What are the stages of shellfish farming?
There are five stages: Seed – The farming process begins with the collection of seed stock from existing wild stocks or from hatchery sources. Nursery – Nursery rearing of shellfish begins once the seeds have set and lasts until the juvenile shellfish are ready to be transferred to the grow-out site. Nursery rearing systems are intertidal, suspended in deep water, or built on land or floating rafts with seawater flow-through. Growout – Once seeds are at the right size, they are removed from the nursery sites, and put into socks, tubes, trays, lantern nets, or set on long lines, in bags, on tables, on the sea floor or the beach. Grading and Sorting – To ensure the highest survival and growth rates, it is essential to periodically sort and grade the stock into appropriate sizes. This must be done for oysters, clams or scallops especially during the juvenile stages. Harvest – It takes anywhere from 1½ to four years for shellfish to reach harvest size. Harvesting techniques range from hand
