A mixture of environmental parameters and oyster health variables were recorded at each site. After organizing and cleaning our data, we compared the data between sites, over time, and through other unique variables, leading to these wonderful visualizations made by R.
On this platform, you can explore our data in countless ways!
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Fast Facts
months of oyster data collected
6
1500+
0.75
4
total oysters in the experiment
acres of farm site monitored
different environmental variables measured
Our Inspiration
What is the current industry like?
What is the problem?
What's causing the problem?
What are we
doing about it?
Native to the Atlantic Coast from Canada to Mexico, the eastern oyster serves as an economic, cultural, and ecological cornerstone. In the past decades, the oyster aquaculture industry has boomed in North Carolina.
160%
increase in weight of oyster bushels from 2012 to 2022 according to the North Carolina Environmental Quality Agency
Unfortunately, oyster farmers from the Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of Mexico have been experiencing mass die-offs in their oyster crops during the summer months. This issue, also known as “summer mortality,” was first identified in 2012 by Virginian oyster farmers. However, summer mortalities have only been increasing in frequency and severity recently.
90%
loss in crops for some farmers in North Carolina because of summer mortality
The nature of summer mortality events is still largely a mystery.
Researchers from all over the world, including China and Canada, have begun investigating this problem. Although eastern oysters themselves are resilient animals, recent spikes in certain environmental conditions may be the driving force behind these die-outs. Researcher Tal Ben-Horin, a professor at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, believes that increased temperatures and salinity, coupled with decreases in dissolved oxygen and pH, may cause oysters to be more susceptible to oyster diseases.
Rather than just one stressor happening, all these conditions are worsening at the same time, imposing a synergetic effect, or an effect greater than the sum of all stressors, on oysters. These effects include stunted growth, lower quality tissue, softer shells, and loss of ideal appearance. In addition, multiple stressors can make oysters more susceptible to diseases, such as MSX and Dermo.
With climate change only worsening the conditions of ocean waters, summer mortalities are predicted to intensify, posing a major financial challenge to not just NC oyster farmers, but aquaculturists all over the world. Spurred by these summer mortalities, we wanted to figure out why exactly these oysters were dying in such high numbers. Thus, we conducted an observational study of the correlation between oyster health and water conditions at two different sites.
Meet the Team
Our Plan for the Future
This project will continue into the 2026-2027 school year, building on the data we have collected thus far to further understand how oysters respond to environmental stress and provide actionable insights to oyster farmers.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Bass Connections at Duke University. Additionally, we would like to thank North Carolina State University, Dr. Amy Wilbur, and Dr. Tal Ben-Horin for their contributions to this project. We would also like to thank Bennett Paradis for his advice and guidance in the design of this platform.