1. Agricultural and Horticultural Enterprises

3. Natural Resources and Environmental Quality

The world’s oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which does not bode well for Florida’s 825 miles of coastline. Carbon dioxide can contribute to ocean acidification &#8212; a reduction in the pH of the ocean &#8212; which puts some forms of marine life such as oysters, clams, sea urchins and corals [&#8230;]

The world’s oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which does not bode well for <a href="https://floridadep.gov/rcp/beaches">Florida’s 825 miles of coastline</a>.
Carbon dioxide can contribute to ocean acidification &#8212; a reduction in the pH of the ocean &#8212; which puts some forms of marine life such as oysters, clams, sea urchins and corals in peril.
<figure id="attachment_45769" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-45769" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" class="size-medium wp-image-45769 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="169" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/files/2024/07/Ocean-acidification_vase-sponge_courtesy-Josh-Patterson_071124-300x169.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-45769" class="wp-caption-text">Vase sponge. Courtesy, Josh Patterson, UF/IFAS.</figcaption></figure>
In a <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topics/ocean_acidification">series of Ask IFAS documents</a>, University of Florida experts explain how seawater chemistry changes as a result of elevated carbon dioxide levels. UF/IFAS Extension agents and scientists also outline how acidification can harm Florida’s marine life.
“Ocean acidification is an invisible, but real threat to Florida’s coastal and marine ecosystems, the impacts of which often amplify other threats such as water pollution, increased water temperatures and diseases or pathogens,” said Lisa Krimsky, water resources regional specialized Extension agent for Southeast Florida.
“However, it’s important to note that ocean acidification is not likely to impact all marine habitats and organisms in the same way,” said Krimsky, also a <a href="https://www.flseagrant.org/">Florida Sea Grant agent</a>. “Understanding these differences is necessary for successful management, protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems.”
Marine habitats such as Florida’s coral reef are valuable, ecologically and economically. The reef supports fish and shoreline protection.
It’s also essential to the ecotourism industry. According to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, coral reefs in southeast Florida have a total economic value of about $8.5 billion. The estimated commercial value of fisheries with coral reef systems is over $100 million.
Therefore, UF/IFAS experts say it’s imperative to consider the effects of ocean acidification on sponges and stony corals because the interaction between these two groups may be altered.
In the most recent <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FA263">Ask IFAS document</a> on ocean acidification, UF/IFAS scientists and Extension agents outline the potential danger it can inflict on sponges.
Early data suggest <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/calcareous-sponge">calcareous</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/siliceous-sponge">siliceous sponges</a> may be resistant or at least less susceptible to decreasing pH. But the data are incomplete, said Josh Patterson, a UF/IFAS associate professor of restoration aquaculture at the Florida Aquarium in Apollo Beach and Florida Sea Grant-affiliated faculty.
“There is not a lot of data available on how ocean acidification might affect sponges, but the information we have suggests they may be less affected than other forms of marine life with whom they compete for space and resources,” Patterson said.
But that doesn’t attenuate his concern for the potential damage ocean acidification could cause to sponges or the overall marine ecosystem.
When carbon dioxide mixes with water, it forms a weak chemical called carbonic acid. So much carbon dioxide has been emitted by human activity that it has decreased the pH of the oceans, and the trend will continue with further emissions, said Patterson, a faculty member in the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences.
There’s only one thing to do to lower ocean acidification, he said.
“The primary call to action is to decrease carbon dioxide emissions,” Patterson said. “We restore corals and sponges, but I don’t believe that action addresses ocean acidification.”
###
ABOUT UF/IFAS 
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. 
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The Florida Sea Grant program, hosted at UF/IFAS, is a university-based program that supports research, education and Extension to conserve coastal resources and enhance economic opportunities for the people of Florida. In addition to UF/IFAS, the program is a partnership between Florida universities, the <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.noaa.gov%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ctorymoore%40ufl.edu%7C5059361f69bd4470d65908daad2d94fe%7C0d4da0f84a314d76ace60a62331e1b84%7C0%7C0%7C638012708565515659%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=5EEyj7SPrBzBVgb%2BtGjD3fIp2O9e900lcUy7yRhbBS4%3D&amp;reserved=0">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a>  and county governments.
<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flseagrant.org%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ctorymoore%40ufl.edu%7C5059361f69bd4470d65908daad2d94fe%7C0d4da0f84a314d76ace60a62331e1b84%7C0%7C0%7C638012708565515659%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=8Ex2Og9OC2B4e02lNxgiwmx2bPgr8lCe7onsCM1hhes%3D&amp;reserved=0">flseagrant.org</a>  |  <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FFloridaSeaGrant&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ctorymoore%40ufl.edu%7C5059361f69bd4470d65908daad2d94fe%7C0d4da0f84a314d76ace60a62331e1b84%7C0%7C0%7C638012708565515659%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=3YV9%2BBUAsSAD9gjZ7kyOjd%2FBzf3MrzWv9kQFMsAYhfM%3D&amp;reserved=0">@FloridaSeaGrant</a>

The world’s oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which does not bode well for Florida’s 825 miles of coastline.
Carbon dioxide can contribute to ocean acidification — a reduction in the pH of the ocean — which puts some forms of marine life such as oysters, clams, sea urchins and corals in peril.
Vase sponge. Courtesy, Josh Patterson, UF/IFAS.
In a series of Ask IFAS documents, University of Florida experts explain how seawater chemistry changes as a result of elevated carbon dioxide levels. UF/IFAS Extension agents and scientists also outline how acidification can harm Florida’s marine life.
“Ocean acidification is an invisible, but real threat to Florida’s coastal and marine ecosystems, the impacts of which often amplify other threats such as water pollution, increased water temperatures and diseases or pathogens,” said Lisa Krimsky, water resources regional specialized Extension agent for Southeast Florida.
“However, it’s important to note that ocean acidification is not likely to impact all marine habitats and organisms in the same way,” said Krimsky, also a Florida Sea Grant agent. “Understanding these differences is necessary for successful management, protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems.”
Marine habitats such as Florida’s coral reef are valuable, ecologically and economically. The reef supports fish and shoreline protection.
It’s also essential to the ecotourism industry. According to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, coral reefs in southeast Florida have a total economic value of about $8.5 billion. The estimated commercial value of fisheries with coral reef systems is over $100 million.
Therefore, UF/IFAS experts say it’s imperative to consider the effects of ocean acidification on sponges and stony corals because the interaction between these two groups may be altered.
In the most recent Ask IFAS document on ocean acidification, UF/IFAS scientists and Extension agents outline the potential danger it can inflict on sponges.
Early data suggest calcareous and siliceous sponges may be resistant or at least less susceptible to decreasing pH. But the data are incomplete, said Josh Patterson, a UF/IFAS associate professor of restoration aquaculture at the Florida Aquarium in Apollo Beach and Florida Sea Grant-affiliated faculty.
“There is not a lot of data available on how ocean acidification might affect sponges, but the information we have suggests they may be less affected than other forms of marine life with whom they compete for space and resources,” Patterson said.
But that doesn’t attenuate his concern for the potential damage ocean acidification could cause to sponges or the overall marine ecosystem.
When carbon dioxide mixes with water, it forms a weak chemical called carbonic acid. So much carbon dioxide has been emitted by human activity that it has decreased the pH of the oceans, and the trend will continue with further emissions, said Patterson, a faculty member in the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences.
There’s only one thing to do to lower ocean acidification, he said.
“The primary call to action is to decrease carbon dioxide emissions,” Patterson said. “We restore corals and sponges, but I don’t believe that action addresses ocean acidification.”
###
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. 
ifas.ufl.edu  |  @UF_IFAS
The Florida Sea Grant program, hosted at UF/IFAS, is a university-based program that supports research, education and Extension to conserve coastal resources and enhance economic opportunities for the people of Florida. In addition to UF/IFAS, the program is a partnership between Florida universities, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  and county governments.
flseagrant.org  |  @FloridaSeaGrant

