in the office of Frank Harmon Architect PA

The hatchery process at UNCW encompasses all of the components of a full-scale shellfish hatchery. These include adult shellfish or broodstock holding, broodstock spawning under controlled conditions, rearing of the initial free swimming stage of larvae culture, setting or attaching the final stage of the larvae to shells, and growing the juvenile oysters to a size where they can be put out into the wild. Feeding all of these oyster stages will require the hatchery to grow its own live feed, which are several types of microscopic algae. The project was designed utilizing LEED principles with some of the sustainable features being local materials, natural ventilation, day lighting and native landscapes. The design process involved coordination with numerous expert consultants, including Jim Donaldson of Olympus Aquaculture, the nations leading aquaculture system design expert.

To learn more about the importance of shellfish to the health of our coastal waters, contact us here.