Download the NSA 2012 Technical Program for Seattle (.pdf)

Wow, what an issue - read all about the upcoming meeting in Seattle, learn about the Shellfish Association of Great Britain, celebrate with the Carriker and Castagna Grant awardees, and catch up on the goings-on of the ISSC and the Pacific Coast Section of NSA. The Winter 2012 issue if the Quarterly Newsletter has it all!

PHYSIOMAR 12

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Physiomar 12 will be held in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia (Spain) from 4th to 8th September, 2012 at the Faculty of Biology (Room Santiago Ramón y Cajal), University of Santiago de Compostela. The conference is being organised by USC (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela), Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC) and Centro de Investigacións Mariñas (CIMA, Xunta de Galicia).

Physiomar 12 is planned as a forum for the communication of recent advances in all aspects of the physiology of marine molluscs and will focus mainly on Reproduction, Growth and Bioenergetics, Nutrition, Biomolecules and Biomaterials, and Genetics, genomics and proteomics. The 2012 conference will also include two specific sessions on Inmune reponse and Response to environmental changes and toxicity.

Call for Abstracts - the deadline to submit an abstract is April 15, 2012.

Click here for abstract submission details

Oyster Restoration Workgroup

Oysters and oyster reefs once were common along much of the U.S. coastline. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, has declined to levels where serious thought is being given to introducing a non-native species, C. ariakensis, in the Chesapeake Bay. The Olympia oyster, Ostreola conchaphila, rarely is harvested today unless under aquaculture. Once valued primarily as a resource, oysters are now recognized as important “ecosystem engineers” in estuaries. Oysters create complex habitats relied on by numerous fish, crustaceans, bivalves, other invertebrates, birds, and mammals. During feeding, oysters also can filter large volumes of water, improving clarity and quality while transferring nutrients from the water column to the sediments. In recognition of the importance of oyster reefs to overall coastal ecosystem functions, large- and small-scale restoration of reef habitats is ongoing in most coastal states. However, consensus on what constitutes a successful reef restoration project currently does not exist.  The Oyster Restoration Workgroup seeks to develop uniform metrics that allow for better evaluation of success and comparisons across oyster restoration projects. The website contains a wealth of valuable information.