The world’s oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which does not bode well for Florida’s 825 miles of coastline. Carbon dioxide can contribute to ocean acidification — a reduction in the pH of the ocean — which puts some forms of marine life such as oysters, clams, sea urchins and corals […]

UF experts warn of potential peril caused by ocean acidification

Project Status and Accomplishments  The Lone Cabbage Reef Oyster Restoration project was completed this summer marking the end of more than fourteen years of work in the region. This project, which was culminated by the successful restoration of a chain of oyster reef more than three miles long in 2018, is the largest successful oyster [&#8230;]

<figure id="attachment_4173" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4173" style="width: 200px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/2024/06/06/lone-cabbage-oyster-reef-restoration-project-summary/20230126_oyster_count_rockboundary/"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-4173 size-medium lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="200" height="300" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/files/2024/06/20230126_oyster_count_rockboundary-200x300.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4173" class="wp-caption-text">Monitoring oyster population responses to the restoration of Lone Cabbage Reef on January 26, 2023, Suwannee Sound, Florida. To assess trends in oyster populations on restored and unrestored reefs, line-transects were used to track oyster populations before and after the restoration of Lone Cabbage Reef.  Oysters depend on suitable substrate to settle and grow. This picture clearly demonstrates the dolomite limestone used in the restoration was suitable because oysters are growing on the rocks, but no oysters are found on the hard sand habitat the people are standing on. These surveys were completed by members of the Cedar Key Oystermen’s Association, University of Florida, and FWC. Photo by Chad Palmer.</figcaption></figure>
Project Status and Accomplishments 
The Lone Cabbage Reef Oyster Restoration project was completed this summer marking the end of more than fourteen years of work in the region. This project, which was culminated by the successful restoration of a chain of oyster reef more than three miles long in 2018, is the largest successful oyster restoration project in Florida. Lone Cabbage Reef was historically a vibrant oyster reef at the mouth of the East Pass of the Suwannee River (see maps) providing fish and wildlife habitat, oyster harvests, and multiple ecosystem services including reducing wave action to help protect the shoreline. Over the last three decades, oyster populations on the reef declined, and eventually collapsed, and the once healthy oyster reef became a sand bar. Through field assessments and small experimental restoration efforts in 2010-2017 the project PIs identified a restoration approach that appeared to reverse the observed collapse and jumpstart the reef to recovery. With funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a large restoration effort was planned and completed in the summer of 2018. This effort involved working with local contractors, quarry operators, and the men and women of the Cedar Key Oystermen’s Association to prepare the site and then place local dolomite limestone on the footprint of the degraded Lone Cabbage Reef. To mimic the complex shape of a natural oyster reef, multiple sizes of limestone rocks were used from six to thirty-six inches in size. Critically, the restored reef was built to a similar elevation as nearby healthy oyster reefs of about 15-18 inches. This project was led by UF faculty <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=RUX96n0AAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Bill Pine</a>, <a href="https://wec.ifas.ufl.edu/people/wec-faculty/peter-frederick/">Peter Frederick</a>, and <a href="https://shellfish.ifas.ufl.edu">Leslie Sturmer</a>.
Funded with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), this project has been particularly noteworthy for its success in the Gulf of Mexico. “The Lone Cabbage Oyster Reef Restoration project represents a significant advancement in the re-establishment of a critical coastal resource,” said Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director and CEO of NFWF. “NFWF is pleased to have partnered with the state of Florida, the University of Florida, and local oyster interests to accomplish the large-scale restoration of historic oyster reefs in the Suwanee Sound, and looks forward to the lessons learned through this effort informing other large-scale oyster restoration practices across the Gulf.”
<figure id="attachment_4175" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4175" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/2024/06/06/lone-cabbage-oyster-reef-restoration-project-summary/20230126_oyster_growth_lcr/"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-4175 size-medium lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="200" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/files/2024/06/20230126_oyster_growth_LCR-300x200.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4175" class="wp-caption-text">A photo of the edge of a living oyster growing on a rock on Lone Cabbage Reef, Suwannee Sound, Florida. The lite/white color material is new oyster shell accumulating on the edge of old shell, which is dark colored. Photo by Emily Colson.</figcaption></figure>
After the restoration in 2018, oyster populations were monitored each winter and salinity was measured every hour near the reef until February 2023. A key result is that this oyster reef restoration resulted in a rapid reversal of observed declines in oyster populations at the restored reef. Oyster larvae (called spat) were first found within a few months of completing the restoration, and oyster populations at the restored reef showed annual increases across all five years of post-restoration monitoring, which showed that oysters were surviving and populations were increasing over time. Unrestored oyster reefs either remained at similar oyster densities, or their populations declined over this same time period, depending on the distance from shore for the reef. Oyster sizes were were similar between restored and unrestored sites within three years of the restoration, and in the area of the restored reef that was open to commercial oyster harvest (about 40% of the reef), local oystermen reported finding legal size oysters on and near the reef beginning in 2022.
“The Lone Cabbage Project is the most successful oyster restoration project in Florida to date, and this success is really driven by a few key attributes” described project co-PI Bill Pine “First, we learned from our pilot project that the recovery of Lone Cabbage Reef was limited by the available substrate, and not oyster spat. This meant if we could provide a suitable substrate, then the naturally available oyster spat would be able to settle and grow on the substrate. Another key point is that we mimicked what we observed naturally occurring in the system. For example, we used locally sourced material that is the same type of limestone as found in nearby areas such as Waccasassa Bay and Ozello that we knew could support oyster spat and adult oysters. We also built the reef to the same elevation as healthy natural reefs in Suwannee Sound using rocks of multiple sizes which created a lot of gaps and places for spat to settle and grow. Our partnerships with oyster harvesters in the area were critical to learning more about the oyster reefs in the region and how they had changed over time. This was key to informing the design of the Lone Cabbage Restoration.”
<figure id="attachment_4179" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4179" style="width: 222px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/2024/06/06/lone-cabbage-oyster-reef-restoration-project-summary/20230126_oyster_reef_transect_density/"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4179 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="222" height="333" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/files/2024/06/20230126_oyster_reef_transect_density-200x300.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4179" class="wp-caption-text">A close-up photo from January 26, 2023 of counting oysters along a transect on the restored Lone Cabbage Reef, Suwannee Sound, Florida. Line-transects were temporarily established each winter to standardize a known area on the reef (between the strings) to count oysters. After counting the oysters present in a given area, the density of oysters could be determined and this density monitored over time to see how oyster populations changed following the restoration of Lone Cabbage Reef. Photo by Chad Palmer.</figcaption></figure>
Even though the restoration of Lone Cabbage was a success, this restoration replaces only about 3-4% of the oyster reef area that has been lost in the Big Bend region. What does this mean for oysters along the Nature Coast? Dr. Pine shared his thoughts “The restoration of Lone Cabbage shows that large restoration projects can be done successfully. And now that we have learned how to do these projects, my hope is our local community partners can lead oyster restoration efforts in the region. The people that live and work in this area are the ones whose livelihoods and lifestyles depend on healthy ecosystems, and they can use the lessons learned from Lone Cabbage to lead other projects.  At the same time, research partnerships should work to understand why oyster populations have collapsed and require restoration in the first place. This region of Florida is often considered “pristine” but we have documented widespread declines in oyster populations since the 1980s and we really don’t understand what is driving those declines.”
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Here are some other key take away points from this project:
Short Term Economic Impacts – The construction phase of the Lone Cabbage Reef restoration had local economic benefits. We estimate that the implementation phase of the project supported 44 full–time and part-time jobs earning $1.01 million in labor income and generated $5.08 million in total industry output, including $3.02 million in total value added within the regional economy.
Skill training – Oyster harvesters worked on this project providing technical skill in the construction, oyster monitoring, and servicing of the water quality monitoring stations. Involving local oyster harvesters in all aspects of the project created opportunities for the university researchers to learn from the harvesters, and the harvesters to learn from the researchers.
Water quality – Salinity was measured every hour at six different locations for more than five years to examine how the restoration of Lone Cabbage Reef may have changed salinity patterns in Suwannee Sound. These data do not suggest the restoration of the Lone Cabbage Reef had any change on salinity in Suwannee Sound.
What’s next – This project is an example of translating research to on-the-ground conservation actions that can provide meaningful benefit to ecosystems and their human users. In the short-term, community-led restoration efforts can reverse observed oyster reef losses. These community efforts can provide employment opportunities for under-employed community members. Long-term the drivers of large-scale oyster reef loss in this region must be identified, and efforts to reverse these losses undertaken at a meaningful scale to recover the ecosystem and fishery benefits provided by oyster reefs in the Big Bend region of Florida.
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To find out more about this project, view the <a href="https://lcroysterproject.github.io/oysterproject/">online portal</a>. Access the publications below.
Seavey, J.R., Pine III, W.E., Frederick, P., Sturmer, L. and Berrigan, M., 2011. Decadal changes in oyster reefs in the Big Bend of Florida&#8217;s Gulf Coast. Ecosphere, 2(10), pp.1-14.
