** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** OYSTER AQUACULTURE FARMS ARE OFTEN SITED IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE THERE IS A FREE FOOD SUPPLY FOR OYSTERS, AMONG OTHER BENEFITS, BUT THE ENVIRONMENT ALSO INCLUDES DISEASES AND STRESSORS THAT THREATEN SEAFOOD PRODUCTION. EASTERN OYSTERS ARE INFECTED BY THE NOTORIOUS DERMO DISEASEAS WELL AS BIO-ERODING WORMS THAT BURROW INTO OYSTER SHELLS. AS IN MANY AQUACULTURE SETTINGS, CHESAPEAKE BAY INCLUDESBOTH WILD AND FARMED OYSTER REEFS THAT MAY BE IMPACTING EACH OTHER, BUT THERE IS LITTLE INFORMATION ON THE POTENTIAL FOR WILD-TO-FARM DISEASE TRANSMISSION. ADDITIONALLY, ALTHOUGH CLIMATE CHANGE MAKES THE WATERMORE ACIDIC AND HINDERS OYSTER SHELL FORMATION AND REPAIR, THERE IS A POOR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CLIMATE CHANGE WILL AFFECT OYSTER SUSEPTIBILITY TOBIO-ERODING WORMS.THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO ADDRESS THESE KNOWLEDGE GAPS ONHOW THE NATURALENVIRONMENTAFFECTS OYSTER HEALTH ON AQUACULTURE FARMS. WE WILL COLLECT OYSTERS FROM FARMS IN FALL AND SPRING OVER TWO YEARS AND ASSESS OYSTER HEALTH BY RATING BODY CONDITION AND DIAGNOSING EACH OYSTER FOR DERMO AND SHELL BIO-ERODING WORMS. WE WILL TEST HOW OYSTER BODY CONDITION AND SHELL INFESTATIONS DEPEND ON THE PROXIMITY OF FARMS TO WILD REEFS, INFECTIONS WITH DERMO, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS LIKELY TO SHIFT UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE. IN ADDITION TO SURVEYS, THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE COLLABORATING WITH AND DISSEMINATING INFORMATION TO RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS IN CHESAPEAKE BAY AND THE BROADER REGION. THE RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT WILL FILL CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE GAPS ABOUT WILD-TO-FARM DISEASE TRANSMISSIONAND STRESSORS RELATED TO CLIMATE CHANGE, THUS HELPINGRESEARCHERS DESIGN FUTURE EXPERIMENTSTO BETTER UNDERSTAND DRIVERS OF OYSTER DISEASE ON AQUACULTURE FARMS. OUR FINDINGS WILL HELP THE OYSTER AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY MAKE DECISIONS TO INCREASE PRODUCTION BYREDUCINGTHE IMPACT OF STRESSORS, INCLUDING SITING FARMS IN LESS STRESSFUL LOCATIONS. IN THE LONG-TERM, BUILDING THE KNOWLEDGE BASE ON WHERE AND HOW STRESSORS AFFECT OYSTERS CANSUPPORT INDUSTRY ADAPTATIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE. SAFEGUARDING AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION WITH SCIENCE-BASED DECISIONS WILL SUPPORT AN ECONOMICALLY VALUABLE INDUSTRY THAT PROVIDES HEALTHY, WILD SEAFOOD CHOICES TO A GROWING HUMAN POPULATION.