About

As a part of the Smart Sustainable Shellfish Aquaculture Management (S3AM) project, Fraunhofer USA is developing Find My Oyster, a software application that offers a solution to some of the challenges facing on-bottom oyster growers.

The app enables farmers to record their activities and observations in real-time, and uses GPS data to provide a map of the farm, which enables farmers to estimate their inventory and optimize their seeding and harvesting practices.

Who is it for?

FindMyOyster is designed specifically for on-bottom oysters growers, that grow oysters directly on the bottom, mimicking the oysters natural environment. In recent years many types of off-bottom farming have become popular and there have been many technological advancements in off-bottom farming. But, on-bottom oyster farming has not seen significant innovation in decades.

To address this issue, the S3AM project aims to develop innovative technologies to make on-bottom growing more precise, predictable, and sustainable.

What are the benefits?

FindMyOyster can help maximize resource utilization and increase yield. It does this by showing growers an up to date estimate of the state of the oyster bed, which normally would be invisible under the water surface.

Growing oysters on the bottom typically involves stabilizing the bottom with an expensive substrate. Without a stable substrate the oysters may be smothered in mud before they grow to harvest size. To maximize the benefit of the substrate an even distribution of material is ideal, but this is hard to achieve when navigating blind.

Next the oyster bed is seeded with spat-on-shell. Again, to maximize utilization, an even distribution of seed is ideal.

The figures below show an example map of a 1-acre oyster bed. One is seeded using the FindMyOyster density map, the other is seeded blindly and randomly. The green color represents ideal density, blue is low density and red is high density. With random seeding parts of the bed are left blank and parts are over-seeded which may lead to stunted growth because the oysters compete for food.

How can I try it?

Fraunhofer USA is actively seeking industry partners to test the app and provide valuable feedback. Interested shellfish farmers can use the app at no cost and help shape its future development. If you are interested, take a look at the getting started guide.