Pine III, W.E., Johnson, F.A., Frederick, P.C. and Coggins, L.G., 2022. Adaptive management in practice and the problem of application at multiple scales—insights from oyster reef restoration on Florida’s Gulf coast. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 14(1), p.e10192.
Pine III, W.E., Brucker, J., Davis, M., Geiger, S., Gandy, R., Shantz, A., Stewart Merrill, T. and Camp, E.V., 2023. Collapsed oyster populations in large Florida estuaries appear resistant to restoration using traditional cultching methods—Insights from ongoing efforts in multiple systems. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 15(5), p.e10249.
Aufmuth, J. J. Moore, W. Pine III, B. Ennis. In-review. An oyster’s pearl: restoring the elevation of Lone Cabbage Reef, Florida. Restoration Ecology
Moore, J.F. and Pine III, W.E., 2021. Bootstrap methods can help evaluate monitoring program performance to inform restoration as part of an adaptive management program. PeerJ, 9, p.e11378.
Moore, J.F., Pine III, W.E., Frederick, P.C., Beck, S., Moreno, M., Dodrill, M.J., Boone, M., Sturmer, L. and Yurek, S., 2020. Trends in oyster populations in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico: an assessment of river discharge and fishing effects over time and space. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 12(3), pp.191-204.
Pine, W. E. III, J. A. Moore, J. Aufmuth, M. Moreno, T. Coleman, J. Casteel, S. Beck, B. Ennis, and P. Frederick. In-review. Restoration is a partial, but not complete solution for long-term declines in oyster populations—a case history from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Marine and Coastal Fisheries.
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<figure id="attachment_4185" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4185" style="width: 303px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/files/2024/06/draft_oyster_count_period_26-scaled.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4185 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="303" height="234" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/files/2024/06/draft_oyster_count_period_26-300x232.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4185" class="wp-caption-text">A map depicting oyster count densities in the winter of 2022-2023, the last time period for sampling. Oyster densities were calculated from line-transect samples completed by personnel from the University of Florida, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and local oyster harvesters. Map by Joe Aufmuth, UF Marston Science Library.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_4201" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4201" style="width: 304px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/2024/06/06/lone-cabbage-oyster-reef-restoration-project-summary/draft_elev_dif__postconsrt_2021_minus_asbuilt_2018/"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4201 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="304" height="235" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/files/2024/06/draft_elev_dif__postconsrt_2021_minus_asbuilt_2018-300x232.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4201" class="wp-caption-text">This map demonstrates the change in elevation of Lone Cabbage Reef over time from the as-built conditions immediately following construction in 2018, to a follow-up survey in 2021.  For most of the reef, the elevation did not change very much over time. But portions of the most southerly portion of the reef change did subside over time. Because this is the section of the reef open to commercial oyster harvest, this subsidence may be a good thing as the oyster reef may simply be transitioning from an intertidal reef (shallow, and exposed to air part of the time) with generally small oysters, to a subtidal reef which often supports larger size oysters. Regardless, because the rock substrate persists, the restored Lone Cabbage Reef will continue to support oyster spat settlement and growth in areas that are open and closed to oyster harvest. Map by Joe Aufmuth, UF Marston Science Library.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_4209" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4209" style="width: 309px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/2024/06/06/lone-cabbage-oyster-reef-restoration-project-summary/draft_shellfish_harvest_areas/"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4209 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="309" height="239" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ncbs/files/2024/06/draft_shellfish_harvest_areas-300x232.jpg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4209" class="wp-caption-text">A map depicting the restored Lone Cabbage Reef and areas open and closed for shellfish harvest near Lone Cabbage Reef. Within four years of completing the restoration, local commercial oyster harvesters were finding legal size oysters to harvest on and near the reef, while the rock substrate continued to support settlement and growth of oyster spat. Map by Joe Aufmuth, UF Marston Science Library.</figcaption></figure>
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Monitoring oyster population responses to the restoration of Lone Cabbage Reef on January 26, 2023, Suwannee Sound, Florida. To assess trends in oyster populations on restored and unrestored reefs, line-transects were used to track oyster populations before and after the restoration of Lone Cabbage Reef.  Oysters depend on suitable substrate to settle and grow. This picture clearly demonstrates the dolomite limestone used in the restoration was suitable because oysters are growing on the rocks, but no oysters are found on the hard sand habitat the people are standing on. These surveys were completed by members of the Cedar Key Oystermen’s Association, University of Florida, and FWC. Photo by Chad Palmer.
Project Status and Accomplishments 
The Lone Cabbage Reef Oyster Restoration project was completed this summer marking the end of more than fourteen years of work in the region. This project, which was culminated by the successful restoration of a chain of oyster reef more than three miles long in 2018, is the largest successful oyster restoration project in Florida. Lone Cabbage Reef was historically a vibrant oyster reef at the mouth of the East Pass of the Suwannee River (see maps) providing fish and wildlife habitat, oyster harvests, and multiple ecosystem services including reducing wave action to help protect the shoreline. Over the last three decades, oyster populations on the reef declined, and eventually collapsed, and the once healthy oyster reef became a sand bar. Through field assessments and small experimental restoration efforts in 2010-2017 the project PIs identified a restoration approach that appeared to reverse the observed collapse and jumpstart the reef to recovery. With funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a large restoration effort was planned and completed in the summer of 2018. This effort involved working with local contractors, quarry operators, and the men and women of the Cedar Key Oystermen’s Association to prepare the site and then place local dolomite limestone on the footprint of the degraded Lone Cabbage Reef. To mimic the complex shape of a natural oyster reef, multiple sizes of limestone rocks were used from six to thirty-six inches in size. Critically, the restored reef was built to a similar elevation as nearby healthy oyster reefs of about 15-18 inches. This project was led by UF faculty Bill Pine, Peter Frederick, and Leslie Sturmer.
Funded with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), this project has been particularly noteworthy for its success in the Gulf of Mexico. “The Lone Cabbage Oyster Reef Restoration project represents a significant advancement in the re-establishment of a critical coastal resource,” said Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director and CEO of NFWF. “NFWF is pleased to have partnered with the state of Florida, the University of Florida, and local oyster interests to accomplish the large-scale restoration of historic oyster reefs in the Suwanee Sound, and looks forward to the lessons learned through this effort informing other large-scale oyster restoration practices across the Gulf.”
A photo of the edge of a living oyster growing on a rock on Lone Cabbage Reef, Suwannee Sound, Florida. The lite/white color material is new oyster shell accumulating on the edge of old shell, which is dark colored. Photo by Emily Colson.
After the restoration in 2018, oyster populations were monitored each winter and salinity was measured every hour near the reef until February 2023. A key result is that this oyster reef restoration resulted in a rapid reversal of observed declines in oyster populations at the restored reef. Oyster larvae (called spat) were first found within a few months of completing the restoration, and oyster populations at the restored reef showed annual increases across all five years of post-restoration monitoring, which showed that oysters were surviving and populations were increasing over time. Unrestored oyster reefs either remained at similar oyster densities, or their populations declined over this same time period, depending on the distance from shore for the reef. Oyster sizes were were similar between restored and unrestored sites within three years of the restoration, and in the area of the restored reef that was open to commercial oyster harvest (about 40% of the reef), local oystermen reported finding legal size oysters on and near the reef beginning in 2022.
“The Lone Cabbage Project is the most successful oyster restoration project in Florida to date, and this success is really driven by a few key attributes” described project co-PI Bill Pine “First, we learned from our pilot project that the recovery of Lone Cabbage Reef was limited by the available substrate, and not oyster spat. This meant if we could provide a suitable substrate, then the naturally available oyster spat would be able to settle and grow on the substrate. Another key point is that we mimicked what we observed naturally occurring in the system. For example, we used locally sourced material that is the same type of limestone as found in nearby areas such as Waccasassa Bay and Ozello that we knew could support oyster spat and adult oysters. We also built the reef to the same elevation as healthy natural reefs in Suwannee Sound using rocks of multiple sizes which created a lot of gaps and places for spat to settle and grow. Our partnerships with oyster harvesters in the area were critical to learning more about the oyster reefs in the region and how they had changed over time. This was key to informing the design of the Lone Cabbage Restoration.”
A close-up photo from January 26, 2023 of counting oysters along a transect on the restored Lone Cabbage Reef, Suwannee Sound, Florida. Line-transects were temporarily established each winter to standardize a known area on the reef (between the strings) to count oysters. After counting the oysters present in a given area, the density of oysters could be determined and this density monitored over time to see how oyster populations changed following the restoration of Lone Cabbage Reef. Photo by Chad Palmer.
Even though the restoration of Lone Cabbage was a success, this restoration replaces only about 3-4% of the oyster reef area that has been lost in the Big Bend region. What does this mean for oysters along the Nature Coast? Dr. Pine shared his thoughts “The restoration of Lone Cabbage shows that large restoration projects can be done successfully. And now that we have learned how to do these projects, my hope is our local community partners can lead oyster restoration efforts in the region. The people that live and work in this area are the ones whose livelihoods and lifestyles depend on healthy ecosystems, and they can use the lessons learned from Lone Cabbage to lead other projects.  At the same time, research partnerships should work to understand why oyster populations have collapsed and require restoration in the first place. This region of Florida is often considered “pristine” but we have documented widespread declines in oyster populations since the 1980s and we really don’t understand what is driving those declines.”
 
