Susan Laramore

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Professor (Associate) at Florida Atlantic University

The amphipod Parhyale hawaiensis is a tropical species and of interest for use as a live feed in warm water marine aquaculture. Prior to the establishment of large scale culture optimal culture conditions need to be determined. The effects of temperature (20 °C, 23 °C, 26 °C, and 29 °C) on juvenile growth, survival, and generation time of the marin...

Amphipods have shown to have potential as a live prey item for use in aquaculture operations.

Owing to the high cost of microalgal production for bivalve culture, a need for alternatives to live microalgal diets exists, particularly in facilities where space and personnel required for live microalgal culture are limited. This study examined the feasibility of utilizing commercially available microalgal concentrates in place of or in additio...

The sunray venus (sunray) clam, Macrocallista nimbosa, is an alternative clam species reared in hard clam hatcheries in Florida. Current feeding practices follow those used for hard clam culture. This study aimed to identify whether a hard clam bi-algal Tisochrysis lutea and Chaetoceros neogracile diet was an optimal diet for post-set sunray clams...

Choice of microalgae diet affects production outcomes in bivalve hatcheries. This study aimed to identify an optimal microalgae diet to improve hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria, juvenile production. Four microalgae species (Tisochrysis lutea, Pavlova lutheri, Chaetoceros gracilis and Cyclotella nana) in six dietary combinations were fed for 6 weeks...

A seasonal comparison of the nutritional profile of sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) produced in a land-based integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system in Florida was conducted quarterly (March, June, September, December) over the course of an annual production cycle. Nutritional parameters evaluated included proximate analysis, mineral and tota...

During the 21st century, wetlands are predicted to decrease by an estimated 70% worldwide due to multiple factors, including climate change (Nicholls, Hoozemans & Marchand, 1999; Fagherazzi et al., 2012). Saltwater intrusion linked to sea level rise and diverted river flow will have a significant impact on Florida's wetland ecosystems (Herbert et a...

This study investigated filtration and ingestion rates of various microalgae species by hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria, larvae (veliger, pediveliger) and post‐set. Four microalgae species, Tisochrysis lutea, Pavlova lutheri, Chaetoceros gracilis and C. muelleri were evaluated for larvae, and an additional species Cyclotella nana, were evaluated f...

The on-site culture of live microalgae represents a major challenge for bivalve hatchery operations due to high cost and labour demands. This study evaluated the efficacy of commercially available microalgae concentrates as a partial or complete replacement diet for live microalgae for culture of the hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria, larvae. Larvae...

Hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria, aquaculture is heavily dependent on the production of high-quality hatchery seed, yet information on the optimal diet for larval culture is limited and primarily anecdotal. This study aims to determine the optimal microalgae diet for hard clam larvae by comparing various combinations of typically fed microalgae spe...

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department restricts movement of eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica among Texas bay systems because of potential disease transfer and genetic differences in natural oyster stocks. Oyster diseases, such as bonamiosis, which was found serendipitously in 2007 in Florida waters, and MSX (Haplosporidium nelsoni) have not been...

Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems typically rely on macroalgae to maintain water quality for fed and extractive species. Macroalgae harvested from these systems can in turn be used as feed source for these species. This study evaluated the use of harvested Ulva lactuca from a land-based IMTA system as a partial replacement (25, 50...

The reproductive cycle of the sunray venus (SRV) clam, Macrocallista nimbosa, was initially described over 40 years ago and was labeled as a “fall spawner” based on that study. Interest in the SRV clam as an alternative bivalve species for Florida shellfish aquaculture was established a decade ago but due to it’s reputation as an unreliable spawner...

The sunray venus clam has been advanced as an alternative species to hard clams for aquaculture in Florida. Although interest and market potential are high, hatchery operators continue to experience problems with consistent year-round spawns. Gametogenesis in other species has been linked to changes in fatty acid (FA) profiles, which are in turn af...

