The 44th East Coast Commercial Fishermen’s & Aquaculture Trade Exposition was held in Ocean City, Maryland January 12th-14th, 2018.  If you made it to the show but missed the seminar's or if you couldn't make it at all, below are the presentations given.  Click the titles below to view.  

Maryland Seafood Marketing Commission Activities, Ron Buckhalt, MDA July 1, 2017 a new law transferred seafood marketing back to the Maryland Department of Agriculture from the Department of Natural Resources, along with the Seafood Marketing Advisory Commission. Learn about new marketing activities designed to advance the sale of Maryland seafood products to consumers here and internationally.

How Much Does Government Cost the Shellfish Industry? Jonathan van Senten, Va Tech, Just what is the cost of government regulation to shellfish aquaculture businesses? We’ll provide information from a study by the National Aquaculture Association on the burden of regulatory agencies on West Coast shellfish and its expansion to our region to better understand these costs on developing our industry.

Our Farm Is Underwater! Shannon Hood, Horn Point, A Demonstration Oyster Farm was created to use many types of oyster culture gear. Information is routinely collected on equipment, labor and expenses and it is used for numerous workshops for growers interested in seeing how various culture methods might work for their farms. We’ll showcase gear used on the farm that in commercial production and others not yet used by Maryland's industry.

Tracking Harmful Algal Blooms, Kim Reece, VIMS, Harmful algal blooms are with us and present numerous problems for shellfish. Kim will provide an overview of the problem, with current and future potential problems to growers, as well as information on who is tracking them and what can be done by industry to assist.

Disease: Our Ever-present Problem, Ryan Carnegie, VIMS, As one of our greatest continuing problems in shellfish aquaculture, learn about the current status of MSX and Dermo, as well as the future outlook and what is being done to track and provide outreach to industry for planning. Disease monitoring and planning should be one of the principal areas of interest for all those raising or harvesting oysters in the Mid Atlantic.

BMPs for Nutrient Reduction, Suzanne Bricker, NOAA, Matt Parker, UMD Extension,  Update on the Maryland Expert Panel developing criteria for using oysters to satisfy BMPs for the Chesapeake Bay and potentially leading to nutrient trading credits for their use by shellfish farmers.

The Five W’s of the Maryland Seafood Cooperative, Stephan Abel, ORP, A discussion on What the MDSC is; Who it impacts; Where the MDSC operates; Why you should become a member and When you can sign up. Interested watermen can learn more about the newly formed Maryland Seafood Cooperative and what it could mean for you. Presented by the members of the Maryland Seafood Cooperative Board of Directors and Oyster Recovery Partnership staff.