Keeping Connecticut’s oyster and clam populations healthy and accessible for recreational and commercial harvest is no simple task. Just ask the approximately 60 volunteer overseers of shellfishing in their towns who attended the Jan. 24 Annual Gathering of Shellfish Commissions.
Fisheries
New episode in video series features National Fish Hatchery
The first installment of 2026 in the Aquaculture Video Series comes from a visit to the National Fish Hatchery in North Attleboro, Mass. Watch the video to learn a bit about their programs involving American shad, trout and bloater.
Registration open for Foundations of Shellfish Farming 2026
Foundations of Shellfish Farming is an in-person training course for new and prospective farmers and those who simply seek to learn more about aquaculture practices and techniques. It will be offered on Tuesday evenings from Jan. 20 to April 7, 2026 at UConn Avery Point.
When it comes to safety at sea, ‘you’ve got to practice it’
Pavel Ivanov has spent many hours harvesting surf clams and ocean quahogs aboard the F/V Sea Watcher II out of New Bedford, Mass., but had never practiced getting into an immersion survival suit or boarding a life raft before coming to UConn Avery Point for a sea safety workshop.
SHUCKS interns get hands-on training as farmers of the sea
This summer, Danielle Calini and Brendon Goulette will advance their career goals as recipients of the SHUCKS internship at Sixpenny Oyster Farm in Noank. Now in its second year, the paid internship gives hands-on training in aquaculture through part-time work at Sixpenny.
Radio show on kelp farming features CTSG’s Zach Gordon
The April 14 episode of the CT Public Radio show “Where We Live” featured Zachary Gordon, CT Sea Grant assistant extension educator, in a program titled, “From Sea to Table: the Power of Connecticut’s Kelp Industry.”
Fact sheet explains shellfish aquaculture, plastics research
A new fact sheet, “Emerging Research on Shellfish, Aquaculture, and Marine Plastics” explores the issue of microplastics and shellfish aquaculture. The research shows that microplastic exposure risk from shellfish is extremely low, and that aquaculture gear at a study site did not contribute to microplastic pollution.
Aquaculture newsletter features CTSG mobile seaweed lab
The Connecticut Sea Grant mobile seaweed lab, a project led by Associate Extension Educator Anoushka Concepcion, is featured in the July issue of Aquaculture North America.
Northeast Oyster Breeding Center opens at Milford lab
NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service cut the ribbon on the new Northeast Oyster Breeding Center on June 24. 2024, at the NOAA Milford lab.
CT Oyster Trail, Stonington shellfish farm film unveiled
Gov. Ned Lamont announced the launch of Connecticut’s first-ever oyster trail, accompanied by the premiere of the new short-form documentary, Rising Tide to Table, which celebrates the state’s thriving oyster industry, from farm to fork.