Here are some other key take away points from this project:
Short Term Economic Impacts – The construction phase of the Lone Cabbage Reef restoration had local economic benefits. We estimate that the implementation phase of the project supported 44 full–time and part-time jobs earning $1.01 million in labor income and generated $5.08 million in total industry output, including $3.02 million in total value added within the regional economy.
Skill training – Oyster harvesters worked on this project providing technical skill in the construction, oyster monitoring, and servicing of the water quality monitoring stations. Involving local oyster harvesters in all aspects of the project created opportunities for the university researchers to learn from the harvesters, and the harvesters to learn from the researchers.
Water quality – Salinity was measured every hour at six different locations for more than five years to examine how the restoration of Lone Cabbage Reef may have changed salinity patterns in Suwannee Sound. These data do not suggest the restoration of the Lone Cabbage Reef had any change on salinity in Suwannee Sound.
What’s next – This project is an example of translating research to on-the-ground conservation actions that can provide meaningful benefit to ecosystems and their human users. In the short-term, community-led restoration efforts can reverse observed oyster reef losses. These community efforts can provide employment opportunities for under-employed community members. Long-term the drivers of large-scale oyster reef loss in this region must be identified, and efforts to reverse these losses undertaken at a meaningful scale to recover the ecosystem and fishery benefits provided by oyster reefs in the Big Bend region of Florida.
 
