Tapping into the diversity of native shellfish species provides economic and ecological stability by providing portfolio effects for each system. Thus, this project uses interdisciplinary methods to determine the marketing potential of native Olympia oysters to local restaurants and markets. This goal is met by addressing barriers as to why there is currently no culinary demand in Southern California for the Olympia oyster. The project looks at the biological characteristics of the Olympia oyster as related to aquaculture and marketing, and the economic and social potential of this oyster as an avenue to enhance awareness of the product.
Collaborators: Carlsbad Aquafarm, Inc., Acacia Pacific Investments LLC, Dominique Barnes, CMBC at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Mark Jacobsen, UCSD.
View Dominique's capstone report here for a look at some preliminary findings.