It could even add pigmentation to farm-raised salmon. ShellBond could also be used to soak up oil spills remove ammonia and suppress algae blooms in hog lagoons. Although Filbert died in 2008, Hayes continued the work, pursuing opportunities to improve marine environments with the product. The pair received further patents to use ShellBond to mitigate environmental pollution, create protective coatings and restore coral reefs. When the patent expired in 2006, he approached Hayes about exploring other uses for the calcium carbonate creation. But Filbert believed the product had applications in ocean science, too. Burnt oyster shells were the basis for the lime used in traditional building materials, including concrete and mortars used in early settlements such as Colonial Williamsburg, Va. “We think we can grow oysters that are bigger, badder and denser with a lot less labor,” said Hayes.Īlthough ShellBond has potential to improve shellfish farming, the original product had a much more old-school application.Ī brick mason named Norman Filbert patentedShellBond in 1989 as a mortar made from marine shells. The paint provides the same calcium carbonate-rich environment with less bulk and more options for configuration within the tanks or cages. Rather than filling burlap bags with oyster shells, growers can brush the paint onto cages, concrete blocks, grids and other surfaces to create attractive spots for oyster spat to settle. The resulting white powder – called ShellBond – can be mixed with other organic ingredients to form a shell-based paint. Through a patented process, animal skeletal materials like oyster shells are heated, cooled, added to water and reheated until the chemical bond is broken and the shells disintegrate. “It’s a primitive and labor-intensive process,” said John Hayes Ph.D., oceanographer and managing partner of ShellBond.Ī sustainable material made from those same oyster shells could provide a simpler solution. Photo courtesy of ShellBond.Ī bag of shells might be the perfect spot for oyster spat to settle but shoveling shells into burlap bags and hauling the artificial reefs into the water requires a significant amount of effort for oyster farmers. The national spat collection program will generate significant livelihood benefits across Fiji and support continued expansion of the Fijian cultured pearl industry.Shellbond’s creative thinking aims to transform natural byproduct into aquaculture’s advantageĪ North Carolina company’s patented process breaks the chemical bond of animal skeletal materials like oyster shells and mixes the white powder with other organic ingredients to create a unique paint. Results identified sites supporting high levels of pearl oyster recruitment as a basis for an ongoing national spat collection program, and support better targeting of spat collection activities that maximise oyster supply to the Fijian pearl industry. margaritifera based on greater levels of recruitment at these sites. penguin have greater tolerance of more turbid inshore sites than P. penguin ranged from 7.53 cm to 13.62 cm across sites. penguin were collected from all sites, with the highest number of recruits (495) recorded from Namarai (Viti Levu). margaritifera recruitment during the study and these were generally sites with relatively turbid water. margaritifera at any site was 8.61 ± 0.30 cm while the smallest was 4.26 ± 0.13 cm. The largest mean dorso-ventral measurement (DVM) of P. margaritifera juveniles were collected from all sites with the highest number of recruits (693) and the highest number of recruits per collector (2.10 ± 0.17) occurring at Nacobau (Vanua Levu). Spat collectors were deployed for a period of 10–15 months when the number of pearl oyster ( Pinctada margaritifera and Pteria penguin) spat attached to each collector was counted and shell size recorded. Spat collectors consisted of a 100 m longline from which 310 individual spat collectors were suspended. Twenty-nine sites across Fiji were used in this study. This supply can be inconsistent and a research program was implemented to determine recruitment of pearl oysters to spat collectors at sites throughout Fiji as a basis for developing a national spat collection program to improve reliability of oyster supply to the industry. Cultured pearl farming in Fiji relies on wild spat collection to supply the oysters used for pearl production.
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