To find out more about this project, view the online portal. Access the publications below.
Seavey, J.R., Pine III, W.E., Frederick, P., Sturmer, L. and Berrigan, M., 2011. Decadal changes in oyster reefs in the Big Bend of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Ecosphere, 2(10), pp.1-14.
Pine III, W.E., Johnson, F.A., Frederick, P.C. and Coggins, L.G., 2022. Adaptive management in practice and the problem of application at multiple scales—insights from oyster reef restoration on Florida’s Gulf coast. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 14(1), p.e10192.
Pine III, W.E., Brucker, J., Davis, M., Geiger, S., Gandy, R., Shantz, A., Stewart Merrill, T. and Camp, E.V., 2023. Collapsed oyster populations in large Florida estuaries appear resistant to restoration using traditional cultching methods—Insights from ongoing efforts in multiple systems. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 15(5), p.e10249.
Aufmuth, J. J. Moore, W. Pine III, B. Ennis. In-review. An oyster’s pearl: restoring the elevation of Lone Cabbage Reef, Florida. Restoration Ecology
Moore, J.F. and Pine III, W.E., 2021. Bootstrap methods can help evaluate monitoring program performance to inform restoration as part of an adaptive management program. PeerJ, 9, p.e11378.
Moore, J.F., Pine III, W.E., Frederick, P.C., Beck, S., Moreno, M., Dodrill, M.J., Boone, M., Sturmer, L. and Yurek, S., 2020. Trends in oyster populations in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico: an assessment of river discharge and fishing effects over time and space. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 12(3), pp.191-204.
Pine, W. E. III, J. A. Moore, J. Aufmuth, M. Moreno, T. Coleman, J. Casteel, S. Beck, B. Ennis, and P. Frederick. In-review. Restoration is a partial, but not complete solution for long-term declines in oyster populations—a case history from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Marine and Coastal Fisheries.
 
A map depicting oyster count densities in the winter of 2022-2023, the last time period for sampling. Oyster densities were calculated from line-transect samples completed by personnel from the University of Florida, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and local oyster harvesters. Map by Joe Aufmuth, UF Marston Science Library.
This map demonstrates the change in elevation of Lone Cabbage Reef over time from the as-built conditions immediately following construction in 2018, to a follow-up survey in 2021.  For most of the reef, the elevation did not change very much over time. But portions of the most southerly portion of the reef change did subside over time. Because this is the section of the reef open to commercial oyster harvest, this subsidence may be a good thing as the oyster reef may simply be transitioning from an intertidal reef (shallow, and exposed to air part of the time) with generally small oysters, to a subtidal reef which often supports larger size oysters. Regardless, because the rock substrate persists, the restored Lone Cabbage Reef will continue to support oyster spat settlement and growth in areas that are open and closed to oyster harvest. Map by Joe Aufmuth, UF Marston Science Library.
A map depicting the restored Lone Cabbage Reef and areas open and closed for shellfish harvest near Lone Cabbage Reef. Within four years of completing the restoration, local commercial oyster harvesters were finding legal size oysters to harvest on and near the reef, while the rock substrate continued to support settlement and growth of oyster spat. Map by Joe Aufmuth, UF Marston Science Library.

Project Status and Accomplishments  The Lone Cabbage Reef Oyster Restoration project was completed this summer marking the end of more than fourteen years of work in the region. This project, which was culminated by the successful restoration of a chain of oyster reef more than three miles long in 2018, is the largest successful oyster […]

Lone Cabbage Oyster Reef Restoration Project Summary

Welcome to Samantha Dicker, the latest guest in our FSHN Research Journeys series, which follows graduate students&#8217; research in the Food Science and Human Nutrition program at The University of Florida. Samantha is a food science master&#8217;s degree student, and she aims to understand how human norovirus may survive in cooked oysters. Through her essential research into [&#8230;]

