DUE TO FLATTENING TRENDS IN CAPTURE FISHERIES, AQUACULTURE IS EXPECTED TO BE THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF GROWTH IN SEAFOOD PRODUCTION OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DECADES. IN AN EFFORT TO RELIEVE THE STRAIN ON WILD FISHERIES, THE STATE OF TEXAS RECENTLY APPROVED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE AQUACULTURE OF OYSTERS, WHICH PRESENTS A CONSIDERABLE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND DOMESTIC SEAFOOD PRODUCTION. A KEY FACTOR IN THE SUCCESS OF THE OYSTER AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY IN TEXAS WILL BE ACCESS FOR FARMERS TO ROBUST, FAST-GROWING OYSTERS THAT CAN THRIVE IN A VARIETY OF LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. UNLIKE MOST AGRICULTURAL SPECIES, OYSTERS AVAILABLE FOR AQUACULTURE IN TEXAS ARE UNDOMESTICATED, MEANING THAT THEIR PERFORMANCE FOR KEY TRAITS SUCH AS GROWTH RATE AND MEAT YIELD ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM WILD STOCKS. SELECTIVE BREEDING, ENHANCED WITH CUTTING-EDGE GENOMIC INFORMATION, IS A WELL-PROVEN STRATEGY FOR GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF AQUACULTURE SPECIES. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP CRITICAL INFORMATION TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE, LONG-TERM SELECTIVE BREEDING PROGRAMS FOR OYSTER AQUACULTURE IN TEXAS. SPECIFICALLY, THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ARE TO 1) GENERATE CRITICAL INFORMATION, SUCH AS THE HERITABILITY OF ECONOMICALLY-IMPORTANT TRAITS SUCH AS GROWTH AND MEAT YIELD, FOR TWO DISTINCT SUB-POPULATIONS OF OYSTERS NATIVE TO THE TEXAS COAST, AND 2) DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF CUTTING-EDGE, GENOMICS-BASED BREEDING STRATEGIES FOR OYSTER BREEDING PROGRAMS. RESULTS OF THE PROJECT WILL INFORM THE DESIGN OF BREEDING PROGRAMS AND ELITE OYSTERS IDENTIFIED WILL FORM THE BASIS OF FUTURE BREEDING POPULATIONS. THE PROJECT WILL LEAD TO EFFICIENT, LONG-TERM BREEDING PROGRAMS THAT WILL ULTIMATELY PROVIDE FARMERS WITH OYSTER SEED WITH IMPROVED PRODUCTION TRAITS, LEADING TO A REDUCTION IN RISK AND AN INCREASE IN FARM PROFITABILITY. THE FURTHER REFINEMENT OF GENOMICS-BASED BREEDING STRATEGIES WILL IMPROVE BREEDING OF OYSTERS AND OTHER BIVALVES IN THE WIDER UNITED STATES AND WORLDWIDE, RESULTING IN MORE EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION OF SEAFOOD.