2006 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? Why does it matter? The West coast shellfish culture industry represents oyster, clam and mussel growers from Alaska to California and generates an estimated $100 million dollars in gross annual sales. Nevertheless, domestic production does not meet national demand and this trade imbalance is expected to grow. Oysters are farmed intensively on the west coast and represent about 60% of the total value of farmed shellfish product. Maintenance and expansion of this industry is currently constrained by several problems including a lack of pest control measures for two species of burrowing thalassinid shrimp and the need to comply with federal state, and local environmental regulations concerning the impact of shellfish farming practices on the estuarine environment. West coast oyster production employs diverse rearing practices that include raising seed in hatcheries, growing product on the estuarine tideflats, off-bottom culture (on stakes, ropes, and in bags on racks), and harvesting the final product. Many of these practices require a firm bottom substrate to permit oyster propagation and harvest. In many locations, colonization of the substrate by burrowing shrimp reduces the stability of the substrate to the extent that oysters are covered by silt and suffocate or that rearing and harvesting operations cannot proceed. Where this occurs, pest control is necessary. Oyster growers in Washington State have applied the pesticide carbaryl to control burrowing shrimp for the past 40 years, but recently agreed to terminate its use by the year 2012 as part of an out-of court settlement over a permitting issue. This has clearly heightened the search for an environmentally acceptable and sustainable alternative. The overall project research objective is to develop shellfish culture, pest/predator control and harvest methods which are environmentally and economically sustainable for the west coast industry. Specific short term objectives are. 1)to identify critical stages in the life cycle of burrowing shrimp that are vulnerable to control measures and. 2)to map oyster aquaculture operations, eelgrass beds and burrowing shrimp populations at the estuarine landscape scale and conduct a spatial analysis to quantify the interaction between oyster aquaculture practices, burrowing shrimp recruitment and movement, and fish utilization of these estuarine habitats as predators and parasite hosts. This research is conducted in support of ARS National Program 106 - Aquaculture (100%) and addresses NP106 components of. 1)Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management and. 2)Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture. A science based integrated pest management strategy that incorporates alternatives to the current practice of applying a pesticide to control burrowing shrimp will greatly benefit the aquaculture industry and address environmental concerns. The information developed by this project will provide critical data to managers and policymakers and permit development of best management practices for the shellfish industry. Expansion of markets for domestic farmed aquaculture products based on a sustainable product and environmentally acceptable practices will also create jobs in ancillary industries and support and expand employment and associated services in economically depressed coastal communities. 2.List by year the currently approved milestones (indicators of research progress) Year 0 (2004) Recruit a research ecologist, set up and equip a functioning laboratory and field research program. Year 1 (2005) Complete laboratory and field equipment purchases and program set-up. Recruit a laboratory/field technician. Formulate 5 year CRIS research plan and submit to the Office of Scientific Quality Review. Begin sampling program for juvenile and adult shrimp in three coastal estuaries. Begin set-up of shrimp molting and mating experiments. Survey shrimp beds for predators and parasites. Conduct laboratory control experiments with juvenile shrimp. Conduct laboratory experiments on electrofishing and bait attractants. Contract for and complete aerial photography of Willapa Bay. Begin ground-truthing project for eelgrass and conduct shrimp and oyster surveys. Ortho-rectify aerial photography and create GIS layers. Year 2 (2006) Continue to collect shrimp, predators and parasites from coastal estuarine populations. Publish results from predator/parasite surveys. Collect and analyze historical oceanographic data. Continue shrimp molting/mating experiments. Continue laboratory tests on control of juvenile shrimp. Complete laboratory sample analysis of infaunal predator surveys. Conduct additional laboratory experiments on electrofishing and bait attractants, publish and expand to field tests if promising. Finish groundtruthing of aerial photos and complete burrowing shrimp and oyster population surveys. Complete GIS layers for eelgrass, burrowing shrimp, and oysters. Year 3 (2007) Continue to collect shrimp, predators and parasites from coastal estuarine populations. Develop shrimp recruitment model. Finish shrimp molting/mating/ageing experiments and publish results. Finish laboratory tests on control of juvenile shrimp and publish results. Publish results of predator surveys and predation experiments. Conduct pheromone attractant analyses. Conduct spatial analyses of Willapa Bay GIS map data. Collect fish samples from randomly selected locations in appropriate landscape scale habitats in Willapa Bay. Year 4 (2008) Continue to collect shrimp, predators and parasites from coastal estuarine populations. Complete shrimp recruitment model Analyze data and publish population dynamics model for shrimp. Complete spatial analysis of GIS layers and historical data and publish results. Continue to collect fish data from various landscape scale habitats in Willapa Bay. Year 5 (2009) Continue to collect shrimp, predators and parasites from coastal estuarine populations. Test and publish shrimp recruitment model. Analyze field experiment results and publish pheromone paper. Analyze data and publish fish habitat use paper. 