Historically, intensive cultivation of oysters has been practiced intertidally in bays or sounds where large tidal fluctuations create expansive intertidal flats at ebb tide. In the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada, where tides may exceed ten feet, oyster farming is done almost exclusively in the intertidal zone. Harvesting and handling occurs when the waters recede (Beattie, 1982; Gunn and Saxby, 1982). In contrast, estuaries and coastal lagoons in the southeastern United States, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean have small tidal fluctuations, resulting in limited potential for intertidal oyster fishing or farming.
Proceedings can be found online at http://www.gcfi.org/, Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. Proceedings are not copyrighted and there is no charge for non-commercial use. However, GCFI strongly encourages individuals who wish to use figures, images or other components of a paper published in the proceedings to contact the author to receive approval. GCFI became an independent not‐for profit corporation in 1985 and is entirely supported by member contributions, grants, and subscriptions to its Proceedings. This manuscript may be cited as: Creswell L., Holt, J., & Vaughan, D. (1992). Subtidal cultivation of the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica, utilizing a flexible belt. In M. H. Goodwin, S. M. Kau, & G. T. Waugh (Eds.), Proceedings of the forty-second annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, November 1989, 42. (pp. 378-386). Charleston, SC: The Institute.
Florida Atlantic University. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute contribution #801.