A 2007 study of Suminoe (Crassostrea ariakensis) and eastern (Crassostrea virginica) oysters exposed to Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida waters revealed the presence of Bonamia spp. in exposed oysters. In 2010, a survey of oysters and other bivalves (n = 721, 18 species) was conducted in the southern IRL (10 sites) and in the more southerly Lake...

Superintensive shrimp culture in zero-exchange, biofloc-dominated production systems is more biosecure and sustainable than traditional shrimp farming practices. However, successful application of this technology depends upon optimizing dietary formulations, controlling Vibrio outbreaks, and managing accumulative changes in water quality and compos...

The release of oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) during the Deepwater Horizon event coincided with the white and pink shrimp spawning season. To determine the potential impact on shrimp larvae a series of static acute (24–96 h) toxicity studies with water accommodated fractions (WAFs) of Macondo Canyon (MC) 252 crude oil, the Corexit 9500A dispersa...

A series of acute and sublethal experiments were conducted to examine the potential effects of exposure to wateraccommodated fractions (WAFs) of Macondo Canyon 252 crude oil and chemically enhanced (Corexit 9500A dispersant) wateraccommodated fractions (CEWAFs) on embryogenesis, larval development, growth, and survival of the eastern oyster, Crasso...

To better understand the potential impacts of the deepwater horizon oil spill on lower trophic level food sources, a series of toxicological laboratory experiments were conducted with two microalgae species. The acute toxicity of oil (tar mat and MC252 crude oil), dispersant (Corexit 9500A), and dispersed oil on growth inhibition (IC50) and motilit...

To assess potential benefits and liabilities from a proposed introduction of Asian Suminoe oysters, susceptibilities of exotic Crassostrea ariakensis and native C. virginica oysters were compared during exposures to pathogens endemic in temperate, mesohaline waters of Chesapeake Bay and sub-tropical, polyhaline Atlantic waters of southern Florida,...

Shell growth, survival, and physiology were compared between diploid Suminoe (Crassostrea ariakensis) and eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) under conditions simulating a U.S. subtropical estuary. Two age groups (4 mo and 28 mo) of both oyster species were grown for 9 mo (December 2006 through August 2007) in quarantine mesocosms (700 L) suppl...

The virulence of seven geographic isolates of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV; genus Whispovirus; China [strain CH1995], Nicaragua [strain N2000], Honduras [strain H2000], Ecuador [strains E-L1999 and E-LT2002], and Mexico [strains M-M2001 and M-LP2001]) was compared using a series of challenge experiments, each lasting 10 d. For each isolate, four...

White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) affects the penaeid shrimp culture industry, but the potential impact on the ornamental shrimp industry has not been studied. Therefore, experiments were conducted to determine the susceptibility of the ornamental peppermint shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni to WSSV. Litopenaeus vannamei, a cultured penaeid shrimp was used...

A survey was conducted to characterize the status of water quality (salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature), eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reproduction, and eastern oyster health in the St. Lucie Estuary (SLE), located near Stuart, Florida. The SLE receives water from an intensively drained watershed through a variety of interconn...

RESUMEN RESUMEN Los portadores asintomáticos , del virus de la necrosis hipodérmica y hematopoyética infecciosa (IHHNV), de litopenaeus vannamei pueden ser utilizados para el estudio del virus, obtener camarones resistentes al IHHNV o en la producción de vacunas en contra del virus. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar la presencia y tran...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida Institute of Technology, 2006. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-105).

The oyster pathogen Perkinsus marinus is a formidable problem for the American oyster. Crassostrea virginica. The Caribbean oyster C. rhizophorae is a closely related species of C. virginica, but little is known of its resistance to P. marinus (Dermo). Therefore, Dermo resistance was compared between the Caribbean and American oyster. Two Dermo-fr...

The effect of low salinity on survival and growth of the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei was examined in the laboratory due to the interest of raising shrimp inland at low salinities. In three separate experiments, individual L. vannamei postlarvae (∼ 0.1 g) were cultured at salinities of either 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, or 3 ppt (N= 5 or 10/treatm...