A New Method to Combat Climate Change for Ocean Conservation of Abalone

UC Davis Aquaculture takes you on a tour to the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory to help Dr. Sara Boles conduct ultrasound examinations of Red Abalone. We are studying the effects of climate change on abalone reproductive health. More specifically we are interested in understanding how ocean acidification effects abalone gonad development and to learn if there are direct or indirect effects of these ocean conditions on the abalones ability to produce eggs, sperm, and larvae. In this video we are using a portable ultrasound machine, the Edge II made by Fujifilms Sonosite ultrasound to examine the abalone gonads over time.
We recently published a paper in Frontiers in Marine Science (www.frontiersi...) called "Evaluation of gonad reproductive condition using non-invasive ultrasonography in red abalone (Haliotis rufescens)". In the publication we discuss the utility of ultrasound sonography to increase the animal welfare of this marine invertebrate during the spawning process and how to use the ultrasound for assessing gonad development. Ultrasound can assist with the California aquaculture of abalone farming. We primarily conduct red abalone aquaculture in California as a great low trophic aquaculture candidate. There are a number of other applications of ultrasound in abalone shellfish aquaculture farms which we discuss further in the paper such as a new method for conservation aquaculture of endangered species of abalone such as White abalone and Black abalone.
We hope you enjoy the video.
Aquaculture.ucdavis.edu
#ultrasound, #abalone, #aquaculture, #conservation, #ocean, #veterinary, #ucdavis, #california, #sonography

[@DaHoodScientist]

What a cool method! Abalone can just get a belly rub without an physically invasive checkup on their reproductive parts!