IMPACTS OF A CYANOBACTERIUM CONTAMINATING LARGE-SCALE AQUACULTURE FEED CULTURES OF TETRASELMIS CHUI ON SURVIVAL AND GROWTH OF BAY SCALLOPS, ARGOPECTEN IRRADIANS IRRADIANS

Abstract Large-scale, open, microalgal feed cultures for hatchery and nursery production of marine invertebrates inevitably becomes contaminated with various microbes that can affect productivity and usability of the harvested biomass. In the Greenhouse for Research on Algal Mass Production Systems (GRAMPS) at the NMFS Laboratory in Milford, CT, cultures of Tetraselmis chui (PLY429) often become contaminated with a cyanobacterium; preliminary observations suggested that juvenile bay scallops, Argopecten irradians irradians showed reduced performance when the feed culture became contaminated with this cyanobacterium. We isolated a cyanobacterium from a contaminated culture of PLY429 and conducted a feeding study to determine if this isolate affects survival and growth of juvenile bay scallops, either alone or in combination with PLY429, thereby simulating feeding of a contaminated culture. Bay scallops were given a diet of either 100% PLY429, 50% PLY429 with 50% cyanobacteria, 100% cyanobacteria, or starve...