<a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/SD_Headshot.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignleft wp-image-7907 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="Samantha Dicker headshot, wearing back shirt, oyster | Food Science and Human Nutrition UF/IFAS" width="325" height="455" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/SD_Headshot-215x300.jpg"></a>Welcome to Samantha Dicker, the latest guest in our <a href="https://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/about/research-journeys/">FSHN Research Journeys</a> series, which follows graduate students&#8217; research in the <a href="https://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/">Food Science and Human Nutrition program</a> at <a href="http://ufl.edu/">The University of Florida</a>. Samantha is a <a href="https://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/current-students/graduate/ms-food-science-and-human-nutrition/">food science master&#8217;s degree student</a>, and she aims to understand how human norovirus may survive in cooked oysters. Through her essential research into the impact of organics on human norovirus survival, she strengthens her dedication to food safety research and ensures every oyster is prepared safely and deliciously.
Samantha: Human norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness within the U.S., with raw bivalve mollusks, such as oysters, serving as a common source of human norovirus-associated foodborne illness.1,2 However, human norovirus infections from cooked oyster products have raised concerns regarding the efficacy of the recommended cooking guidelines established by the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/index.htm">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC).3
<h6>The Persistence of HuNoV in Oyster Tissues</h6>
As the global demand for seafood has grown, aquaculture production has increased and now supplies more than 50% of the global supply of fish.4 As of 2016, mollusks (such as oysters) accounted for 21% of seafood production worldwide.4 At the same time, bivalve mollusks are a common food product associated with human norovirus transmission.2
Oysters are the leading mollusk species produced and are commonly associated with human norovirus foodborne outbreaks when consumed raw or cooked. The CDC recommends cooking oysters to an internal temperature of at least 145°F (62.8°C).5 However, the National Outbreak Reporting System reported that from 2010 to 2020, approximately 8% of oyster-associated norovirus outbreaks can be attributed to cooked oysters (i.e., steamed, fried, baked).6 This fact raises concerns regarding the established cooking methods’ ability to inactivate human norovirus or prevent this virus from causing infection.4 Human norovirus may “survive” cooking temperatures as it is often embedded within the tissues of oysters. Therefore, from our research, we aim to better understand how oyster tissues might impact the longevity of human norovirus when undergoing heat treatments.
<figure id="attachment_7925" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7925" style="width: 500px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_5188-rotated.jpeg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-7925 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="Samantha standing into woods wearing white headphones and a large black container." width="500" height="375" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_5188-300x225.jpeg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7925" class="wp-caption-text">Samantha dropping off samples to UF’s Nanoscale Research Facility.</figcaption></figure>
By understanding how cooking impacts the survival of human norovirus in oysters, we can potentially decrease the number of foodborne illness cases and their associated public health concerns. Furthermore, this research will benefit the stakeholders of the oyster production world, as decreasing foodborne outbreaks will help maintain their credibility as safe producers and prevent associated economic losses.
<h6>The Turning of a Tide in Samantha’s Academic Journey</h6>
I entered the third year of my undergraduate degree at the University of Florida intending to pursue a career as a registered dietitian. However, as I spent more time volunteering in <a href="https://pantry.fieldandfork.ufl.edu/">UF’s Field and Fork food pantry</a> and gained more experience in food science coursework, my interest grew in pursuing further education in food safety.
Equipped with nothing more than a limited knowledge of microbiology and even less experience in food safety, I applied for an undergraduate research position in <a href="https://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/about/faculty-bio-pages/montazeri/">Dr. Naim Montazeri</a>’s food virology laboratory. Since then, I have cultivated a deep-rooted respect and passion for food safety research and developed knowledge regarding our food system and the pathogens present.
The culmination of my experiences within the laboratory and my coursework has shown me the significance of viruses within our food system and the importance of food safety research in ensuring a safe food supply. Human norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness worldwide, yet knowledge regarding norovirus survival and interactions within the environment is limited.1 Researchers lack efficient and widely available laboratory techniques to assess viral infectivity or its ability to infect its target (or host) across different conditions.7 The challenges associated with this research motivate me to continue to grow and develop as a researcher and future food safety professional.
<figure id="attachment_7935" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7935" style="width: 350px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_5866.jpeg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-7935 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="A round image with capsules on the inside." width="350" height="333" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_5866-300x285.jpeg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7935" class="wp-caption-text">The host cells for Tulane virus under a microscope.</figcaption></figure>
<h6>How to Assess the Thermal Inactivation of Human Norovirus in Oyster Tissues</h6>
Previous research examining the thermal inactivation of human norovirus within oyster tissues has been conducted using surrogates (e.g., Tulane virus) for human norovirus.8,9 Human norovirus does not have an established method to assess viral infectivity. Therefore, researchers use surrogates or other viruses with similar characteristics or behaviors resulting from examined conditions instead of human norovirus.8,9 Surrogates are also used when studying viruses that are too dangerous to directly study or if researchers cannot obtain the actual virus. While surrogates are carefully selected due to their similarities to the virus being examined, they do not fully represent how this virus will behave in the same conditions.
Our research seeks to address the limitations of previous work by studying both the Tulane virus (as a surrogate) and a human norovirus strain. The tissues will be dissected and separated from multiple oysters and blended into an oyster homogenate, for each of the individual tissue samples (i.e., gills, digestive tract, etc.). These samples will then have a known concentration of virus added to them and placed under varying temperature conditions resembling cooking times and temperatures.
<figure id="attachment_7923" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7923" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_4683.jpeg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-7923 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="A purple circle with white streaks inside, oyster | Food Science and Human Nutrition UF/IFAS" width="300" height="327" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_4683-275x300.jpeg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7923" class="wp-caption-text">Samantha holds up plaque assay results for the Tulane virus.</figcaption></figure>
<h6>From Testing Oysters to Developing New Risk-based Models</h6>
For the samples infected with the Tulane virus, we will conduct an <a href="https://virology.ws/2009/07/06/detecting-viruses-the-plaque-assay/">infectivity plaque assay</a> using a host cell, or a cell that the virus will bind to and infect, to determine the amount of infectious virus that remains. Our lab lacks access to host cells for human norovirus to conduct an infectivity assay. Therefore, <a href="https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/brands/thermo-scientific/molecular-biology/molecular-biology-learning-center/molecular-biology-resource-library/spotlight-articles/basic-principles-rt-qpcr.html#:~:text=What%20is%20RT%2DqPCR%3F,time%20PCR%20reaction%20(qPCR).">reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction</a> (RT-qPCR) will help quantify the viral genome present after the heat is applied for both human norovirus and Tulane virus.
This research project is a subset of two others that will be conducted to study the risk of norovirus infection when consuming cooked oysters. My research will investigate the persistence of human norovirus in different oyster tissues by applying cooking temperatures and times. Additional research conducted by fellow graduate students will further expand the investigation of the thermal inactivation of human norovirus to the entire oyster in a similar method used for the tissues. These data will be used to establish risk-based assessment models that will be used to measure the risk posed by consuming cooked oysters in different scenarios (i.e., how much virus is present before cooking, the cooking method used, and so on).
<figure id="attachment_7945" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7945" style="width: 496px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/RTqPCR-Sammi-Dicker.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-7945 size-full lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="A graph with red lines." width="496" height="248" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/RTqPCR-Sammi-Dicker.png"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7945" class="wp-caption-text">An example of how the results from RT-qPCR will appear.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_7963" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7963" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_5887.jpeg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-7963 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="Circle filled with purple splotches." width="250" height="232" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_5887-300x279.jpeg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7963" class="wp-caption-text">Healthy host cells (non-infected) for the Tulane virus stained with dye for visibility.</figcaption></figure>
<h6>The Challenges Posed from Virus Research 
</h6>
Due to a lack of an available infectivity assessment for human norovirus, we will perform RT-qPCR. This technique will provide a quantification of the total virus genome present rather than just the infectious viral particles, thus potentially resulting in an overestimation of viral survival and consumption risk.10
To combat overestimation, we are implementing techniques that allow a more accurate measurement of only infectious viral particles within the sample. We plan on using the surrogate, Tulane virus, as an infectivity assay and RT-qPCR with a viability pretreatment can be used to measure the impact of heat on Tulane virus inactivation to better determine the most effective temperature and time combination of preparing safe oysters. The RT-qPCR viability pretreatment technique developed will also be used for heat-treated human norovirus to better measure the viral persistence and more accurately predict the risk posed by consuming that oyster product.
<figure id="attachment_7965" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7965" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_5983.jpeg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-7965 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="White circle with purple splotches." width="250" height="253" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/fshndept/files/2024/05/IMG_5983-297x300.jpeg"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7965" class="wp-caption-text">Host cells for the Tulane virus that have been infected and stained with dye for visibility.</figcaption></figure>
While overcooking oysters may seem like a potential solution to avoid norovirus, it may result in an undesirable tough and chewy texture. Therefore, our research seeks to mitigate the risk associated with cooked oysters while maintaining the delicate experience provided by their consumption.
Samantha is a food science master’s degree student working in Dr. Naim Montazeri’s Food and Environmental Virology Laboratory. She is a double Gator and is excited to further represent the Gator Nation and contribute to the novel field of food virology to ensure the safety and security of the global food supply chain. 
<h6>References</h6>
<ol>
<li>Burden of Norovirus Illness in the U.S. | CDC. Published January 12, 2022. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/trends-outbreaks/burden-US.html</li>
<li>Pouillot R, Smith M, Van Doren JM, et al. Risk Assessment of Norovirus Illness from Consumption of Raw Oysters in the United States and in Canada. Risk Anal. 2022;42(2):344-369. doi:10.1111/risa.13755</li>
<li>Alfano-Sobsey E, Sweat D, Hall A, et al. Norovirus outbreak associated with undercooked oysters and secondary household transmission. Epidemiology &amp; Infection. 2012;140(2):276-282. doi:10.1017/S0950268811000665</li>
<li>Botta R, Asche F, Borsum JS, Camp EV. A review of global oyster aquaculture production and consumption. Marine Policy. 2020;117:103952. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103952</li>
<li>CDC. Foods that can cause food poisoning, Accessed 11/9/2023, https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foods-linked-illness.html. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published August 9, 2023. Accessed November 9, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foods-linked-illness.html</li>
<li>National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) Dashboard. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Accessed September 17, 2023. https://wwwn.cdc.gov/norsdashboard/</li>
<li>Costantini V, Morantz EK, Browne H, et al. Human Norovirus Replication in Human Intestinal Enteroids as Model to Evaluate Virus Inactivation. Emerg Infect Dis. 2018;24(8):1453-1464. doi:10.3201/eid2408.180126</li>
<li>Shao L, Chen H, Hicks D, Wu C. Thermal inactivation of human norovirus surrogates in oyster homogenate. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2018;281:47-53. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2018.05.013</li>
<li>Araud E, DiCaprio E, Ma Y, et al. Thermal Inactivation of Enteric Viruses and Bioaccumulation of Enteric Foodborne Viruses in Live Oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Appl Environ Microbiol. 2016;82(7):2086-2099. doi:10.1128/AEM.03573-15</li>
<li>Shan L, Yang D, Wang D, Tian P. Comparison of cell-based and PCR-based assays as methods for measuring infectivity of Tulane virus. Journal of Virological Methods. 2016;231:1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jviromet.2016.01.012</li>
</ol>
<h6>Looking for more posts exploring graduate research projects in the FSHN Department at the University of Florida?</h6>
Dive into the <a href="https://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/about/research-journeys/">Research Journeys</a> of other graduate students below.
<a href="https://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/about/research-journeys/ms-food-science-research-journeys/">M.S. Food Science</a> 
<a href="https://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/about/research-journeys/ms-nutritional-sciences-research-journeys/">M.S. Nutritional Sciences</a> 
<a href="https://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/about/research-journeys/phd-food-science-research-journeys/">Ph.D. Food Science</a> 
<a href="https://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/about/research-journeys/phd-nutritional-sciences-research-journeys/">Ph.D. Nutritional Sciences</a>

