NOAA Sea Grant announced today that one of the 33 projects in the 2024 federal funding will support the continuation of oyster aquaculture research led by Dr. Lee Smee’s lab at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The projects focus on producing aquaculture species, boosting aquaculture literacy and knowledge sharing, and strengthening aquaculture research and extension capacity.

The funded Smee Lab project will use machine learning to guide oyster aquaculture site selection. Data for the model will come partially from citizen scientists in the oyster gardening program. These citizens will raise the oysters and provide oyster growth and quality information. The research team will assess oyster feeding using in-situ filter feeding techniques at multipe sites along the coast.

Machine learning will use data collected from the field and algorithms to develop a model to predict oyster growth and survival. This model could develop into a publicly available online tool that ranks site suitability for oyster farming.

Collaboration on the project includes Dr. Lee Smee and Jessica Lunt of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and John Beck with the University of Alabama in Huntsville.