Canada: Vancouver Island scientists are breeding oysters to resist climate change

As carbon dioxide levels in the oceans climb, researchers at Nanaimo's Pacific Biological Station are trying to breed oysters that can survive in these new conditions and help prevent a shellfish industry collapse. Tim Green, Vancouver Island University’s Canada research chair in shellfish health and genomics, is working with Department of Fisheries and Oceans researchers Chris Pearce and Clara Mackenzie to breed oysters which can survive higher levels of ocean acidification, as well as identify relevant genomes responsible for the species' survival. "It's really to make the oyster aquaculture more climate change resistant [and] breeding a better oyster that's more tolerant to increased temperatures and increased acidification levels, so that the industry can be more productive in the future with climate change," Pearce said. "So they can produce more oysters and make more money." For the project, researchers collected 19 families of oysters from Canada, Washington, Chile and the ...