Welcome to Samantha Dicker, the latest guest in our FSHN Research Journeys series, which follows graduate students’ research in the Food Science and Human Nutrition program at The University of Florida. Samantha is a food science master’s degree student, and she aims to understand how human norovirus may survive in cooked oysters. Through her essential research into the impact of organics on human norovirus survival, she strengthens her dedication to food safety research and ensures every oyster is prepared safely and deliciously.
Samantha: Human norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness within the U.S., with raw bivalve mollusks, such as oysters, serving as a common source of human norovirus-associated foodborne illness.1,2 However, human norovirus infections from cooked oyster products have raised concerns regarding the efficacy of the recommended cooking guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).3
The Persistence of HuNoV in Oyster Tissues
As the global demand for seafood has grown, aquaculture production has increased and now supplies more than 50% of the global supply of fish.4 As of 2016, mollusks (such as oysters) accounted for 21% of seafood production worldwide.4 At the same time, bivalve mollusks are a common food product associated with human norovirus transmission.2
Oysters are the leading mollusk species produced and are commonly associated with human norovirus foodborne outbreaks when consumed raw or cooked. The CDC recommends cooking oysters to an internal temperature of at least 145°F (62.8°C).5 However, the National Outbreak Reporting System reported that from 2010 to 2020, approximately 8% of oyster-associated norovirus outbreaks can be attributed to cooked oysters (i.e., steamed, fried, baked).6 This fact raises concerns regarding the established cooking methods’ ability to inactivate human norovirus or prevent this virus from causing infection.4 Human norovirus may “survive” cooking temperatures as it is often embedded within the tissues of oysters. Therefore, from our research, we aim to better understand how oyster tissues might impact the longevity of human norovirus when undergoing heat treatments.
Samantha dropping off samples to UF’s Nanoscale Research Facility.
By understanding how cooking impacts the survival of human norovirus in oysters, we can potentially decrease the number of foodborne illness cases and their associated public health concerns. Furthermore, this research will benefit the stakeholders of the oyster production world, as decreasing foodborne outbreaks will help maintain their credibility as safe producers and prevent associated economic losses.
The Turning of a Tide in Samantha’s Academic Journey
I entered the third year of my undergraduate degree at the University of Florida intending to pursue a career as a registered dietitian. However, as I spent more time volunteering in UF’s Field and Fork food pantry and gained more experience in food science coursework, my interest grew in pursuing further education in food safety.
Equipped with nothing more than a limited knowledge of microbiology and even less experience in food safety, I applied for an undergraduate research position in Dr. Naim Montazeri’s food virology laboratory. Since then, I have cultivated a deep-rooted respect and passion for food safety research and developed knowledge regarding our food system and the pathogens present.
The culmination of my experiences within the laboratory and my coursework has shown me the significance of viruses within our food system and the importance of food safety research in ensuring a safe food supply. Human norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness worldwide, yet knowledge regarding norovirus survival and interactions within the environment is limited.1 Researchers lack efficient and widely available laboratory techniques to assess viral infectivity or its ability to infect its target (or host) across different conditions.7 The challenges associated with this research motivate me to continue to grow and develop as a researcher and future food safety professional.
The host cells for Tulane virus under a microscope.
How to Assess the Thermal Inactivation of Human Norovirus in Oyster Tissues
Previous research examining the thermal inactivation of human norovirus within oyster tissues has been conducted using surrogates (e.g., Tulane virus) for human norovirus.8,9 Human norovirus does not have an established method to assess viral infectivity. Therefore, researchers use surrogates or other viruses with similar characteristics or behaviors resulting from examined conditions instead of human norovirus.8,9 Surrogates are also used when studying viruses that are too dangerous to directly study or if researchers cannot obtain the actual virus. While surrogates are carefully selected due to their similarities to the virus being examined, they do not fully represent how this virus will behave in the same conditions.
Our research seeks to address the limitations of previous work by studying both the Tulane virus (as a surrogate) and a human norovirus strain. The tissues will be dissected and separated from multiple oysters and blended into an oyster homogenate, for each of the individual tissue samples (i.e., gills, digestive tract, etc.). These samples will then have a known concentration of virus added to them and placed under varying temperature conditions resembling cooking times and temperatures.
Samantha holds up plaque assay results for the Tulane virus.
From Testing Oysters to Developing New Risk-based Models
For the samples infected with the Tulane virus, we will conduct an infectivity plaque assay using a host cell, or a cell that the virus will bind to and infect, to determine the amount of infectious virus that remains. Our lab lacks access to host cells for human norovirus to conduct an infectivity assay. Therefore, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) will help quantify the viral genome present after the heat is applied for both human norovirus and Tulane virus.
This research project is a subset of two others that will be conducted to study the risk of norovirus infection when consuming cooked oysters. My research will investigate the persistence of human norovirus in different oyster tissues by applying cooking temperatures and times. Additional research conducted by fellow graduate students will further expand the investigation of the thermal inactivation of human norovirus to the entire oyster in a similar method used for the tissues. These data will be used to establish risk-based assessment models that will be used to measure the risk posed by consuming cooked oysters in different scenarios (i.e., how much virus is present before cooking, the cooking method used, and so on).
An example of how the results from RT-qPCR will appear.
Healthy host cells (non-infected) for the Tulane virus stained with dye for visibility.
The Challenges Posed from Virus Research

Due to a lack of an available infectivity assessment for human norovirus, we will perform RT-qPCR. This technique will provide a quantification of the total virus genome present rather than just the infectious viral particles, thus potentially resulting in an overestimation of viral survival and consumption risk.10
To combat overestimation, we are implementing techniques that allow a more accurate measurement of only infectious viral particles within the sample. We plan on using the surrogate, Tulane virus, as an infectivity assay and RT-qPCR with a viability pretreatment can be used to measure the impact of heat on Tulane virus inactivation to better determine the most effective temperature and time combination of preparing safe oysters. The RT-qPCR viability pretreatment technique developed will also be used for heat-treated human norovirus to better measure the viral persistence and more accurately predict the risk posed by consuming that oyster product.
Host cells for the Tulane virus that have been infected and stained with dye for visibility.
While overcooking oysters may seem like a potential solution to avoid norovirus, it may result in an undesirable tough and chewy texture. Therefore, our research seeks to mitigate the risk associated with cooked oysters while maintaining the delicate experience provided by their consumption.
Samantha is a food science master’s degree student working in Dr. Naim Montazeri’s Food and Environmental Virology Laboratory. She is a double Gator and is excited to further represent the Gator Nation and contribute to the novel field of food virology to ensure the safety and security of the global food supply chain. 
References
Burden of Norovirus Illness in the U.S. | CDC. Published January 12, 2022. Accessed November 27, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/trends-outbreaks/burden-US.html
Pouillot R, Smith M, Van Doren JM, et al. Risk Assessment of Norovirus Illness from Consumption of Raw Oysters in the United States and in Canada. Risk Anal. 2022;42(2):344-369. doi:10.1111/risa.13755
Alfano-Sobsey E, Sweat D, Hall A, et al. Norovirus outbreak associated with undercooked oysters and secondary household transmission. Epidemiology & Infection. 2012;140(2):276-282. doi:10.1017/S0950268811000665
Botta R, Asche F, Borsum JS, Camp EV. A review of global oyster aquaculture production and consumption. Marine Policy. 2020;117:103952. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103952
CDC. Foods that can cause food poisoning, Accessed 11/9/2023, https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foods-linked-illness.html. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published August 9, 2023. Accessed November 9, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foods-linked-illness.html
National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) Dashboard. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Accessed September 17, 2023. https://wwwn.cdc.gov/norsdashboard/
Costantini V, Morantz EK, Browne H, et al. Human Norovirus Replication in Human Intestinal Enteroids as Model to Evaluate Virus Inactivation. Emerg Infect Dis. 2018;24(8):1453-1464. doi:10.3201/eid2408.180126
Shao L, Chen H, Hicks D, Wu C. Thermal inactivation of human norovirus surrogates in oyster homogenate. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2018;281:47-53. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2018.05.013
Araud E, DiCaprio E, Ma Y, et al. Thermal Inactivation of Enteric Viruses and Bioaccumulation of Enteric Foodborne Viruses in Live Oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Appl Environ Microbiol. 2016;82(7):2086-2099. doi:10.1128/AEM.03573-15
Shan L, Yang D, Wang D, Tian P. Comparison of cell-based and PCR-based assays as methods for measuring infectivity of Tulane virus. Journal of Virological Methods. 2016;231:1-7. doi:10.1016/j.jviromet.2016.01.012
Looking for more posts exploring graduate research projects in the FSHN Department at the University of Florida?
Dive into the Research Journeys of other graduate students below.
M.S. Food Science
M.S. Nutritional Sciences
Ph.D. Food Science
Ph.D. Nutritional Sciences

Welcome to Samantha Dicker, the latest guest in our FSHN Research Journeys series, which follows graduate students’ research in the Food Science and Human Nutrition program at The University of Florida. Samantha is a food science master’s degree student, and she aims to understand how human norovirus may survive in cooked oysters. Through her essential research into […]

Are Cooked Oysters Really Safe? Examining Thermal Inactivation of Human Norovirus in Oyster Tissues

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