He hopes that, in time, there will be a direct pipeline between scientists and oyster farmers so that he can let them know when there’s problematic bacteria within the system and, hopefully, limit the prevalence of widescale mortality events. This allows him to identify the site-specific variables at play so he can develop strategies that help bolster the resilience of the aquaculture industry. Once they’ve been sorted, the tissues are stained and viewed under microscopes to assess their immunological function.Īdditionally, Ciesielski extracts DNA from the oysters and analyzes it using “large machinery that looks complicated,” he says with a laugh.Ĭiesielski is monitoring oysters across eight field sites, six in North Carolina and two in Virginia.
This is a meticulous process that involves precise cuts, tiny vials, and the continuous disinfection of tools between samples. “So, we want to know which species are causing most of the damage.”Īfter counting oysters in the field, Ciesielski collects two from each container and brings them back to the lab, where he dissects them to gather a variety of tissue samples for analysis. “There’s a whole slew of functions that the vibrio genus performs, and some of them are likely contributing to oyster mortality,” Ciesielski says. Numerous benign species live in the ocean, just “hanging out,” not affecting humans. If someone consumes oysters containing these bacteria, they might experience an intestinal infection, which can lead to septicemia and possibly death.īut these are just a few of the bacteria that make up the genus. The “heavy-hitters,” according to Ciesielski, are Vibrio parahaemolyticus and vulnificus. If you’ve ever heard of vibrio, it’s probably the kind that affects humans. He’s specifically focusing on a genus of bacteria that could be infecting these pear-shaped mollusks, something called vibrio. “Most likely, it’s a whole suite of factors that need to be taken into account.”Ĭiesielski is part of a team that’s attacking this problem of oyster mortality from a variety of angles, assessing water quality, increased temperatures, predation, and other environmental factors. To uncover what’s contributing to these die-offs, Ciesielski is exploring the driving factors that may be leading to the bivalves’ demise. Since 2003, the North Carolina oyster community has worked together to protect and restore local oyster habitats and fisheries, which have experienced a steady decline over the last century due to overharvesting, habitat disturbance, pollution, and biological and environmental stressors. “Did you just say 76?” Ciesielski says, a note of shock and sadness in his voice. “What’s your count?” Ciesielski yells to the front of the boat, where his NC State collaborator and IMS alumnus, Jonathan Lucas, is divvying up another bag. This batch only has six or seven that didn’t survive.Ĭiesielski shakes water out of an oyster container. Dead oysters to the left, live oysters the right.
ARTS COLLABORATORY ZIP
He carries it back to the boat, cuts open its zip ties, pours the contents into a long black tub, and begins sorting. Upon reaching the oyster cages, Ciesielski unhooks one from the line, lifts it up, and shakes the water out of it, the shells click-clacking loudly. To avoid stepping on them, a quick one-two is necessary. Small versions of these shark relatives like to bury themselves in the sand on the bottom of the bay here in Smyrna, North Carolina. “Do you know about the stingray shuffle?” he asks.
ARTS COLLABORATORY FULL
Later that morning, it’s hard not to admire his drive to get in and out of the waist-high water at his field site, where numerous mesh cages full of oysters bob up and down as the saltwater swells and recedes. “Diving and swimming are two different things,” he points out.
He also shares that he’s not much of a swimmer, but he received a full scholarship to his undergraduate institution as a member of the dive team. That’s a pattern of Ciesielski’s - immersion therapy. “Not knowing what’s around you is terrifying,” the UNC-Chapel Hill marine science PhD candidate says with a laugh. As Mark Ciesielski urges the black Silverado he’s driving up the incline of the third bridge he’s crossed this morning, he looks out over the rippling water of Core Sound and admits that the ocean intimidates him.
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