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ABC

Field Operations

ABC’s field capabilities consist of oyster grow-out at 4 main farm sites using a variety of methods: bottom cages, adjustable longline systems, and custom hybrid rack systems. A central field lab on the VIMS main campus is where the majority of our sampling, deployment, and distribution activities take place. 

The farm sites, located on the York, Rappahannock, Coan, and Choptank rivers, are each staged in intertidal to subtidal zones. The field sites on the Coan and Rappahannock are on private oyster ground; industry partners have granted ABC access for holding broodstock and conducting experiments. 

A map of the Chesapeake Bay, with X marks on the ABC farm locations. Blue marks (Choptank and Coan) are low salinity sites. Green (Rappahannock) is a moderate salinity site with low disease pressure, while Red (York River and Sarah's Creek) are also moderate salinity, but with higher disease pressure

Farm Sites

 

York RiverPhoto of long line baskets exposed at low tide in the York River

The York River farm is located near the VIMS campus and is used for disease-challenge tests under conditions of moderate salinity and high disease prevalence and is also used as an easily-accessible location for archive material.  A large adjustable longline system is installed in an adjacent area just offshore of Watermen’s Hall. Bottom cages are utilized primarily to hold family archives in breakwater pools.  This is our main testing site for Deby and XB selection, as well as family testing for all ploidies.

 

Rappahannock RiverABC's custom rack system in the Rappahannock River

The Rappahannock River farm is ABC’s primary broodstock holding site. Its moderate salinity, protected location, and lower disease pressure make it a great site to grow seed and hold most of ABC’s spawning and distribution stocks. Tetraploid seed and broodstock are also concentrated at this site, where they benefit from stable conditions.  This location is one of the two ABC sites utilizing a hybrid rack system, pictured to the right. Custom built rebar racks sit approximately 30” off the bottom. Legless bottom cages are attached directly to the racks, providing a more secure alternative to the traditional rack-and-bag system. Given the sites higher wave action, the cage and rack system offers protection and stability for the oyster bags while being higher in the water column allowing for high flow, and therefore excellent growth performance. Just offshore of the racks are organized rows of bottom cages, used for storing archive material, projects, and overwintering.  

Two ABC employees adjust long line baskets in the Lewisetta custom hybrid system

 

Coan River

The Lewisetta farm on the Coan River is one of ABC’s lower salinity sites. It serves as a deployment site for low-salinity seed each year, a test site for the family breeding program, and a holding site for some of ABC’s low salinity line broodstock. This site is the other location of a custom hybrid system. Longline baskets are secured onto racks, again allowing flow to promote growth, and the baskets allow the oysters to tumble. Bottom cages run in rows on this site, parallel to the shoreline. 

 

A team of ABC scientists in field gear posed on the bed of a work truck, getting ready to sample the long line system on the Choptank RiverChoptank River

ABC’s second low salinity site is located on the Choptank River at the Horn Point Lab in Cambridge, Maryland. ABC helped install a second longline system at this location, which is used by scientists from both research groups. ABC uses a portion of this longline space as another low-salinity test site for their family breeding program. The extreme low-salinity conditions that can occur at this site also make it an informative location for experimental work. 

a series of paired taylor floats of to the right of a pier in Sarah's Creek

Temporary broodstock holding

VIMS also possesses a pier and adjacent property on Sarah's Creek, a branch of the York River. There, the primary gear type are Taylor floats and the site is used for temporary holding of oysters as well as a place to naturally condition oysters. Due to the low streamflow, this site is particularly nutrient rich and warm, making it an ideal location for oyster conditioning.   There is also a similar set up on VIMS property on the Rappahannock River, utilized as a staging area for distribution of broodstock for industry

Field Lab

ABC’s field lab is the central location for field gear storage (wet suits, waders, boots, gloves, life jackets) and is where processing of brood stock, experimental sampling and much of the “dirty work” occurs. Outside the field lab are all kinds of gear needed for growing oysters including oyster bags with various sizes of mesh, bands for closing cages , rope, wood, floats and sometimes oyster cages. The field lab has a washer and dryer where the team can wash gloves and field clothes and a shower so our team can clean up after field outtings.  ABC scientists utilizing table space in the field lab to measure oysters from each of our families during our fall sampling period

Goldeneye

ABC helped purchase a 24’ Carolina Skiff V-49 tailored to suit our field work. With a ladder and platform at the stern for easy entry and exit from the vessel as we most often work from the water. Spud poles are available to keep the boat in place when the field crew is working in the water. The vessel size is large enough to support the quantity of oyster bags and baskets that are loaded during project deployments and cages when they are being replaced or removed to be fixed. The Goldeneye has 3-inch drains which come in handy when the boat is loaded with baskets or bags that bring water aboard; allowing it to more easily drain.