Spawning & Rearing Bivalve Mollusks:

In this lesson, students will learn methods for spawning bivalve mollusks (e.g. clams or oysters) using thermal induction. Students will acquire skills in using an ocular micrometer to measure the diameter of bivalve eggs and the length of bivalve larvae. The following lesson plan will have students monitoring the density of larvae in their culture system and understanding production protocols used in bivalve hatcheries. Interest Approach: Ask students if they know where oysters and clams come from (after using the module example to explain the mode of reproduction ― synchronous broadcast spawners). Describe to them that most of the shellfish we consume in the United States are actually farmed in the open, public waters along our coasts. Shellfish culture utilizes the natural food in our coastal waters, and as such, requires that the water is clean, free to toxins and harmful pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, shellfish farmers are at the forefront of environmental stewardship of our coastal waters because their livelihoods depend upon it. Polluted waters become closed to shellfish farming. This lesson is to let students understand the equipment and techniques associated with spawning and rearing bivalve mollusks up to the point that they are transferred to their ―pastureland‖ in our coastal waters. Student Materials: