Eutrophication is a challenge to coastal waters around the globe. In many places, nutrient reductions from land-based sources have not been sufficient to achieve desired water quality improvements. Bivalve shellfish have shown promise as an in-water strategy to complement land-based nutrient management. A local-scale production model was used to estimate oyster (Crassostrea virginica) harvest and bioextraction of nitrogen (N) in Great Bay Piscataqua River Estuary (GBP), New Hampshire, USA, because a system-scale ecological model was not available. Farm-scale N removal results (0.072 metric tons acre⁻¹year⁻¹) were up-scaled to provide a system-wide removal estimate for current (0.61 metric tons year⁻¹), and potential removal (2.35 metric tons year⁻¹) at maximum possible expansion of licensed aquaculture areas. Restored reef N removal was included to provide a more complete picture. Nitrogen removal through reef sequestration was ~ 3 times that of aquaculture. Estimated reef-associated denitrification, based on previously reported rates, removed 0.19 metric tons N year⁻¹. When all oyster processes (aquaculture and reefs) were included, N removal was 0.33% and 0.54% of incoming N for current and expanded acres, respectively. An avoided cost approach, with wastewater treatment as the alternative management measure, was used to estimate the value of the N removed. The maximum economic value for aquaculture-based removal was $105,000 and $405,000 for current and expanded oyster areas, respectively. Combined aquaculture and reef restoration is suggested to maximize N reduction capacity while limiting use conflicts. Comparison of removal based on per oyster N content suggests much lower removal rates than model results, but model harvest estimates are similar to reported harvest. Though results are specific to GBP, the approach is transferable to estuaries that support bivalve aquaculture but do not have complex system-scale hydrodynamic or ecological models.

The pearl is known as the queen of jewels, and has been used for adornment and as a symbol of material wealth throughout human history. Pearls are formed by the secretion of nacre from epidermal cells within mollusc mantle tissue. But particular conditions are required for loose natural pearls to form and this occurrence is rare. However, utilization of this process for cultured pearl production now supports industries in more than 30 countries including China, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Philippines, Cook Islands, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Mexico, of which China has the largest production. Analysis of FAO global statistics shows that in the past decade (from 2005 to 2014), the average annual output of Chinese pearls was 3540 tonnes (t) valued at 15 million USD. This output accounted for over 98% of global cultured pearl output, of which freshwater pearls accounted for 99.5%. Japan has been the world’s major marine pearl producer for over a century, and has developed advanced technology in pearl oyster culture and pearl production. In the past decade, the average annual value of marine cultured pearl production in Japan was 127 million USD, accounting for 51.6% of global pearl output value. Average annual production of marine cultured pearls was 23 t in Japan, 18.6 t in China and 12.9 t in French Polynesia. Chinese pearl production is typified by a high-yield, low-value industry structure. Overall, global pearl production fell by 60% while output value fell by 39% over the past decade. Cultured pearl production typically includes five stages: oyster selection, nucleus implanting, nurturing, harvesting and pearl processing, of which nucleus implantation is the key step. Compared with other aquaculture sectors, pearl production has a complex process and a relatively long farming cycle which make it economically risky. Pressures to increase production, as well as external pressures such as urbanization, have placed pressures on the pearling industry that require appropriate management practices that support sustainable industry growth. 珍珠被誉为宝石中的皇后,是由贝类外套膜壳侧上皮细胞的分泌物形成,具有装饰、药用、美容保健三大功用和悠久的历史文化。目前世界上养殖珍珠的国家和地区有中国、日本、澳大利亚、法属波利尼西亚、库克群岛、泰国、马来西亚、印尼,印度、斯里兰卡、缅甸、菲律宾和墨西哥等30多个。其中,中国珍珠产量和养殖规模最大,根据FAO全球统计数据分析,过去十年(2005-2014)中国珍珠平均年产量3540吨(产值约1500万美元),占世界平均年总产量的98%以上,其中99.5%为淡水珍珠。日本是珍珠养殖的传统大国,其珍珠养殖和加工技术世界先进,过去十年来平均总产值达1.27亿美元,约占世界珍珠产业年平均总产值的51.6%。世界海水珍珠平均年产量:日本23吨,中国18.6吨,法属波利尼西亚12.9吨。淡水珍珠主要产自中国。由于各种环境和经济因素,近年来全球海、淡水珍珠产量均逐年下降。总体而言,在过去的十年间世界珍珠总产量下降60%,产值下降了39%。珍珠的生产过程包括:育苗、插核、育珠、收获、加工5个阶段,其中,插核是珍珠养殖的关键技术。相比其他产业,珍珠养殖生产周期长,流程复杂,具有较高的经济风险。受到业内提高产量的压力以及城市化等外部环境压力的双重作用,珍珠产业必然需要采取合适的管理调控措施以支撑产业的可持续发展。

