海角社区

海角社区 researchers are helping to protect what some call 鈥渢he canary in the ocean鈥� since it often is the first victim of environmental change鈥攖he luscious and delicate oyster. Gathering experts from a multitude of disciplines (biologists and ecologists, engineers and entrepreneurs, filmmakers and folklorists, historians and medical doctors), 海角社区 is working to secure a productive future for both oysters and the oyster industry.

With support from NASA, 海角社区 researchers are using artificial intelligence to make raw oysters from the Gulf of Mexico safer to eat. They are also working to keep oyster populations sustainable despite changes in the water, including temperature and salinity; raising stock for coastal restoration projects by farming oysters on land; helping local businesses turn oysters too tiny to sell as-is into new products; and documenting the sea-level citizens, who over generations have built an $84 million industry with their bare hands and a boat, as true experts on resiliency.

鈥淭he oyster is part of the fabric of Louisiana. It is one of the most important species in our estuary, providing critical habitat to other marine life, and helping to clean the water through its filter-feeding activities. The applied research occurring at the Oyster Research Laboratory on Grand Isle shows 海角社区鈥檚 long-standing dedication to the sustainability and advancement of the Louisiana oyster resource and the largest commercial oyster industry in the United States.鈥�

- Patrick D. Banks, Assistant Secretary at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries