Shellfish hatchery
In 2022, the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, and Delaware Sea Grant established a pilot scale shellfish hatchery on the UD Lewes Campus. This is the first official shellfish hatchery in Delaware with the purpose of supplying seed and spat on shell to Delaware shellfish farmers, researchers, and restoration efforts.
The hatchery is located in an existing building across the lot from the Pollution Ecology Lab next door to the MERR Institute. Known fondly by UD staff and students as “the shed”, the small building is outfitted with a seawater intake that was used for various projects for decades but was in disrepair after years of saltwater exposure. In 2022, the State funded UD and Delaware Sea Grant staff an award to renovate the building and transform it from the “shed” to a fully functional, small scale shellfish hatchery.
The hatchery consists of a filtered seawater system, raw seawater intake, five 600L larval tanks, an algae growout system, and a broodstock holding system. Just outside the building sits a nursery with four remote set tanks to produce spat on shell, and two upweller/downweller tanks to hold seed.
What can the hatchery produce?
At optimal capacity, the pilot scale hatchery is capable of producing up to 50 million eyed larvae per season and is targeting 1 million seed oysters yearly to be transferred to Inland Bays shellfish growers. While supporting Delaware’s shellfish aquaculture industry, the pilot hatchery also serves as a blueprint for a potential industrial scale facility, as well as demonstration/education space for students, teachers, interns, and early career professionals.
