystem impacts will be controlled or that unacceptable impact will be avoided.

Ecosystem Concepts for Sustainable Bivalve Mariculture finds that while performance standards can be applied for some broad ecosystem indicators, BMPs may be more appropriate for addressing parameters that change from site to site, such as the species being cultured, different culture methods, and various environmental conditions. This book takes an in-depth look at the environmental, social, and economic issues to present recommendations for sustainable bivalve mariculture.

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