Seafood supply chains are complex, not least in the diverse origins of capture fisheries and through aquaculture production being increasingly shared across nations. The business-to-business (B2B) seafood trade is supported by seafood shows that facilitate networking and act as fora for signaling of perceptions and values. In the Global North, sustainability related certifications and messaging have emerged as an important driver to channel the demands of consumers, institutions, and lead firms. This study investigates which logos, certifications, and claims were presented at the exhibitor booths within five seafood trade shows in China, Europe, and USA. The results indicate a difference in the way seafood is advertised. Messaging at the Chinese shows had less of an emphasis on sustainability compared to that in Europe and the USA, but placed a greater emphasis on food safety and quality than on environmental concerns. These findings suggest cultural differences in the way seafood production and consumption is communicated through B2B messaging. Traders often act as choice editors for final consumers. Therefore, it is essential to convey production processes and sustainability issues between traders and the market. An understanding of culture, messaging strategies, and interpretation could support better communication of product characteristics such as sustainability between producers, traders, and consumers.

To understand the impacts of peanut worms Sipunculus nudus on the prokaryotic community composition in a tidal flat, an onsite investigation was conducted in Suixi in the Beibu Gulf (109.82E, 21.35N) in the burrow sediments, non‐burrow sediments and the sediments without peanut worm disturbance (control). The16S rRNA gene Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to investigate the microbial communities and their response to bioturbation by S. nudus in a sandy tidal flat. A total of 18 bacteria phyla were detected, and Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria constituted the majority of the prokaryotic community in the samples. The distribution of the relative abundances of genera showed that approximately 6.99%–17% of the reads in the samples were classified into 25 known genera. Sulfate‐reducing bacteria (Desulfococcus and Desulfosarcina) were the most abundant taxa, followed by Thermodesulfovibrionaceae LCP‐6, indicating that sulfate reduction is the main process in the sandy tidal flat. The abundances of Desulfococcus, LCP‐6 and Cyanobacterium in the non‐burrow sediment were greater than in the burrow sediment, suggesting that the anoxic condition is more suitable for Desulfococcus and LCP‐6 when the activity of S. nudus is absent. The biomass of Cyanobacterium was decreased by the feeding bioturbation of S. nudus. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of the Bacteroidetes Luteimonas in the burrow sediments was significantly greater than in the non‐burrow sediment, and there was a strong relationship between S. nudus bioturbation and increased in oxygen contents and oxidation‐reduction potentials in the burrow sediment. The abundances of Desulfococcus and LCP‐6 were greater in the middle layer (20–30 cm) than in the top layer in the non‐burrow sediment. However, the middle and bottom layers (20–30, 30–40 cm) had higher abundances of these genera than did the upper layers (0–10, 10–20 cm) in the burrow sediments. The abundances of the Fusobacteria Propionigenium and the Spirochaetes Spirochaeta were greater in the middle and bottom layers (20–30 cm, 30–40 cm) than in the top layers (0–10, 10–20 cm) in the burrow sediment, but this phenomenon was not found in the non‐burrow sediment. This study demonstrates that bioturbation by S. nudus plays an important role in reshaping the bacterial community composition in intertidal regions.

Sipunculus nudus is an important intertidal aquaculture species that can ingest organic matter from the surface sediment and shows a high transportation capacity in sediment. However, little is known about the influence of intertidal aquaculture species on the sediment microbial community and the exchange of microbiota between the intestine and the surrounding sediment. In this study, the microbial communities in the intestine of S. nudus and three kinds of surrounding sediments were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene amplicon, and the relationships between different communities were examined. Principal coordinate analysis and ANOSIM/Adonis analysis showed that the microbial communities of worm intestine samples were significantly different from those of surrounding sediments (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, compared with the sediment samples, the microbial α-diversity was significantly lower in the intestinal samples. Although the relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria were high in all samples, three phyla (Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Latescibacteria) showed a great difference between the four groups, as the abundances of the three phyla were significantly lower in the intestinal samples. Moreover, several microbial interactions were found between the worm intestine and surrounding sediments. BugBase functional prediction analysis indicated that the oxygen status of the sediment and the intestine was changed by bioturbation by the worm. Therefore, the microenvironment and microbial community in sediment were affected by the activity of S. nudus in the intertidal aquaculture zone.