4a.List the single most significant research accomplishment during FY 2006. Mapping Protocol for Burrowing Shrimp, Eelgrass and Aquaculture. A consistent mapping protocol was established that permitted initiation of a burrowing shrimp and habitat survey of Willapa Bay, Washington. This was important because it enables the production of a standard base map which ARS and cooperating scientists can use to design detailed studies of burrowing shrimp-oyster interactions in Pacific Northwest aquaculture facilities. To accomplish this, ARS scientists at the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR created and validated a data dictionary and mapping protocol for collecting information on burrowing shrimp, eelgrass, oyster culture and sediment characteristics in a GIS format. The consistent grid survey design enables spatial analyses and quantitative comparisons of habitat interactions to inform the shellfish aquaculture industry and decision-makers about how environmentally sustainable practices can be conducted on a landscape scale. This accomplishment aligns with NP106 Aquaculture, Component VI - Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture, Problem Statement e) Environmental Sustainability. 4b.List other significant research accomplishment(s), if any. Bopyrid Isopod Parasites as Potential Biocontrol Agents for Burrowing Shrimp. Two bopyrid isopod parasites were identified that have potential to significantly reduce shrimp populations estuaries by castrating their female shrimp hosts. Reducing shrimp populations is important because burrowing shrimp impact the stability of commercial oyster beds in the Pacific Northwest, suffocating the oysters and complicating oyster harvest operations. ARS scientists at the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR identified these bopyrid isopod parasites on shrimp collected in annual field surveys in several estuaries and during a more detailed quarterly survey of parasites on shrimp in Yaquina Bay. These results enabled further trials to determine whether effective biocontrol using these isopods is viable for replacing currently used chemical pesticides to control shrimp populations in Pacific Northwest commercial oysterbeds. This accomplishment aligns with NP 106 Aquaculture, Component II – Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management, Problem Statement g) Aquatic Animal Health Management. 4c.List significant activities that support special target populations. None. 4d.Progress report. None. 5.Describe the major accomplishments to date and their predicted or actual impact. Burrowing Shrimp Monitoring is an Essential Component of Integrated Pest Management. The ARS ecologist demonstrated that despite the heightened level of concern, burrowing shrimp populations are not increasing in all coastal estuaries where aquaculture occurs. This is important because it implies that in addition to finding alternative control measures for controlling adult shrimp on a bed, a basic understanding of the ecology of burrowing shrimp as pests is essential to meeting the goal of integrated pest management. Field surveys of shrimp populations in Washington and Oregon estuaries during the first two years of this project suggests that ghost shrimp recruitment continues to be relatively low while significant recruitment of mud shrimp occurred to Oregon estuaries in 2006. This information will help establish an approach to predict shrimp recruitment and the potential need for and impact of shrimp control measures in these estuaries. This accomplishment aligns with NP106 Aquaculture, Component II – Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management, Problem Statement g) Aquatic Animal Health Management. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? None 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). "A Preliminary Look at the Potential for Using a Parasitic Isopod For Augmentative Biological Control of its Burrowing Shrimp Host "Oral presentation at 59th Annual Conference of the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association and Pacific Coast Section of the National Shellfisheries Association" in Hood River Oregon October, 2005 and separate poster presentation with a similar title at the biennial meeting of the Estuarine Research Federation in Norfolk, Virginia October 2005. "The Interaction of Oyster Aquaculture and Burrowing Shrimp in Pacific Northwest Coastal Estuaries: Spatial and Temporal Scales" Poster presentation at the Pacific Estuarine Research Society conference in Friday Harbor, Washington February, 2006. "An Overview of Burrowing Shrimp Ecology and Applications for their Control" Oral presentation at a Burrowing Shrimp Workshop held for oyster-growers in Long Beach, Washington, February 2006. "Oyster Aquaculture in a Pacific Northwest (USA) Estuary: A Plea for Taking a Landscape- Ecosystem Perspective" Oral presentation at the National Shellfisheries Association Meeting in Monterey, California, March 2006. "Shrimp, Sex, and Science: Students Dig into their Studies" Corvallis Gazette Times article, May 17, 2006 Covering work with bopyrid isopod parasites.