Is fouling a problem on shellfish growout sites?
Yes. Shellfish farmers combat fouling by control, avoidance and prevention. Fouling organisms include barnacles, tunicates, tube worms, bryozoans, hydroids (a small branching organism related to jellyfish and sea anemones) and encrusting sponge. Fouling is avoided by using a fresh water or saline solution, pressure washing, timing production cycles, maintaining high growth rates and exposure to air.
Yes. Shellfish farmers combat fouling by control, avoidance and prevention. One of the limits to the natural productivity of the marine environment is surface area that can be readily colonized. Many species produce planktonic or free swimming larvae that are carried about by tides, currents and waves. At some point in their development, they will settle on some suitable surface and grow through the next stages of development. Most of the “fouling” organisms fall into this class. Any object put into the water will soon be colonized. For the shellfish grower this can pose a major problem if the abundance of these organisms becomes so great that they out-compete the crop for available food, smother it or otherwise interfere with the culture effort. Among the fouling organisms that can have a detrimental effect to the shellfish grower are mussels, barnacles, tunicates, tube worms, bryozoans, hydroids (a small branching organism related to jellyfish and sea anemonies) and encrusting sponge
