Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Shellfish aquaculture and public health: how will climate change affect seafood safety? The global population is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, increasing pressure on the food sector to maximise production. Seafood will have an increasing importance in providing animal protein to a growing population. Canadian aquaculture encompasses farming fish, shellfish and seaweed, but many advocacy groups have raised sustainability concerns with farmed fish. In contrast, aquaculture production of marine shellfish, such as oysters and scallops, is recognised as a legitimate use of the marine environment for sustainable food production. Despite the immense potential of shellfish aquaculture to contribute to food security, climate change will be an enormous challenge for the sector. Climate change is a global, long-term problem whose ultimate solution requires carbon dioxide reduction at a scope and scale that will take decades to accomplish. Until that is achieved, the shellfish farming sector needs to adopt mitigation measures to reduce the impact of ocean acidification and heatwaves on their businesses. Ocean acidification prevents shellfish from forming their calcium carbonate shells, and heatwaves increase the abundance of shellfish and human pathogens in coastal waters. Dr. Green intends to use a ‘one-health’ approach to ensure farmed shellfish in Canada survive to market size and are safe for humans to eat. Dr. Green has developed lineages of oysters and scallops that are resilient to heatwaves and ocean acidification, and over the next five years he will use these shellfish to determine how climate change will impact the bioaccumulation of Vibrio pathogens by shellfish. Vibrios are marine bacteria that are ubiquitous in Canada’s coastal waters and these pathogens cause disease in shellfish and illness in humans when they eat uncooked shellfish, such as oysters. Canada has a lot at stake in protecting it’s marine ecosystems from climate change and pollution. Over 7 million Canadians live in coastal communities, and rely on our coastal waters for jobs, food and much more. Dr. Green’s research will help to safeguard Canada’s valuable aquaculture industry and the food security it provides.