Mook Sea Farm scientist to discuss aquaculture in changing waters
Meredith White, head of research and development at Mook Sea Farm, will give a talk at 11 a.m. Oct. 12 in Brooke Hall at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center in Walpole.
“Aquaculture in changing waters: How an oyster farm leverages science to prepare for environmental change” will focus on how Mook Sea Farm, two miles north of the DMC on the Damariscotta River Estuary, has improved its research program to be more resilient in the face of ocean acidification and other climate change impacts.
White earned a Ph.D. in biological oceanography from the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Joint Program. Her research focused on the impacts of ocean acidification on larval bay scallops. White, who was hired in 2016 by company founder Bill Mook, develops and supports research that’s relevant to the health of the industry and the seascape, and advances the company’s sustainability and vitality.
“While this is the first time that R&D has an official position at Mook Sea Farm, innovation has been in the DNA of this company since its founding in 1985,” she says.
Mook Sea Farm grows American oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from eggs to adults. At the hatchery, 80 to 100 million juvenile oysters (seed) are produced annually to sell to other oyster growers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The hatchery also cultivates Wiley Point and Pemaquid Point oysters for the half-shell market.
Mook Sea Farm collaborates with scientists and students at the DMC. For decades, the center’s business incubation program, together with Maine Sea Grant and Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, has supported innovation at Mook Sea Farm and other aquaculture companies in the state.
For more information about the free, public talk or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Linda Healy at 563.8220, lhealy@maine.edu.